Berdych and Murray bolster Finals hopes

AndyMurray

Both players have moved up a spot in the ATP world rankings - to sixth and 10th respectively.

More significantly, the duo have edged closer to securing places in the end-of-season World Tour Finals, which take place in London next month.

Berdych remains seventh in the Race to London, with Murray up two places into the eighth and last qualifying slot.

Both will contest the Valencia Open in Spain this week, with Murray eager to maintain momentum after clinching the 30th ATP title of his career.

"The next few weeks are extremely important," he said.

"Everyone is playing next week. I just need to win as many matches as possible to keep hold of the eighth spot [in the Race To London] or go higher."

Having lost to Murray in Sunday's final, David Ferrer finds himself outside the top eight, while Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic will feature in Basel hoping to bolster their chances of a spot in London. 

Raonic is reeling from first-round exits in his last two outings while Dimitrov lost the Stockholm Open final to Berdych, denting his hopes of contesting the World Tour Finals for a first time.

Dimitrov sits 11th in the Race to London, 330 points adrift of Murray, and said: "I know after my loss my chances are getting slim, but you never know.

"One [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 [in Paris next week]  can change everything for you. Five [have qualified] so far and there are three more to go."

With the WTA Tour Finals getting under way on Monday, Eugenie Bouchard went into her opener against Simona Halep having made rankings history.

The Wimbledon runner-up is the first Canadian, male or female, to break into the top five, having climbed from seventh to fifth.

Romania's Halep has slipped to fourth, behind Petra Kvitova.

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