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Murray moving in on No. 3 ranking

Andy Murray, shown in a file photo from earlier this year, moved closer to the world No. 3 ranking with a win Sunday at the ATP tournament in Tokyo. Murray is the defending champion at this week's Shanghai Masters. UPI/Monika Graff
Andy Murray, shown in a file photo from earlier this year, moved closer to the world No. 3 ranking with a win Sunday at the ATP tournament in Tokyo. Murray is the defending champion at this week's Shanghai Masters. UPI/Monika Graff | License Photo

LONDON, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Andy Murray crept closer to the world No. 3 spot and Tomas Berdych moved up three spots in the world men's tennis rankings.

Murray and Berdych collected tournament titles Sunday. The win in Tokyo was Murray's second championship in as many weeks. After winning Oct. 2 at Bangkok he said he set a goal of finishing the year with the No. 3 ranking.

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He's currently fourth but the wins the last two weeks have cut into his rankings point deficit with No. 3 Roger Federer. Federer had 8,380 points and Murray 7,825.

Murray this week will be out to defend the 1,000 points he won at the 2010 Shanghai Masters but Federer, sitting out the 2011 edition, will lose the 600 points he received last year as the Shanghai runner-up. If Murray repeats in Shanghai, he would overtake Federer.

Berdych won the China Open and improves his ranking from 10th to seventh. That pushed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (whom Berdych beat in the semifinals in Beijing), Mardy Fish and Gael Monfils each down one spot.

Novak Djokovic, still nursing a back injury, remains No. 1 with 14,220 points. Rafael Nadal, who lost to Murray in the Tokyo final, is second with 10,375.

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After Federer and Murray come No. 5 David Ferrer (4,200), sixth-ranked Robin Soderling (3,680), Berdych (3,280), Tsonga (3,050), Fish (2,955) and Monfils (2,570).

Nadal and Murray headline the Shanghai Masters, which features six Top 10 players. Djokovic, Federer, Soderling and Monfils are missing the tournament.

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