Salmond leads plaudits for Murray

Sep 8 2012

The First Minister has congratulated Andy Murray on reaching the final of the US Open tennis championship.

Murray booked a place in his fifth grand slam final when he beat Tomas Berdych in the last four of the competition in Flushing Meadows, New York.

However the British number one, from Dunblane, has yet to turn a final appearance into a win.

It will be the 25-year-old's second consecutive grand slam final after his Wimbledon loss to Roger Federer, and his first US Open final since 2008 when he also lost to Federer.

He defeated Federer last month during the men's final of the Olympic Games, claiming his first gold medal.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Many congratulations to Andy Murray on reaching the US Open final after a great performance in the semi-final.

"The whole of Scotland will be right behind Andy in his next match.

"He is already an Olympic gold medallist, and he has what it takes to become a grand slam champion and cement his place as a Scottish sporting legend."

Murray will meet either defending champion Novak Djokovic or Spain's David Ferrer in the final.