Andy Murray thrashes Rafael Nadal at Mubadala World Tennis Championship

Andy Murray laid down a marker ahead of the 2015 season with a heavy win over Rafael Nadal in the Spaniard's first match since appendicitis surgery to reach the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Murray prevailed 6-2 6-0 to claim the second successive win of his 2015 campaign and faces either world No.1 Novak Djokovic or Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka in Saturday's final (3 January) as he chases a second title at the curtain-raiser to the new season.

The British No.1 was far more mobile than the rusty Nadal, who was playing competitively for the first time since the Basel Open in October having missed the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals after going under the knife in November.

Two breaks in the opening set handed Murray the advantage as Nadal failed to recapture the form which had seen him win each of the pair's last two meetings, the latest coming on the way to winning a ninth French Open title.

Nadal provided greater resistance in the second set but missed a number of break point chances as Murray cruised to victory, winning the first six games with a thrilling morale-boosting display ahead of the start of the season.

"It was obviously a tough match," he said. "There were some very long games. It shouldn't have been that score line I just managed to win the important points today and sometimes it goes like that.

"You never know how you're going to feel until you get the match. I hope tomorrow will be better again and it's been a good start."