By Bill Scott
Montreal, Aug 17 (DPA) Andy Murray used superior fitness to triumph in a heated two and three-quarter-hour struggle over Argentine Juan Del Potro to win the Montreal Masters title 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.

Sunday’s victory makes the prefect start for Murray, who will take over from Rafael Nadal on Monday as second in the world behind Roger Federer.

Murray now owns five titles this season, level alongside Nadal on ATP trophy honours. He heads to Cincinnati next week for a title defence at that Masters event.

The 22-year-old was out in a fortnight of training in sub-tropical Miami in the weeks leading up to the Montreal start.

Murray said that three aces in the second-set tiebreaker against world number six Del Potro, winner of the Washington title last weekend, got him back in contention after losing the 62-minute first set in a decider.

World No.6 Del Potro, who took treatment on his left shoulder and rib and went off court before the start of the third, looked to have exhausted his energies at the end.

Murray finished with 16 aces and broke the South American four times.

He now stands 4-1 in the series after losing his only match to Del Potro at Madrid on clay three months ago, beating the Argentine in all three of their hardcourt matches.

“I had those three aces in the tiebreaker to get back into it,” said Murray, who earned his 50th win of the season. “Juan Martin served unbelievably in the first two sets.

“He really made me run. But I knew he had played a lot of long matches in the last two weeks so I hung tough.

“I tried to stay in it to the end. It was tough conditions for both of us out here.”

Del Potro said that he just didn’t have the gas to finish the job on a day of 30 Celsius temperatures. “I fought until the end but I couldn’t go past Andy,” said the 20-year-old, still 6-2 in career finals.

The final was the youngest in Canada final since 2003 when 20-year-old Andy Roddick beat 21-year-old David Nalbandian, who was the last Argentine into the final north of the US border.

Murray becomes the first British player in tournament history to capture the title while Del Potro failed to duplicate the 2002 Canada triumph of countryman Guillermo Canas.

Murray stands 13-6 in career finals as he heads into the final stretch before the US Open.

The Scot has title points to defend in Cincinnati and lost the US Open final a year ago to Federer.