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Nadal withdrawal puts Murray into Miami final

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Sony Ericsson Open through injury © Getty Images

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Andy Murray received an unexpectedly easy passage into the final of the Sony Ericsson Open on Friday, after semi-final opponent Rafael Nadal withdrew from the contest due to the recurrence of a knee injury.

"Rafael Nadal has been forced to withdraw from today's match at the Sony Ericsson Open due to a knee injury," tournament organisers confirmed on Twitter. "Andy Murray advances to the final."

Nadal himself later added: "I am sorry for my fans, those who are here in Miami and around the world. My knee won't let me play today."

Nadal ended his quarter-final victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga complaining about another problem with his left knee, and with the issue failing to clear up properly overnight the Spaniard made the decision not to take to the court for the semi-final.

"Playing against an exciting player like him [Murray] pushes you to the limit on everything," Nadal said on Thursday. "The negative thing is that I have to recover well. I have to improve my knee if I want to have any chance of winning. If not, it's going to be almost impossible."

The contest in Miami was to be the 19th meeting between the two players. Nadal has won 13 of those contests, although the Scot has won five of their last eight duels on hard courts - including the most recent meeting in Tokyo last October.

Murray will therefore face the winner of the other semi-final, between Novak Djokovic and Juan Monaco, in the final on Sunday. It is Murray's second walkover of the tournament, after Milos Raonic also withdrew ahead of their scheduled meeting earlier in the event.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.