Murray storms into Aix en Provence semis with Van Assche win

Andy Murray continued his impressive form on clay as he reached the semi-finals of the Aix-en-Provence Challenger with a straight-sets win over Luca van Assche. The former world number one, who entered the event on a wildcard, defeated the 18-year-old Frenchman 6-2 7-6(6) in one hour and 43 minutes. Murray, who is ranked 52nd in the world, broke Van Assche’s serve three times in the first set and saved two set points in the second-set tie-break to seal his third consecutive victory at the tournament. The 35-year-old Scot is aiming to win his first title since 2019 and boost his confidence ahead of the French Open, which starts on May 28. Murray will face either Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik or another French teenager, Harold Mayot, in the last four. Van Assche, who is ranked 34 places below Murray, showed glimpses of his talent but could not match the experience and consistency of the three-time Grand Slam champion. Murray had two match points on Van Assche’s serve at