World number one Andy Murray overpowered Lucas Pouille 7-5 6-1 on Friday to reach the Dubai Championships final in which he will play Fernando Verdasco.

Briton Murray lost his serve twice to Pouille in the opening set but the top seed broke the seventh-seeded Frenchman for the third time to take it.

Murray, who played a marathon 31-minute tiebreak in his quarter-final win over German Philipp Kohlschreiber, breezed through the second set to reach his second final in Dubai.

Spaniard Verdasco, 33, beat Dutchman Robin Haase 7-6(5) 5-7 6-1 in a clash between two unseeded players to advance to Saturday's final.