Andy Murray moved to number two in the world as he sealed the Sony Open title in a gruelling encounter with David Ferrer in Miami.

Murray was far from his best for long periods, losing the first set and seeing his own serve frequently broken by his Spanish opponent, but the Scot clung on for over two hours and 45 minutes, staving off a match point late in the third set, to claim a 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7/1) win, climbing above Roger Federer in the rankings and lifting the trophy for the second time in his career.

There were a total of 15 breaks of serve in a match that was both ragged and fascinating. But despite the satisfying result and the rankings boost it brings, Murray admitted he would need to do better with his serve if he was to continue winning.

“I served poorly. If I’d served better I could have made it easier and that’s something I need to do better in the clay court season,” he told Sky Sports 1. “This week I did a lot of things well but I need to serve better. If I serve better I’ll be able to win matches like today more comfortably. It’s easier to return on clay so it’s even more important to serve well.”

Although eager to improve, Murray also suggested he is already on an upward curve.

“It was a strange match. I just managed to fight well in the end in incredibly difficult conditions. That sort of match a couple of years ago I probably would have lost...I was up a break three or four times in the third set and kept letting him back in through some loose shots.

“I tried to keep fighting, chased down every ball, made it as hard for him as possible. There was a lot riding on the match and I was glad to get through in the end.”