The star player won 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 against the Spanish heavyweight. Bautista Agut beat Djokovic in the semi-finals but Murray eventually triumphed with his sixth title of the year.
This is the third time Murray has won the Shanghai Masters giving him 1,000 ranking points. The Scot also won the China Open earlier in October and has now won his past 23 sets over the two tournaments.
Murray looked set to win at the beginning by scoring a brilliant first point and leading the match with a 4-3 lead. However at 5-4 he lost three set points before his opponent came back fighting with a strong forehand. The Scot then scored three aces for 6-6 before dominating with seven points in a row.
“In the last few months, I have won a lot of matches and made improvements,” Murray said. “I have been moving forward better and changed the direction of the ball better. I have also come up with some bigger serves when I have needed them.
“My goal wasn’t to finish number one at the end of this year but in the early parts of next year there is an opportunity – 900 points doesn’t seem like loads.
“But Novak will win matches. He is the best player in the world. I don’t think he has lost an indoor game in a long time.”
