Britain's Murray reacts during his match against Fernando Verdasco at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 indoor tournament in Paris on Nov 2, 2016. [Photo/IC]

Earlier on Wednesday evening, world No. 2 Murray struggled in his Paris Masters opener but managed to rally past Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-5 to keep his No. 1 hopes alive.

The 29-year-old Briton needed two and a half hours to see off his opponent.

He faced two break points at 5-5 in the deciding set, and received a time violation warning from umpire Damien Dumusois as he composed himself, before breaking to love in the 12th game to win the match.