Jamie Murray is only 22 but he is already becoming something of an old pro when it comes to grand slam finals. Tonight he will play in his second, when he and Liezel Huber take on Leander Paes and Cara Black for the US Open mixed doubles title in a match which would bringMurray his second major trophy after he and Jelena Jankovic won Wimbledon last year.

While Murray's partnership with Max Mirnyi in men's doubles has been slow to gel, he and Huber could not be better matched. "I think I'd kind of struggled a little bit in the last couple of tournaments with my results with Max and it felt good to go out in mixed and feel in control of things and do your thing out there," said Murray. "I think that's probably why I have some good results in mixed - because I like to take control of the court.

"My skills in tennis probably come across quite well in mixed. I had to go out to serve to get into a grand slam final and it's probably easier to look across and see a girl who's, like, 5ft 2in trying to return your serve instead of guys like Daniel Nestor or Nenad Zimonjic."

Murray and Huber have developed a good friendship in the 12 months since they began playing together - and no, that is not a euphemism for the sort of public flirtation Murray and Jankovic enjoyed en route to their Wimbledon title, for 32-year-old Huber is married to her coach Tony and talks about Murray as if he were a younger brother to be teased, indulged and bossed around.

"I think I never doubted that Jamie and I would go a long way and for sure we are going to have titles to our name. It was just a matter of time so it's a great moment," said Huber. "From the first match here, I felt that we were a better partnership so it's just been a lot of fun playing with him. It's nice because we can now sit together and have a meal together and I think it's a nice friendship. And I didn't really know Andy before either. They're a great family. I love their mum."

Huber says she has watched Murray grow in confidence through the tournament and though she tells him off for eating too many muffins and chasing down balls she has called as hers, she believes that he is becoming more forceful in matches.

"I think we've changed our dynamics a little bit. Jamie is now the leader out there on the court. He keeps the momentum and the tempo going for us. I think that's just Jamie maturing as a player," said Huber. "We're a really good team now. If Jamie and I do our job out there, we're quite capable of winning the title."

If the success he is enjoying with Huber spreads into Murray's partnership with Mirnyi, then so much the better, though he and Mirnyi are due to speak after the US Open to discuss the future of their partnership.

Murray has no such concerns about committing to Huber. She, meanwhile, has no qualms about telling other women to keep their paws off her partner, particularly Alona Bondarenko, one of their opponents in the first round, who had the cheek to ask Murray if he would play with her at next year's Australian Open. "I don't think my partner would approve," Murray told her politely. It is probably a good thing for Bondarenko that Huber was not within earshot.