Andy Murray took advantage of Novak Djokovic's slow start to win the Sony Ericsson Open title 6-2, 7-5 yesterday.

The Scotsman used his vast repertoire of shots and took advantage of two wobbly stretches by Djokovic. The Serb looked nervous at the start and fell behind 4-0 and in the second set, Murray rallied from a break down at 1-4 and won 10 of the final 11 points.

Top-ranked Serena Williams, who was bothered by an injured left thigh, was upset 6-3, 6-1 in the women's final on Saturday by 19-year-old Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Murray became the first three-time titlist on the men's tour this year. He's off to a career-best 26-2 start and since July his record is 57-7, the best on the tour.

He finished with only 19 unforced errors, while Djokovic had 43.

It was a match-up of Nos. 3 and 4 instead of the anticipated showdown between Nos. 1 and 2. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal lost in the quarter-finals to Juan Martin del Potro and Djokovic upset Roger Federer in the semi-finals.

With US tennis fortunes flagging, maybe Americans can claim Murray, who owns a condo near Key Biscayne and trained during the winter at the University of Miami.

Back home, he's touted as a threat to become the first British man since 1936 to win Wimbledon.

On a sunny, 85-degree day, Murray looked fresh throughout the match, while Djokovic appeared to wilt quickly and consulted with a trainer early in the second set.