Britain's Andy Murray battled past David Ferrer in a gruelling final to win his second Miami title and regain the world number two ranking.The Scot, 25, saved a match point on his way to winning 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-1) for his ninth Masters title.Murray recovered from losing the first five games and survived a Hawk-Eye call at match point down in the final set.
For the first time in almost 10 years, the top two ranking positions in the world will not feature either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.
Murray's arrival as number two behind Novak Djokovic is not a first for him, but it's been three-and-a-half years since he last occupied that spot, and he's a much better player now. With more than 4,000 points separating Murray and Djokovic, the number one ranking is still a long way off, but after lifting his second Miami title in his 40th career final, it's another step along the way to his ultimate ranking goal.
As for the match, all of those lung-busting 400m runs in the Miami heat in the off season were designed for this sort of occasion. To win one of these titles at any time is hard work, but to force David Ferrer, known as The Everywhere Man for his ability to cover the court, to cramp in the stifling heat and humidity, is something else.
The victory brought a 26th career title and ensured he will pass Roger Federer in the new world rankings on Monday.
Congratulations Andy.
