Sky Bet are giving Andy Murray a 5/1 chance of ending the year as world No 1 as the Scot looks to close in on the injured Novak Djokovic. Murray was left trailing Djokokvic by 4,695 points after failing to make the semi-finals at the US Open, but is still given a chance of making up the ground due to the number of points that Djokovic, who won the final five events of 2015, will be defending in the final stretch.Indeed, Murray is actually just 2,055 points behind in the singles race, which ranks players on their yearly performances rather than the last 12 months. He can reduce that lead by another 500 points by claiming the title in Beijing this week, with the six-time champion still rehabilitating following an elbow injury.Murray has reasserted his target of claiming the top spot this week, suggesting his motivation is greater than his rivals.Ive never been there and its something I would like to do for the first time, which is maybe more of a motivation for me than some of the guys that have been there before, Murray said. Murray sweeps aside Seppi Andy Murray starts China Open by beating Andreas Seppi While it feels like an opportunity to strike, the task of toppling Djokovic looks as difficult as ever if full fitness is regained for the conclusion of the Masters series.Djokovic holds a greater stranglehold over the end of the year than any other portion, having won three of the last four in Shanghai and Paris, and he is on course for an unprecedented fifth consecutive World Tour Finals title.Murray, in contrast, has all too often struggled to continue to be competitive on the final stretch, failing to win in Shanghai since 2011 while lacking a single title from his previous trips to Bercy and the O2 Arena. Djokovic withdrew from the Beijing Open with an elbow injury However, the Scot has proved an adaptable force in 2016, enjoying easily his best campaign on clay, including a first French Open final appearance on the back on beating Djokovic to the Rome Masters crown.Assuming Djokovic does return to 100 per cent, the greatest challenge will come when the pair renew their rivalry and Murrays chances hinge on improving a head-to-head record of 10-24, including just two wins from their last 15 meetings.In the meantime, Murray must focus on avoiding upsets, starting with Wednesdays second-round clash with Andrey Kuznetsov at the China Open.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Custom Baltimore Orioles Jerseys . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve. Stitched Orioles Jerseys . Pretty good hitting, too. Dan Haren pitched six innings and sparked the go-ahead rally with a single, leading Los Angeles to another win over the skidding Atlanta Braves, 4-2 on Tuesday night. https://www.cheaporioles.com/. A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Steelers will part ways with the former Pro Bowler, a move that hardly serves as a surprise after fifth-year linebacker Jason Worilds agreed to accept a "transition player" tag last week. Fake Orioles Jerseys . Venable and Jeremy Hermida drove in three runs apiece, and the Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Sunday to snap a nine-game losing streak. Orioles Jerseys China . - Kentucky freshmen Stanley Boom Williams, Dorian Baker, Drew Barker and Tymere Dubose have been charged with disorderly conduct for their involvement with air pistol shots being fired near a residence hall on the South campus Sunday night.SAN DIEGO -- Arizona avoided becoming the latest and biggest upset victim in an NCAA tournament thats been filled with them. The Wildcats will have to play a little better if they want to keep going in the bracket. Nick Johnson scored 18 points, Aaron Gordon added 16 and top-seeded Arizona overcame a shaky start and a late run by Weber State to beat the Wildcats 68-59 in the West Regional on Friday. The first full day of the tournament was a wild one filled with upsets, and the bracket-busting trend continued early Friday, when Mercer, a No. 14 seed, knocked off mighty Duke. Arizona (31-4) appeared to be next in line, falling into an 8-point hole in the opening 6 minutes. Arizona closed in around Weber State (19-12), shutting down the Wildcats during two big first-half runs, seemingly putting the fairytale to bed. Comfortably ahead, Arizona let off the gas late, allowing Weber State to trim a 21-point lead down to nine before pulling it out. Solid, but not great, particularly since the next game -- against Gonzaga or Oklahoma State on Sunday -- is the spot the Wildcats have been picked to go down. Weber State put up a fight in its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007, clearly not intimidated by Arizona and its cast of future NBA players. The Wildcats just didnt have the manpower to keep up with the long, athletic Cats during their big runs and nor did they have enough left climb all the way back after clawing back in the second half. Davion Berry scored 24 points and Richaud Gittens added 12 for Weber State. Arizona had been in this spot before, faciing a quick-trigger 3-point shooting team in the opening round.dddddddddddd A year ago, Belmont was a popular bracket buster pick against the Wildcats because of its ability to shoot the 3, but Arizona turned the slight into motivation and ran over the Bruins. Even after an opening day of upsets in the bracket, there were no calls for an upset against Arizona this year. But just as Mercer was busy taking down Duke, Weber State gave the 16-over-a-1-seed miracle a glimpse of life, holding Arizona without a field for nearly 5 minutes during a game-opening 10-2 run. The dream popped with a flurry of blocked shots, steals and runouts the other direction. After falling into the early hole, one of the nations best defences flexed its muscles against the Big Sky-champion Wildcats, jumping into passing lanes, swatting shots, turning nearly every possession into a fight against the shot clock. Weber State missed 12 of 13 shots as Arizona went on two big runs and shot 6 of 24 in the first half with nine turnovers that Arizona turned into 12 points. The desert Wildcats shook off their early offensive funk with an array of dunks and 3-pointers, racing past Weber State with runs of 14-2 and 13-3 to go up 32-20 at halftime. Arizona looked as if it was going to run away with it early in the second half, only to watch Weber State scratch a huge lead to under double digits with 4 1-2 minutes left. Arizona turned back every attempt Weber State made after that to pull out the victory, but will likely face more upset predictions in the next round after this one. ' ' '