Murray wins the Cincinnati Masters

Andy Murray took out Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 7-6(5) after more than 2 hours in a thrilling final of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati. The match will be remembered for the long rallies, excellent shot-making and quick movement. Although the score suggests a pretty even match, from the very start, it was clear that Murray always had the upper hand.

Djokovic was looking to avenge his first loss against the Scot in five meetings just last week at the Rogers Masters quarterfinals. The third seed was in top form all week snapping Nadal 32-match winning streak. He also hasn’t dropped a set. Meanwhile, Murray has at least reached the quarterfinals of his last 4 tournaments including a semifinal run at Toronto.

In the first set, both players were able to hold serve forcing a tie-break. Djokovic had to fight several break points though while Murray quite easily held serve. The Serb seemed a mere shadow of the player who downed Nadal just a day before. He committed over 30 unforced errors and lost the set. In the third game of the second set, Djokovic broke Murray’s serve to lead 2-1. However, he wasn’t able to take advantage of the break as he committed two successive double faults and lost his service game to level it at 2-2.

Sensing a tentative opponent, Murray broke Djokovic to lead 5-3 and serve for the championship. Nerves seemed to get to the British no. 1 as he could not convert the four championship points he earned. The world no. 3 fought back to level the set at 5-5. Both players again held serve to force a second set tie-break. Tied at 4-4, the shot of the match came as Murray put a crosscourt backhand to end a 25-shot rally that left both players exhausted. On his sixth match point, Murray finally ended the match and secured his first ever Masters Series title. With this win, he climbs to no. 6, up 3 spots in the ATP rankings.

The tournament will perhaps be remembered more for what it has done to the rankings than the actual matches that took place. By reaching the semifinals, Rafael Nadal is guaranteed to reach the ATP summit on August 18 following top-ranked Roger Federer’s third round loss. The title match was a perfect ending for to the dramatic and exciting tournament!

Result:
[8] Andy MURRAY (GBR) d. [3] Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB) 7-6(4), 7-6(5)