British number one Andy Murray claimed his first win since returning to action following a back surgery with Friday’s straight sets defeat of world number eight Stanislas Wawrinka.
The 26-year-old beat Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 in the fifth-placed playoff at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Murray lost to France’s world number ten, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his first match since recuperating from a lingering back problem.
“It is good to get two matches against top players,” said Murray. It’s been a perfect start.
Murray returns to competitive action in the Exxon Mobil Open in Qatar next week as part of his build up for next month’s Australian Open.