Top-seed Andy Murray fought his way past the seventh seeded Lucas Pouille in the semi-final of the Dubai Open on Friday evening. The World No 1 won 7-5, 6-1 in an hour and 34 minutes.
Murray led 3-0 in the first set, with a break on Pouille’s serve in the second game before consolidating the break. However, a break back on Murray’s serve in the fifth game brought the set on level terms at three-all. A second break of the Briton’s serve in the seventh game allowed the Frenchman to take the lead in the set at 4-3, but he was unable to hold on to his lead for long, with Murray breaking right back in the eighth game.
While the next three games proceeded on serve, a third break on Pouille’s serve, in the 12th game of the set, gave Murray a lead in the match.
The second set started in the same manner as the first, with Murray converting early break point opportunities to lead 3-0 in the set. But, this time though, there were no comebacks forthcoming from Pouille, and a second break on his serve in the fourth game gave Murray a solid 4-0 advantage.
Staring at defeat, while down 5-0, Pouille did well to put himself on the scoreboard for the first time in the set. But it only proved to be consolatory as Murray served out the match, converting the first of his three match points, after Pouille sent his backhand crashing into the net.
Murray hit 21 winners to Pouille’s 14, and had 23 unforced errors to his opponent’s 30. In terms of break point conversions, while Pouille converted both break points he had on Murray’s serve, he also saved six of the 11 break point chances the Scotsman received on his serve.
In Saturday’s final, Murray will take on Fernando Verdasco, who outplayed the Netherlands’ Robin Haase 7-6, 6-7, 6-1, earlier on the same day.
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