Andy Murray’s first ATP title win was won in sensational fashion as he lifted the SAP Open in San Jose.
Murray had just started working with coach Brad Gilbert and was starting to deliver on the promise he would show throughout his career.
The Scot had previously reached the final of the 2005 Thailand Open, but he lost the match to Roger Federer.
The star defeated some absolute giants of the game in order to lift the first of the 46 career titles he would lift in his career.
Andy Murray’s incredible run to win the SAP Open
Murray entered the SAP Open unseeded, which earned him a tricky first round tie against Olympic finalist Mardy Fish.
The British star swept aside the American, losing just four games in a convincing straight sets victory, and that set the tone for the entire tournament.
Wang Yeu-tzuoo was beaten in straight sets in the second round, and three was needed to get past Robin Soderling.
Where does Andy Murray rank among the best players in tennis?
A semi-final with 2003 US Open champion and former world number one Andy Roddick awaited for the Scot.
The British star beat the American in straight sets, with a 7-5 7-5 scoreline to earn the first win over a top 10 player of his career.
Another top 10 victory followed in the final as Murray defeated another former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt, in three sets.
Murray showed his mettle by coming through a tense tie-break decider against the three-time Grand Slam champion.
How Andy Murray reacted to claiming his first ATP title
Murray’s win at the San Jose Open proved that he could tough it with the big boys on the ATP Tour, and he pocketed £30,000 and a place in the top 50 of the rankings.
Speaking after lifting the trophy, Murray said: “This week has been perfect for me. I played pretty solidly in all my matches, apart from a set-and-a-half against Robin Soderling.
“But I managed to come through that and this has been the best week of my life – it can’t get much better.”
On the other side of the coin, Hewitt was classy with his message for the future Grand Slam champion.
He said: “I want to congratulate Andy on a fantastic tournament. He has beaten top players all week and it is always great to win an ATP Tour title.”
Murray’s wait for his second title would be an entire calendar year, as he won the San Jose Open for a second time in 2007.
