Andy Murray vs. John Isner: Score, Reaction from 2016 BNP Paribas Masters Final

Andy Murray won the 2016 BNP Paribas Masters after beating John Isner 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4 in the final at the Bercy Arena in Paris on Sunday. Murray was celebrating being named the new world No. 1 for the first time prior to the final.

He was named the new world No. 1 after Milos Raonic withdrew at the semi-final stage, according to Kevin Mitchell of the Observer.

A terrific backhand forced Isner into the net to give Murray a 2-1 lead in the opening set. Isner soon got it back to two games apiece, though, then scooped a beautiful drop shot inches over the net to put the Murray serve under threat in the fifth game.

However, the Scot held both his nerve and serve to move back in front. As Eurosport commentator Nick Lester noted before the final, American Isner has had trouble breaking Murray's serve in previous matches:

By contrast, a Murray break put him in a strong position to claim the first set at 4-2. Isner made the newly minted world No. 1 work for it, though, serving a shutout to close to 5-3.

Still, Murray had enough expertly manufactured shots in his armoury to see the set out. A terrific backhand closing off the baseline got him going before he closed out the set.

Sky Sports Tennis relayed highlights of the splendid shot:

Murray had played steady tennis to begin with, covering plenty of ground across court and giving Isner little room to breathe. The American was forced into several errors thanks to Murray's relentless tactics.

However, he wasn't about to fall away easily, despite his early struggles. He played his way into an impressive 4-3 lead in the second set, only for a vital break to once again elude him.

Murray saved a quartet of break points, before yet another unforced error from Isner finally gave him the eighth game and evened the set at four apiece. Neither player found a break from that point, so the second set went into a tiebreak.

A tiebreak didn't necessarily favour Isner, according to TennisTV:

Yet the 31-year-old reversed history by winning the tiebreak to even the match. Seven aces formed the backbone of his set win, something typical of Isner's game.

In fact, he completed a century of aces at this year's tournament en route to winning the set:

Things stayed close in the third, with Isner still chasing a break at 2-2. Another pair of strong service games made it 3-3.

Murray then powered through with his serve on deuce to move to within one game of the title. He needed to break the Isner serve and was helped when his opponent sliced a backhand at the net to set up a break point for the match.

Another misplaced backhand at the net gave Murray the win. It was a fitting way to celebrate his ascent to the top of the global rankings.

Post-Match Reaction

Murray was quick to thank those closest to him for their support and role in his recent success, per BBC Tennis:

But Murray insisted sitting atop the rankings is not his main aim:

As for Isner, he thanked the Paris crowd for its support:

Isner took tremendous strides by reaching the final, but the moment rightly belongs to Murray. He's finally reached the summit of his sport after improving during an era loaded with fantastic players.

All match statistics and scoring information per the ATP official site.