Andy Murray crowned Madrid Open virtual champion

Andy Murray crowned Madrid Open virtual champion | Other 3rd Party

Andy Murray prevailed in the inaugural Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro after edging out Belgium's David Goffin in the final.

Murray overcame Goffin on a tiebreak 7-6 (5) on PlayStation game Tennis World Tour in a competition arranged to replace the postponed Madrid Open, which the Scot has won twice in his career.

He said afterwards: "Of all the matches I played, that felt like a proper match, we were a similar level.

"It was good. I enjoyed it, there's not much we can do just now, we spend most of the days indoors and can't get out much so it was a fun thing to do."

Former world number one Murray was gifted a route into the showpiece following some bizarre technical glitches in his semi-final against Diego Schwartzman on Thursday afternoon.

The Argentinian unfathomably kept being awarded points, a situation which led Murray to say: "This is madness."

Schwartzman won a tiebreak - despite the last point being a winner from Murray - but the South American graciously stepped aside.

A tournament statement said: "Due to technical problems with @dieschwartzman's connection that prevented him from competing normally in his semi-final match, the players have agreed that @andy_murray should progress to the #MMOPEN Virtual Pro final."

The charity initiative will donate 50,000 euros (£43,600) to the Madrid Food Bank to help reduce the social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Murray said on Instagram: "I'll be donating half of the 45 thousand dollars prize money to the NHS and the other half to the tennis player relief fund."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website