Andy Murray has edged closer to becoming the world's number one player after beating Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets to win the Shanghai Masters title.
The current world number two was able to bounce back from a slight wobble in the first set to storm to victory, eventually coming out on top 7-6(1) 6-1 in just over an hour and a half.
Murray's sixth title of the calendar year takes him a step closer to ousting Novak Djokovic, who was beaten by Bautista Agut in the semi-finals, as the world's top-ranked player.
The first break of serve in a tight first set arrived in the seventh game, as Murray battled to a key point and left his opponent on the ropes, but the Spaniard hit back and earned a break of his own in the 10th.
Murray had squandered three set points prior to Bautista Agut staging his comeback, but the British ace took seven points in a row in the tie-break to edge ahead in the match.
Bautista Agut, whose victory over Djokovic in the last round was the biggest of his career to date, failed to match the form that got him over the line against the Serb as he struggled to hold serve in the second set.
Three successive breaks helped Murray to a 5-1 lead, and he made no mistake in the seventh game thanks to a 40-love triumph which earned him title number six of the year, leaving him 915 points behind Djokovic in the rankings.
Daniel Lewis
