Andy Murray overcame a scrappy performance to advance to the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championships with a 6-3 3-6 7-6 (5) win over Spain's Fernando Verdasco.

Murray will next face Nikolay Davydenko in the last eight after the Russian eased past Jan Hernych 6-1 6-4.

Fresh off of a masterful opening round win over world number one Roger Federer, Murray looked lackadaisical from the start against the Spanish number seven, who saved three match points in a third-set tie-break before finally succumbing.

"I'm sorry about the end, I got a little bit nervous. It was really tough conditions out here today, it was windy and swirling out here a lot," said Murray.

"To play any match after winning against Federer is always going to be difficult mentally, physically I felt fine despite struggling with my knee a little bit in the second set."

The British number one, who did not face a single break point in his 6-7 6-3 6-4 win over Federer, was made to survive a string of early break points in the opening set against Verdasco.

But Murray did well to pressure the 24-year-old Madrid native in the opener, earning repeated opportunities of his own before breaking on his fourth chance to go up 4-2.

Facing a double break back point in his next service game, Murray then showed the service form he demonstrated against Federer firing a 215 km/hour ace straight down the T before closing out the game with another ace and a service winner.

After Verdasco easily held serve, Murray closed out the opening set 6-3 on his first set point with his third ace of the match.

But the sloppy Murray returned at the start of the second set, as Verdasco broke in the second game before saving a pair of break points to claim a 3-0 advantage.

Murray then showed renewed spark to take advantage of a string of Verdasco errors and earn a triple break point before outrallying the Spaniard on his second opportunity to get back on serve thanks to another error from the claycourt specialist.

But the world number 11 then gifted the break advantage right back to the Spaniard with some poor first-serving to allow Verdasco the chance to serve out for the second set.

The Scot began to reveal his frustration, letting out the first of a pair of audible obscenities, as the Spaniard coolly closed out the second set 6-3 with a love service game.

The third set was a see-saw affair with neither man able to take advantage of shifts in momentum at key moments.

Despite starting the set with a slew of errors Murray came up with a critical hold to deuce in the opening game.

At 1-1 the recent Doha champion was then made to face consecutive break points, but saved both with back-to-back aces out wide before holding again to deuce.

Verdasco, meanwhile, cruised through several comfortable holds of serve after more Murray errors helped earn the lefty his fourth love-service game of the match and incited more shouts of disgust from the world number 11.

The struggles on return seemed to again spark Murray, who responded with his own love-service game and took advantage of a pair of ugly backhand errors from Verdasco to break for a 4-2 lead.

On his subsequent return game Verdasco clearly began to lose his temper after another return went just long causing the Spaniard to hammer the ball into the stands behind Murray.

But he seemed to collect himself immediately after the incident and earned a chance to break straight back thanks to a fine defensive play at the net before confirming the break to 30 after Murray sent a poor forehand into the top of the net.

The pair then traded love service games as Verdasco was made to serve to stay in the match, which he did comfortably.

At 30-15 Murray's serve then nearly failed him again with the Briton hitting his first double fault of the match and then allowing Verdasco to take advantage of a meek second serve and set up an easy volley winner at the net to earn a break point.

But Murray saved critically, sending a return into Verdasco's body and forcing him to play an unsuccessful low volley before holding to deuce.

At 40-0 in the next game Murray began to pile the pressure on Verdasco with a fabulous return-of-serve followed by a pair of overhead winners at the net to work his way back to deuce.

But Verdasco held his nerve with a beautiful pair of volleys to reclaim the advantage before showing off a little serve-and-volley action to force a decisive tie-break.

Murray struck first in the breaker pressing the Spaniard into sending consecutive forehand errors long to go up 3-0.

Verdasco took one back with a fine backhand volley at the net that forced Murray into the corner and wide, but Murray held onto the second with a stupendous first serve.

At 4-2 the backhand volley let Verdasco down, as the Spaniard gifted away a second mini-break advantage.

Murray then set up four match points with a service winner, but blew the first two with a pair of forehand errors and the third with a volley error into the net.

Finally, on his fourth chance Murray outlasted the Spaniard on the longest rally of the match by waiting patiently for an eventual forehand error to claim victory in two hours and 24 minutes.

"It was a pretty ugly point, actually," said Murray of the last point. "I was just making sure I kept the ball in play, because I think he's the sort of guy, if you can make a lot of balls against him, keep him in the back of the court, he can get a bit impatient and luckily he missed one at the end."

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Jeremy Stahl / Eurosport