TOP-RANKED NOVAK Djokovic won his third Sony Ericsson Open title Sunday, holding every service game to beat Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6 (4).
It was the 24-year-old’s second title of the year and his third tournament victory at Key Biscayne. Only six-time champion Andre Agassi has won more men’s titles on the island.
Djokovic’s victory over Murray – his eighth in 13 meetings – hinged on the outcome of the first set, during which the Serb’s dynamism and accuracy proved a lethal combination. Struggling in the face of the onslaught, the Scot slumped to a win rate of less than 50 percent on his serve and was broken twice.
The lone break point Djokovic faced came in the fifth game of the second set, a threat he dismissed with comparative ease. In the tiebreaker, he lost only one service point and crept ahead when Murray double-faulted to make it 3-2. That one-point margin remaining intact until Murray ballooned a final forehand long.
Djokovic has improved to 90-8 since the start of 2011. He has won five Grand Slam titles, including the past three in a row.
– AP reporters contributed to this article
