British star set for Spaniard in final
Andy Murray claimed his place in the Shanghai Masters final after beating Kei Nishikori on Saturday, keeping him on track for his third consecutive title.
The Scotsman will now face Spaniard David Ferrer after beating the unseeded Japanese player 6-3 6-0 to cement his place in the final.
Murray looked impressive in the first set, breaking twice whilst winning 100 per cent of points on his first serve.
Then in the second set the 24-year-old looked comfortable by breaking in the second game and racing through the following four. Murrary recently won in both Thailand and Japan, and victory on Sunday in the final would see him move from number 4 to number 3 in the world.
And Murray’s opponent Nishikori will become the highest-ranked Japanese player ever after reaching the semi-final in Shanghai. With the 21-year-old thought to move up to around number 32.
Ferrer booked his place in the final earlier on Saturday, beaten his fellow countryman Feliciano Lopez. He battled from a set down to beat Lopez 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 6-3, at the Qi Zhong stadium, setting up the match with Murray.
Neither player looked better than the other until the eighth game of the third set, when Lopez produced a wild forehand which gave Ferrer a crucial break before he was able to serve for the match.
“When I lost the first set, I tried to forget the tiebreak and I tried to focus again,” said Ferrer, who is ranked number five in the world.
“I played better in the second and the third. I served better. Finally in the third set he did three double faults in important moments and I took my chance.
Ferrer added. “I’ve never won a Masters 1000, and it is very important for me, for my career, for my tennis career.”
