Murray braced for Djokovic test after battling past Ferrer

Andy Murray - reaches final (Photo: Nick Hewson)

British No1 Andy Murray powered into his second successive Australian Open final after recovering from a disjointed start to beat Spain’s David Ferrer 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 7-6.

The opening set was a rather subdued affair as both players seemed cagey and played contained tennis.

Seventh seed Ferrer had a set point at 5-4 in the second set but Murray managed to force the set to a tie break. “I tried not to think too much, he said. “I played a really good tie break and sometimes they can be the turning point in a match.”

The Spaniard’s relentless play troubled Murray’s rhythm. He added: “Ferrer’s an unbelievable athlete and competitor. He works so hard, I was expecting an unbelievably tough match and I got it. People weren’t giving him enough credit before the match but I certainly was.”

And the 23-year-old Scot admitted he was forced to turn to ‘plan b’ in order to swing the match his way. He continued: “I had to change my tactics, I started to play more aggressive, stepping in and hitting my returns bigger.

“There was a lot of running, a lot of long points but I managed to hang in there. He was dictating at the start and I had to start going for my shots more and it paid off.”

The world No5 managed to up his game, finding the lines and forcing the robust Spaniard into errors. “He lost his rhythm towards the end of the third set and I was hitting the ball cleaner,” said Murray. “My level dropped again but then I found it again.”

Murray now faces Roger Federer’s conqueror Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final. The Scot has won the last three matches against the Serb, including their last encounter in Miami in 2009 where he triumphed 6-2, 7-5.

Looking ahead to the clash Murray said: “We haven’t played each other in a long time. We trained a lot together in preparation for the tournament and it seems to have worked. I expect a tough match with lots of long rallies.”