Andy Murray has reached the final of the inaugural Valencia Open with a 6-3 2-6 6-3 win over home hope Fernando Verdasco in the competition's semi-finals.
The British number one will bid for his sixth ATP World Tour title against unseeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny after overcoming some big hits from his last four opponent.
Murray's patience and consistency was eventually enough to overcome Verdasco but he struggled in the game's opening exchanges. The Scot held firm against a volley of winners from the Spaniard to hold his serve, before being given a surprise opportunity to break in the seventh game of the set, which he took.
Errors from Verdasco allowed Murray to hold three set points at the end of the first, of which the 22-year-old only needed one after a double fault from his opponent.
Verdasco's gung-ho game plan bore fruit in the second set, as he immediately broke Murray in the first game after a double fault. Murray recovered momentarily, but was broken again in game five and Verdasco confidently served out the set to level the match.
Murray began to regain the initiative in set three, holding firm in the opening game before frustration crept into his opponent's play. The Scot failed to capitalise on any of four break points to give him a shot at taking a stranglehold on the match in game six.
Two games later though Murray got the break he was looking for, before going on to serve for the match for his seventh win in eight meetings between the pair.
Murray will now face Youzhny in the final on Sunday, with the Russian having overcome countryman Nikolay Davydenko 3-6 6-4 6-3 earlier on Saturday.
