Murray, Britain's only living Grand Slam titlist, needed two hours and 17 minutes to beat Berdych 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to make their win-loss record 4-4 in their eight meetings.

The third seed, who is making his fifth straight appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals, will finish year-end No. 3 in the world rankings.

"The noise and the atmosphere at the beginning of the match was great," said Murray. "I thought I started the match well. I just didn't quite take my chances early on. Both of us I thought served pretty well and weren't losing too many points on our first serve. It can hinge on a couple points here or there. Getting the break for a 3-1 lead gave me the advantage in the second set. But the third set was tight as well."

Berdych admitted, "I think it was a very, very good and solid match, from both of us. Unfortunately, small details just decided it today. I think the biggest moment was in the second set, 1-1, when I had three break points."

The 25-year-old Scot is bidding for a fourth title of the year, which includes the London 2012 Olympics gold medal, US Open and Brisbane International. He has lost in the 2008 and 2010 semifinals at the ATP World Tour Finals.