Sat Oct 25 11:24:48 2008

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Murray steamrolls Verdasco; Golubev next in St. Petersburg final

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St. Petersburg, Russia (Sports Network) - Andy Murray looked like the top seed on Saturday, cruising past third-seeded Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to reach the final of the St. Petersburg Open.

Murray downed Verdasco, 6-0, 6-3 for his 15th victory in 16 matches. His only loss came to Roger Federer in September's U.S. Open final.

Murray did get payback with a victory over Federer on his way to last week's title at the Madrid Masters.

He comes into this final in good form and with fond memories of his event, notching a 6-2, 6-3 victory in last year's final. He improved to 4-0 against Verdasco in the process, including a victory in the 2007 Australian Open.

Murray's opponent will be unlikely Kazakhstan qualifier Andrey Golubev, who downed ATP tour winner Victor Hanescu, 6-3, 6-0. Hanescu won earlier this year in Gstaad, but he never had a chance to gain his footing against the surprising Golubev.

Golubev will play in his first ATP final on Sunday with the titlist claiming $171,000.