At the sixth time of asking, Andy Murray captured his first Masters title in front of a packed centre court in Cincinnati. The young Brit squandered five match points, but stayed positive on the sixth to secure a 7-6 7-6 victory over Novak Djokovic.

The occasion didn't seem to overawe Murray, as he started brightly, dropping only four points in his opening five service games. The Serb had to defend a handful of break point opportunities in the first set, but he held firm and it went to a deciding tie-break. The British number one raced to a 5-1 lead and had enough momentum to seal the first set 7-4 in the tie-break.

Murray's serve started to dip in game three and Djokovic pounced - setting up his first break point chance and seizing it with both hands. The momentum seemed to have swung toward the world number three, but Murray dug deep and broke back to make it 2-2.

An unbelievable retrieval under pressure resulted in Murray serving for the championship, but several double faults and excellent returning from Djokovic meant an agonising wait for Murray to be proclaimed victorious. However, he held his nerve in yet another tie-break to reach a career milestone, firing a backhand drive past the helpless Djokovic.

Murray's post-match comments
It's huge because to win these tournaments is tough nowadays.

I've played five days in these conditions and had eight or nine matches in the last couple of weeks. But I've put in the physical work and it's paid off.
I got very nervous and he was hitting the ball really big but I hung in well.

It was tough for both of us and there were a lot of long rallies. Your legs really burn out there and they were some of the hardest conditions of the year.

But I stayed calm throughout and didn't waste any energy - especially when I went behind in a couple of matches.

In the past maybe I'd have let that get to me but now I'm playing top players on a regular basis and I'm better equipped.

The result is sure to be a catalyst for the Scot, and one which could define the start of a glittering career.

Match statistics (1 image)

Told you not to be pessimistic.

Great match and he showed some real mental strength after blowing the chance to serve it out. Two wins over Djoko in two weeks - this is gonna be a really interesting rivalry.

This is a big moment for all on Murray's world. I'm not the most prolific of posters, but follow all the tournaments and have lurked on here for a number of years.

I'd just like to say a big thank you to Mark for running this site and to Sir Panda, for all his great match reports.

Cheers Guys! Looking forward to thanking you again when he wins his first Grand slam.

This years US open?

Aww, that's very kind of you, thanks

It surely is a great day to be a Murray fan.  He'll be going into the Olympics now on a high - lets hope he can keep it up. Wouldn't it be great if he reached the final of the Open, beating Rafa on the way?   Rafa's definitely going to be next, he's the only one Andy hasn't beaten.  

I agree with you there Mark

bloody terrific, this is such a huge win for him to realize his potential. Got no nails left after all those match points! Got my local pub to show the match on a projector screen the whole thing looked great. The depth of his groundstrokes were amazing. Great things to come methinks!!