Andy Murray, the 19-year-old Scot who aims to break into the top 10 this year, moved closer to his goal by beating top-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 6-2 to reach the fourth ATP final of his short career at the Qatar Open on Friday.
Murray will attempt to win the second title of his career after San Jose last year when he takes on second seed Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, who earlier beat sixth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).
Murray and Ljubicic stand 1-1 in previous meetings, both last year.
PHOTO: AFP
It was an impressive performance of speedy court coverage and containment by the fourth-seeded Murray, who was also clever in choosing effective moments to counter-attack.
He went a break down early on, but after he had broken back for 4-4, he was increasingly able to soak up the Russian's ground stroke pressure and lure him into over-ambitious over-hitting.
"I stuck to my game plan: I was trying to keep the ball to a good length, serve well, stay consistent and take my chances -- and I think I did that well," 17th-ranked Murray said.
"It's obviously one of the best wins of my career -- he's a great player and beaten me twice before, and to win in straight sets against a player like him so early in the year is great," he said.
"I've been getting better and better and now I feel good enough to be getting to the finals of these tournaments. Maybe I didn't expect to beat the world's number three player in straight sets but I felt like I was good enough to reach the final," Murray said.
Murray, who trained with former Olympic 400m champion Michael Johnson and the celebrated US multi-sports trainer Mark Grabow during the close season, covered a tremendous amount of ground.
He also returned serve well, and was always likely to make a passing shot if Davydenko came forward on anything less than an outstanding shot.
At 4-5 in the first set Davydenko had treatment on a calf injury, and after that he appeared to take greater risks in order to avoid exacerbating it, playing his way further and further into Murray's web of containment.
Ljubicic, meanwhile, had to save two match points at 4-5 in the final set before surviving against 25th-ranked Soderling.
"It feels so good to win when you make such an effort to come back," the 27-year-old Ljubicic said.
Soderling, 22, served with pace and hard-to-read angles, struck the ball solidly from both wings, and was efficient with his volleys.
But Ljubicic demonstrated his tenacious survival instincts, raising his level every time he had his back to the wall.
That first happened when he was 2-3 behind in the second set having lost the first and went 15-40 down on his serve. Had he lost either of those break points, Soderling might well have strode on to an emphatic victory.
But on the first point Ljubicic played a patient baseline rally and elicited a backhand counter-driving error from Soderling, and on the second, typically, Ljubicic served a snorting ace.
Then at 3-5 down in the final set Ljubicic produced another tremendous effort. At 15-40 and two match points down he delivered a fine first serve, setting up a winning drive, and then launched another ferocious ace.
Ljubicic had another escape act up his sleeve in the deciding tie-breaker after Soderling had advanced to 3-1.
The Croat prospered from an over-hit Soderling forehand drive to regain parity at 3-3 and then from a Sodelring double fault as for the first time the Swede began to tighten up.
That put Ljubicic a crucial mini-break up, an advantage he shortly afterwards converted into a fine win with a triumphant ace.
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