Andy Murray advances to Dubai finals after win over Lucas Pouille

Andy Murray set up a meeting with Spain's Fernando Verdasco in the Dubai Championships final after a comprehensive win over Lucas Pouille.

The world number one took over an hour to take the first set against seventh seed Pouille before easily taking the second set to win 7-5, 6-1.

Like his quarter-final win over Philipp Kohlschreiber – which included a remarkable 38-point tiebreak – Murray started slowly again and will be looking to avoid making similar mistakes in the final against Verdasco.

"It was tough and I made a lot of mistakes," Murray said as quoted on BBC. "But there was some good stuff in there."

"I think potentially the match yesterday had something to do with that - sometimes if your legs are a little bit tired, the serve is one of the first things that goes.

"As the match went on, I started serving a bit better and that helped me," he said.

The 29-year-old has never won in Dubai, with his closest attempt being a loss in the final to Roger Federer in 2012. A win in the final against Verdasco – who beat Robin Haase 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 in the semi-final – would see Murray extend his lead at the top of the world rankings.

The Scot, however, is remaining cautious of facing the world number 35, who notably beat Murray in the 2009 Australian Open.

"This week he's had some good wins," he added. "Where the balls are fairly heavy here on a quick court, he can generate a lot of power, he can control the ball."

"And when he's dictating the points, he's one of the best in the world at doing that."

The final takes place 4 March.