s the new year at Kapalua on Maui.No one feels like hes due more than Kevin Chappell. But if he wins, he wont be going to paradise.Can I ask for a rain check? Chappell said.His wife, Elizab

Andy Murray improved his chances of making the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time in four years after a record-breaking contest against Kei Nishikori in London.Not since his debut in 2008, when the tournament was held in Shanghai, has the Scot won both of his opening two matches and his 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 6-4 victory over Nishikori will be enough for a first last-four appearance since 2012 as long as he beats Stan Wawrinka on Friday. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price This was the fourth meeting of the year between the pair, with Murray having won easily at the Olympics but enduring long five-set tussles with Nishikori in the Davis Cup and at the US Open, where he came out second best. And the Briton rose to the occasion once again, after his victory over Cilic, to defeat Japans finest in the longest ever match at the season-ending tournament, lasting three hours and 20 minutes.Shot of the matchMurray showed remarkable powers of recovery with a moment of pure genius to be in the right place at the right time to save a third set point in an opening set tiebreak with this attacking winner from the tightest of angles. It was reminiscent of his winning effort to win the Rome Masters earlier this year against Novak Djokovic. This was just about the best point in a dramatic tiebreak in which Murray had three set points and Nishikori had five Expert analysisSky Sports Peter Fleming: Hes the world No 1 and you dont get to that position without having incredible resolve and will and reserve of mental and emotional stamina. He is a great physical athlete, hits the ball beautifully and his backhand is incredible, but it was just his willingness to keep going and his willingness to butt heads with Nishikori.Mentally and emotionally, it might be more of a strain for him to recover than physically. Knowing what is at stake, I think it will be quite easy for him to get up for the rest of his matches here. Murray had to dig deep to beat Nishikori in what was the longest match in Tour Finals history The matchThere were no less than 17 breaks of serve during their US Open encounter but Nishikori, who could yet finish the year ranked No 3, failed to capitalise on those offered on a plate during an opening set lasting 85 minutes, including 40 unforced errors. Heres Murrays stunning cross-court winner on the run which left Nishikori at the net... After a slow-burner of an opening with both men failing to take opportunities to break, the first set tiebreak lit the blue touchpaper.Murray was forced to produce a remarkable reflex winner from an impossible angle to save a third set point at 6-3. But ultimately the Scot failed take any of his three opportunities created, while the 26-year-old broke Murrays resistance at the fifth time of asking to stun the home support. Nishikori needed a couple of smashes to eventually get past Murray after this exchange... That only inspired the 29-year-old, who started his fightback with an immediate response in the opening game of the next set. A re-energised Nishikori broke back in the eighth game, but Murray struck immediately back to send the match into a decider.Wimbledon and Olympic champion Murray took advantage of a lucky net cord in the third game to move ahead in the match and he quickly made it a double break advantage. Although Nishikori, who reached the 2014 semi-finals on his debut at the season finale, won the next three on the spin, it was the world No 1 who held his nerve to seal a famous win at the second time of asking. Heres the moment Murray closed out the match at the second time of asking... The victory made it 21 in a row for the Scot, who needs to match Djokovics performance this week to ensure he holds onto top spot until the end of the year.Check our game-by-game coverage from all group matches at the ATP World Tour Finals in London - including Andy Murray v Stan Wawrinka on Friday - on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad and our Twitter account @skysportstennis. Murray v Nishikori: Match Stats Murray Nishikori Aces 8 0 Double faults 6 4 1st serve points won 75% 72% 2nd serve points won 48% 40% Break points won 4/7 2/11 Unforced errors 39 49 Total points won 130/251 121/251 Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price!Also See:WATCH: How good is Murray?As it happened...Murrays service syndrome over?That was pulsating tennisCustom Yankees T-shirts . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Authentic Custom Yankees Jersey . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. http://www.customyankeesjersey.com/ .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Custom Derek Jeter Jersey . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Wholesale Custom Yankees Shirts . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1.ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III was so fired up watching the Americans play and win at Hazeltine that he couldnt wait to get out of his cart and get back to playing. He said one of his assistant captains, Tiger Woods, felt the same way.Both had to wait a while.Love and Woods were scheduled to play the PGA Tours season-opening event at the Safeway Open, and both withdrew. One got more attention than the other.Woods still hasnt played since August 2015. He is due to return in two weeks at his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. Love waited only a few weeks before he returned at Las Vegas and tied for 41st, not a bad effort for a 52-year-old who had hip surgery in June.And then he pulled out of Mexico to make sure he was rested for the RSM Classic at Sea Island, where he is tournament host of the final event of the year.Tiger and I had the same thing happen to us, Love said. We had some momentum, and then we got so wrapped up a couple weeks in the Ryder Cup, and then we got hit by a hurricane that we didnt really get the practice schedule we were quite planning the week after the Ryder Cup.Im getting better every week, so hopefully by January, Ill be 100 percent.As for Woods?Thats still to be determined.2016 FINALE: The RSM Classic sure feels like the end. There wont be another PGA Tour event until the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua the first week of January, giving players six weeks off if they want it.On the other hand, this is only the sixth week of the new season. A tour official mentioned to defending champion Kevin Kisner that at this time a year ago, he was leading the FedEx Cup after the fall portion of the season and asked what was different.Im not leading, Kisner said. Ive only played twice. Didnt play well either place, really.THE BUSY BODIES: Peter Malnati and Spencer Levin have earned a dubious distinction in the fall portionn of the tour schedule.ddddddddddddeither of them has missed a tournament.Scott Piercy was part of that group, too, but he decided to take this week off. The difference is that Piercy has converted the full schedule into a great start to his season. He already has three top 10s and is No. 7 in the FedEx Cup.Malnati and Levin have missed two cuts and have yet to crack the top 30.THE FIELD: Matt Kuchar is the highest-ranked player at Sea Island at No. 20 in the world, and it helps that he leaves here. The only PGA Tour winner in this new season at the RSM Classic is Cody Gribble, who won in Mississippi opposite the World Golf Championship in China.Love is a big attraction, not only for his deep roots at Sea Island but as the tournament host who recently was selected for the Hall of Fame. Two other Hall-of-Famers are in the field, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els.LAST CHANCE: Although the season is still young, this is the last chance for players to qualify for the winners-only Tournament of Champions that starts the new year at Kapalua on Maui.No one feels like hes due more than Kevin Chappell. But if he wins, he wont be going to paradise.Can I ask for a rain check? Chappell said.His wife, Elizabeth, is expecting their second child in January. Chappell plans to stay home for the month of January. Even so, he would love to get that first PGA Tour victory after a season in which he finished runner-up three times -- twice to Jason Day, once to Rory McIlroy.THE COURSES: Love received the tours permission last year to use two courses at Sea Island Golf Club -- Seaside all four rounds, and Plantation the opening two rounds. That allows for a 156-man field, the largest of the fall. Two courses are required because it gets dark early this time of the year. ' ' '