Andy Murray cruises into his first Rome Masters final

Andy Murray qualified for his first Rome Masters final after cruising past Frenchman Lucas Pouille 6-2, 6-1 in their semi-final match on Saturday.

Rome: Andy Murray qualified for his first Rome Masters final after cruising past Frenchman Lucas Pouille 6-2, 6-1 in their semi-final match on Saturday.

Andy Murray returns during his win over Lucas Pouille in the  semi-final of the Rome Masters in Rome on Saturday. Pic/AFP

Pouille had reached his first Masters semi-final on a walkover after quarter-final opponent Juan Monaco of Argentina pulled out on Friday before their match.

Pouille had caused a shock when he ousted Spanish ninth seed David Ferrer in the third round on Thursday.

But facing World No 2 Murray was a step too far for the 22-year-old, who had 25 unforced errors in a one-sided encounter that was interrupted early in the second set.

Murray could now meet World No 1 Novak Djokovic in today’s final if the Serbian star overcomes Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the second semi-final later on Saturday.

Djokovic beat Murray in the final of the Madrid Masters last Sunday.

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