Murray to face Dimitrov in Brisbane final

Brisbane, Australia – Andy Murray moved a step closer in his quest for back-to-back titles at the season-opening Brisbane International.

The top-seeded Scotsman was down 4-1 in the first set of his semifinal against No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori of Japan, but then won, 6-4, 2-0. Nishikori retired in the second set with a left knee injury.

Murray, who moved to 3-0 all-time against Nishikori, will face 21-year-old Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in Sunday's final. Dimitrov upended Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) to reach his first career title match.

Murray faced Dimitrov once before, in 2011 at an event in Bangkok. Murray won in straight sets.