Murray also teamed up to win a mixed doubles with Heather Watson, who beat Sabine Lisicki in straight sets, but it was not enough to clinch a place in the final as Australia Green, one of two teams from the host nation, beat France.
Four-times Australian Open runner-up Murray wore down his 83rd ranked opponent by keeping him on the move and targeted the German's inconsistent forehand to secure an early break in each set.
Zverev, though, refused to balk and continued to try and push Murray. The young German pulled back a break in the eight game of the second set after an error-strewn game by the Scot but Murray recovered to seal on his next service game after a big serve down the middle.
Ever the perfectionist, Murray said he had more work to do before the Australian Open gets underway on Jan. 18 in Melbourne.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"I started missing a few balls and dropping a few short and he was able to dictate some of the points at the end so something I need to do a bit better," the 28-year-old said in an courtside interview.
"I feel fine, it's great to get matches in, nice to play during the day to get used to the hot weather. Hopefully it's not that bad in Melbourne."
Australia Green, featuring Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova, face Ukraine in the final.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; editing by Amlan Chakraborty and Ed Osmond)
