Briton Murray breaks into world's top 10

LONDON, Apr 16 (Reuters) Britain's Andy Murray joined the world's top 10 ranked tennis players for the first time today, climbing one place to tenth.

Despite not playing last week, the 19-year-old British number one rose above Germany's Tommy Haas who needed to reach the semi-final at the U.S. Clay Court Championship to retain his place in the top 10 but lost in the quarter-finals.

''I've been working the last five years to get here and it finally happened -- I'm in shock,'' Murray said on his Web site.

Murray endured a wretched claycourt season last year and so has few ranking points to defend in the coming weeks on the slow European clay.

A strong showing in Monte Carlo this week could even see him challenge American James Blake and Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, both within 150 ranking points of the Scot.

''Last year's claycourt season didn't go so well for me,'' he told the BBC. ''But I'm playing much better than I did last year, I'm much stronger physically as well.'' Murray is not the youngest member of the top 10. That honour goes to Serbian Novak Djokovic who is ranked seventh after reaching the Masters Series final in Indian Wells and winning in Miami. Murray is one week older than Djokovic.

Murray will face France's Marc Gicquel in Tuesday's second round after receiving a bye.

REUTERS AKD PM2145