Andy Murray followed up his win over Roger Federer with a nervous victory against Fernando Verdasco in the Dubai Tennis Championships second round.

A single break in the sixth game saw Murray take the first set 6-3.

Verdasco improved considerably in the second set and with Murray struggling on serve he closed it out 6-3.

The Scot claimed the initial break in the third set and although Verdasco broke back, Murray won the tie-break 7-5 to squeeze into the quarter-finals.

Murray, who beat Federer in three sets on Monday, had won both of his previous meetings with world number 30 Verdasco.

The Spaniard had not gone past the second round in his four tournaments in 2008 but going into the match Murray had spoken about his concern at playing a left-hander, and in windy conditions in Dubai, Murray was rarely at his best.

Games went with serve until 3-2 in the first set and, although Murray had to save a break point in the fifth game, he promptly claimed the decisive break in the very next game.

Verdasco saved the first three break points but on the fourth he cracked, double-faulting to give Murray a 4-2 lead, only for the Scot to immediately find himself in big trouble on his serve.

At 15-30 he dumped a smash into the net after Verdasco raised a towering lob into the swirling wind, to hand the Spaniard two break points.

He saved the first with a 130pmh ace down the middle and Verdasco then netted a forehand after a prolonged exchange on the next.

Another ace and a service winner gave Murray a 5-2 lead and two games later he closed out the first set in style with another ace, only to soon find himself in trouble in the second set.

A poorly executed drop shot at break point down in his first service game, followed by a mid-court lob, enabled Verdasco to claim his first break of the match.

Murray forced two break points in the Spaniard's next service game and although Verdasco managed to fight him off that time, he fell apart in his next service game to gift Murray the break and get the set back on serve.

However, Murray's serve, so impressive in his first round win over Federer, was rapidly falling apart.

He was only making 36% of his first serves, down from 61% in the first set, and Verdasco was immediately able to break back and take a decisive lead in the set.

Murray was looking sullen and frustrated by his inability to impose himself and he had to fight off a break point in the third game, his serve briefly flickering back into life to save him.

The Scot was fighting himself as much as his opponent but over the next couple of games he showed signs of better form and managed to break in the sixth game, only to immediately hand the break back as his form again dipped.

The form of both players fluctuated as the match went a tie-break and a nervy Murray was lucky to survive a break point at 5-5.

The Scot took an early 3-0 lead and when Verdasco blazed a second serve return yards wide to go 4-1 down the writing was on the wall.

Murray soon found himself with four match points, only to make errors on the first three occasions.

His fourth chance came on his serve and after an agonisingly long rally Verdasco cracked, hitting a forehand yards over the baseline to send Murray into a quarter-final against fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko.