The fourth-ranked Briton hadn't played since the U.S. Open in September. He broke twice in each set and served eight aces to improve to 2-0 against the 23rd-ranked Youzhny.

“I'd say it was a little easier than I had expected, but he is a tough player,” Murray said. “I didn't have high expectations this week, but with every round and match you get more confident. It is very rare for someone to win a tournament after a long break.”

With both players stretched to three-set semifinals on Saturday, Murray believed fatigue played a factor.

“I knew the start of the match was going to be important and I started well, going up 5-1 pretty quickly,” he said. Murray won 26 of 29 first-serve points as he improved his indoor record to 12-0 this season. Having saved two of three break points in the first set, Murray jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second by dictating play from the baseline and closed it out with an ace.