Hubert Hurkacz sailed past Sebastian Korda in the semi-final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, defeating the American in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

Sixteenth seed Hurkacz had previously ousted Thanasi Kokkinakis and Yu Hsiou Hsu in straight sets before overcoming a tight three-set battle with Zhizhen Zhang and fighting back from a set down against Fabian Maroszan.

This was the Polish player's third meeting with twenty-sixth seed Korda, who had downed second seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev earlier in the ATP 1000 tournament, before emerging victorious from a three-set thriller against Ben Shelton to set up the clash with Hurkacz.

The match started out evenly, with both players holding their serve until Hurkacz reached a break point with an advantage on deuce at 3-2. The 26-year-old was able to send his opponent running across the court until he hit the ball out, giving him a crucial first break.

Hurkacz then held until he was able to serve for the set, building up three set points before securing the opener with a confident W-0 hold. At this point, he looked completely in control of the match, having won 83% of points on his first serve.

This control was something that Hurkacz was able to carry on into the second set. He amassed two break points in Korda's first service game and successfully converted the second to give himself an early break.

Hurkacz then held for a 2-0 lead before his 23-year-old opponent got his first game on the board in the second set. The American took Hurkacz's next service game to a deuce but the Pole was able to maintain his lead.

Ultimately, Hurkacz held until he could serve for the set. From there, he successfully booked his place in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai, where he will face the winner of the clash between Grigor Dimitrov and Andrey Rublev.