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A RESURGENT Andy Murray will play for a sixth straight week when he competes at the Paris Masters in an effort to finish the season in the top four and gain a better draw at the 2015 majors.

Murray has played 20 matches in five weeks, winning three titles to climb to fifth in the ATP rankings. He is also seeking to qualify for next month’s World Tour Finals in London.

Murray said: “I always wanted to qualify for it but also I want to get back into the top eight players in the world and it makes a huge difference for seedings in the major events. I still have a chance of getting maybe to four between now and the end of the year.”

Murray opens in Paris against Julien Benneteau on Wednesday (yesterday) having received a bye into the second round. Benneteau progressed by defeating Lu Yen-hsun 6-3, 6-4.

“It’s been a long few weeks but it’s been very beneficial for me,” Murray said. “We gained a lot of confidence in my body again from playing this many matches and then also from winning a lot of tough, long, close matches, especially in the finals, match points down.”

Murray saved five match points against Tommy Robredo in a gruelling three-setter last weekend in the Valencia Open final.

“I have always felt when physically I feel strong, that it improves how I feel mentally.”

The defending champion in Paris, Novak Djokovic, stayed on course to finish the season as No1 by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-4 in the second round in the Serbian’s first match since the birth of his child. —The Guardian