Top seed Andy Murray and Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgomolov will play Sunday for the title at the Brisbane International after a pair of straight-set semi-final wins.
Murray, who began the week on creaking form with two sloppy early wins, moved towards his peak in a 6-3, 6-2 Saturday defeat of rising number 42 Australian Bernard Tomic in the pair’s first meeting.
The 15-ranked Dolgopolov, an Australian Open quarter-finalist in 2011, put out second seed Gilles Simon of France 6-3 6-4.
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Murray, playing before newly arrived new coach Ivan Lendl for the first time, secured a break in the eighth game of the opening set and finished it off with three aces in succession. Tomic dropped serve to open the second set and received sideline treatment on a toe on his way to defeat.
“He started well but I managed to get into some long rallies late in the first set and got through,” said Murray. “I’m moving better, it’s a huge part of my game.” The women’s final will be played between Estonian Kaia Kanepi and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.