The Tribune

By CAROLINE CHEESE AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) -- David Ferrer pulled off the first upset of the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-4, 7-5 victory Monday over Andy Murray, whose groin injury might force him to quit the season-ending tournament. Murray, seeded third, said he injured himself during training a few days after the Paris Masters this month. He said he'll decide Tuesday if he'll keep playing. "If it wasn't Slams or this event, I wouldn't have played," he said. Ferrer, seeded seventh, broke in the 10th game of the first set in the opening match of Group A. He twice came from a break down in the second to stun Murray and the home crowd inside London's O2 Arena. Murray finished with 44 unforced errors and made just 46 per cent of his first serves. This is the last event of a season in which the top men's players have complained about the gruelling schedule. No. 1 Novak Djokovic was to test his shoulder injury in his opening match against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic later Monday. If Murray continues he will face the loser of the Djokovic-Berdych match on Wednesday, needing a win to maintain any realistic hope of reaching the semifinals. Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia is first in line to replace Murray if he withdraws. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer prevailed in three-set matches Sunday to set up the 26th meeting of their long rivalry Tuesday. Ferrer won his first match at the O2 Arena after going 0-3 last year and beat Murray for the first time on a hard court after five losses. "I played very consistent all the match," he said. "Maybe the first set I play better than the second. In the second sometimes I was a little bit nervous. In important moments, I take my chance, and nothing else." Murray beat Ferrer in straight sets in Tokyo and Shanghai on a run of three straight titles in Asia in September and October, part of a 17-1 run following the US Open that helped him overtake Federer for the No. 3 ranking. British boxer David Haye was in the crowd and tweeted that he was looking forward to seeing his friend Murray "smash the Spaniard!" Instead, Murray repeatedly swung and missed. He broke for a 2-1 lead in the first set but then immediately conceded the advantage with an error-strewn game. And as Murray's form fluctuated wildly, Ferrer maintained his trademark consistency from the baseline. Serving to stay in the set at 5-4 down, Murray asked the umpire to call for the trainer and subsequently dropped serve for the second time, blazing a forehand long and wide on Ferrer's second set point. The trainer massaged Murray during the injury timeout, and it seemed to have done the trick when Murray immediately broke serve in the second set. The stadium was about two-thirds full for the afternoon session and Murray's performance didn't give them much to shout about. He first lost serve to love in the fourth game and then double-faulted to give up another break in the eighth. Ferrer, leading 6-5, punched a perfect volley onto the sideline to force match point. He then pounced on an ill-advised drop shot from Murray to seal the win.