'Maturing' Jamie finds right blend in bid for mixed title

Having spent most of his professional life in the shadow of his brother, Jamie Murray will upstage Andy for the second time at the US Open here today. Fourteen months after becoming the first Murray to win a Grand Slam title when he lifted the Wimbledon mixed doubles crown with Jelena Jankovic, Jamie plays in his second major final when he partners Liezel Huber against her women's doubles partner, the Zimbabwean Cara Black, and India's Leander Paes, on the main show court in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

After knocking out the No 2 seeds, Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic, Huber and Murray reached the final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Jill Craybas and Eric Butorac of the United States.

At first sight Huber and Murray make an unlikely pairing. While 22-year-old Murray is an easy-going character who still lacks experience, Huber, 32, is a strong-willed individual who has won 31 women's doubles titles but reached only two Grand Slam finals in mixed, losing in both. Born and bred in South Africa, she became a US citizen last year. "We get along really great," Huber said. "He's maturing as a player and he's always been an excellent partner."

Murray had been sharing his brother's London flat but recently bought a nearby place of his own, which he will move into on returning. The prize money here – $35,000 (£19,700) for reaching the final and another $40,000 (£22,500) for winning it – will come in handy. "I don't have any stuff so I need to buy to buy beds and all that," Murray said. "It'll be a new experience."