Andy Murray has put his mind to marching towards a new target of career victories after joining the 500 club in Miami on Tuesday night.
The British No 1 became only the ninth active player and 46th man in the Open Era to reach 500 wins when he beat Kevin Anderson in the fourth round of the Miami Open, triumphing 6-4 3-6 6-3 in just over two hours.
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Murray, 27, was presented with a special celebratory cake after booking a quarter-final meeting with Dominic Thiem, and he soon turned his thoughts to the next major milestone.
“There’s not a whole lot of people who’ve made it to 500 so it’s quite nice to do that,” he told Sky Sports News.
“I’ve put in a lot of hard yards and done a lot of work here. I hope it’s not the last win and I hope there are a few more in my career.
“I have a certain number in mind before I finish my career and hopefully my body can hold up.”
The third-seeded Scot fired down two aces while surviving 11 from South African Anderson, who exploited Murray’s faltering first serve to clinch the second set and force a decider.
Murray would ultimately triumph by converting four of 11 break opportunities.
The world number four told atpworldtour.com: “I played one bad game on my serve at three-love in the second set where I started rushing a little bit, which is a shame.
“I managed to get a break back and then made that second set a bit tougher for him.
“In the third set I created quite a lot of chances and opportunities and served better.”
Of last-eight opponent Thiem, a 21-year-old from Austria, he added: “He’s a very talented guy.
“I know him fairly well. I practice with him quite a bit. He’s very hard worker. Very good attitude. Very respectful guy.
“He’s got a very good career ahead of him, so I expect tomorrow will be a tough match.”
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