Tennis: Grigor Dimitrov storms into Shanghai Masters semi-finals

Grigor Dimitrov marched into the Shanghai Masters semi-finals with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 defeat of Chile's Nicolas Jarry on Friday to close on a first ATP title in six years. The 18th seed from Bulgaria will play Russia's Andrey Rublev or Ugo Humbert of France for a place in Sunday's final. Ranked seventh, Rublev is the only player from the world's top 10 still in the draw after a series of shocks saw the leading seeds all ousted.

There was little to choose between Dimitrov and 22nd seed Jarry in the first set but the Bulgarian upped the ante in the tiebreak, racing into a 5-1 and then 6-2 lead. The 32-year-old, who is pursuing a first ATP title since winning the ATP Finals in 2017, sealed the deal on the first set point when Jarry poked a tentative backhand into the net.

Dimitrov, who stunned top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the last 16, broke Jarry in the seventh game of the second set before requiring brief treatment on his right shoulder. It failed to stop him, however, and he closed out on his first match point in one hour and 39 minutes. In Saturday's other semi-final, Poland's 16th seed Hubert Hurkacz faces 26th-seeded American Sebastian Korda.

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Sebastian Korda reached his first Masters semi-final as he held his nerve to tame fast-rising fellow American Ben Shelton 6-7 (10/12), 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in Shanghai on Thursday. The 26th seed finally sealed a thrilling quarter-final on his sixth match point and plays Poland's 16th seed Hubert Hurkacz for a place in Sunday's final.

The draw has opened up for the 23-year-old Korda as he closes on a second ATP title. Top seed Carlos Alcaraz was turfed out in the last 16 to follow Daniil Medvedev -- beaten by Korda -- Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner out the exit door.

Korda was more relieved than anything else afterwards, having let slip five match points in the deciding-set tie break. "It was a super-high level from both of us and thrilled to get through an especially tricky tie break," said Korda, whose father Petr reached two in the world and won the Australian Open in 1998. "That's probably one of the biggest things of having a father who played tennis -- to kind of understand certain moments.

"I think in those certain moments you got to stay really calm. You can have such a big lead like that and you could just completely panic or get super down on yourself and just get lost."

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