THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — It will be new world No. 2 Andy Murray against red-hot Juan Martin Del Potro in the final of the US$3 million Rogers Cup.
Britain’s Murray defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and then Del Potro ousted Andy Roddick in the semifinals before packed grandstands at Uniprix Stadium on Saturday.
With his win, Murray will vault past Spain’s Rafael Nadal into a career-high second in ATP rankings behind No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland when the next rankings are released on Monday. Nadal, on the mend from knee trouble, lost in the quarter-finals Friday night.
Murray downed the seventh-seeded Tsonga 6-4, 7-6 (8), while Del Potro beat Roddick 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. The 20-year-old Argentine also defeated the fifth-seeded American in a third-set tiebreaker in the final of a tournament in Washington only last Sunday.
The results put the two players who were clearly the best performers all week into the final on Sunday.
And Murray got the bonus of becoming the new world No. 2.
"In terms of rankings, that’s the biggest step I’ve taken so far," said Murray. "I played consistently well this year and you know, Rafa had an injury, but it was Wimbledon that he missed.
"I also took a big break after Wimbledon, so bar winning a grand slam, I’ve done enough to justify being No. 2. And getting close to one day becoming No. 1 is one of my goals. So it’s great. I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this stage."
The 22-year-old has a chance to become the first British player to win the event formerly known as the Canadian Open. The last Briton to reach the final was Roger Taylor, who lost in 1970 to Australian great Rod Laver.
Murray, already the highest-ranked British player since ATP rankings were introduced in 1973, will be the first player other than Nadal or Federer to hold the No 2 spot since July 18, 2005, when Australian Lleyton Hewitt was second behind Federer. He now has 8,850 points to Nadal’s 8,665.
"Five years it’s been Rafa and Roger as No. 1 and No. 2. Novak (Djokovic) had one or two matches to get to No. 2, so it’s a tough thing to do because Rafa and Roger are maybe the best two of all time," he said. "So yeah, it’s pretty special to get in between them."
Nadal was playing his first tournament since the French Open in May due to tendinitis in both knees and said this week he still has work to do to reach his top level of tennis.
Murray also tied Djokovic for the lead in match wins this year with 49, including tournament wins in Doha, Rotterdam, Miami and the Queen’s Club in England.
Murray broke service and held a 5-2 first set lead when the streaky Tsonga broke back and threatened to tie it before the Dunblane, Scotland native served out the set.
The second set went to a nervy tiebreaker in which Murray fought off two set points and finally won the Frenchman, who had lost two points on failed attempts at drop shots, hit a backhand into the net.
Tsonga was coming off a dramatic three-set victory over Federer in which he trailed 5-1 in the third set only to roar back and win in a tiebreaker.
"It’s always tough against him because he dictates what happens in the match because of the way he plays," said Murray. "I just had to stay solid and make enough balls for him to make a few mistakes and I came up with a few big returns."
Roddick used a service break to take his opening set, but was dominated in the second by the thorough baseline playing and serving of the rangy Del Potro.
The two held service to 5-5 in the third, when Roddick went down 30-40 and then double-faulted the game away. The 2003 Rogers Cup champion slammed his racket down on the court in disgust and the sixth-seeded Del Potro then served out the match.
"That was the worst game I’ve played in a while," said Roddick. "I won’t forget that.
"I’m very disappointed with the way the match finished, as far as preparation for the U.S. Open, which is the point of this swing, I feel good about how I played. I like where my game is heading."
Del Potro has a shot at a first title at a Masters Series tournament, one level below the grand slams. He has wins in lesser events at Auckland and Washington this year.
"These two weeks have been tough but it’s a chance to win another tournament," said Del Potro, who faces a formidable opponent in Murray.
"It will be good for me," he said. "I like playing players who are better than me.
"I think he will have the pressure, but I have to play my best."