ANDY MURRAY claimed the title at the China Open Sunday, taking a step toward unseating world number one Novak Djokovic, as Agnieszka Radwanska won her second Beijing crown on Sunday night.

    Both romped to victory in straight sets on a chilly night in the Chinese capital, neither of them having dropped a set in the tournament.

    Murray’s 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) win over unseeded Grigor Dimitrov is his fifth title of the year and 40th of his career, while third-ranked Radwanska sealed her win 6-4, 6-2 over Briton Johanna Konta with an ace.

    The Scot’s victory moves him 1,000 points closer to long-reigning world number one Djokovic, with the chance of taking the top spot by year-end and capping off a career-best season.

    “It was probably my best match of the week,” said Murray.

    “Considering the conditions were fairly cold, I was still serving over a hundred miles an hour on some second serves. I felt using good variation on that shot, so I didn’t give him a chance to really attack me there and that was probably the thing that I did best tonight.”

    Murray broke Dimitrov’s serve in the opening game, putting the 15th-ranked Bulgarian on the defensive as he made 21 unforced errors in the opening set.

    In the second, both held their serve through the first four games until Murray broke Dimitrov at 3-2.

    It looked like the Scot would serve for the championship but Dimitrov — who beat Rafael Nadal en route to the final — won the next 11 points, breaking Murray to love.

    Pushed to a tiebreak, the three-time Grand Slam champion immediately seized back control, storming through the decider to claim his first title in the Chinese capital.

    Dimitrov had received a free pass through the semifinals after Canadian Milos Raonic pulled out with an ankle injury, but was left overwhelmed by the Scot.

    “I just didn’t feel that I had another gear,” Dimitrov told reporters.

    Murray is the 16th player in the Open era to win at least 40 titles and the fourth active player to accomplish the feat, joining Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.

    Radwanska’s victory was the 20th of her career but there was more on the line for Konta, 25, who was making a bid in the Chinese capital for what would have been her second and biggest title.

    Despite the loss, by reaching the Beijing final Konta has amassed enough points to break into the top 10 — the first British woman to do so since Jo Durie in 1984.(SD-Agencies)