Qatar Open: Sir Andy Murray to face Novak Djokovic in final
Sir Andy Murray will face defending champion Novak Djokovic in the Qatar Open final on Saturday after beating third seed Tomas Berdych in the semis.
Murray won 6-3 6-4 against Czech Berdych, who needed treatment on an ankle injury after the first set.
It will be the 19th ATP final meeting between Murray and the man he replaced as world number one in November.
Second seed Djokovic survived five match points on his way to beating Fernando Verdasco in his semi-final.
Murray, who won the tournament in 2008 and 2009, has now recorded 28 consecutive victories in ATP Tour matches.
“I want to try and keep it going – I feel a little bit like this year’s a fresh start,” he told Eurosport.
“It’s been the perfect week to get ready for the Australian Open.”
Earlier, Serb Djokovic made only one unforced error in the decider to win 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 after Spaniard Verdasco, ranked 42nd in the world, controlled the first two sets.
“It’s definitely one of the most exciting matches I have played,” Djokovic said. “I haven’t saved five match points many times. He should have finished it off.”
You can follow live coverage of the Qatar Open final in Doha between Murray and Djokovic on the BBC Sport website from 15:00 GMT.