CHENGDU (CHINA), Sep 25:
Top-seeded Alexander Zverev will play for a 21st career title after beating third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the semifinals of the Chengdu Open on Monday.
The 26-year-old German will meet Roman Safiullin in Tuesday’s final. The 55th-ranked Russian defeated second-seeded Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4.
Zverev hit 10 winners and four aces in the first set and his serve continued to be effective in the second set.
The 26-year-old Safiullin will be playing in his first career final in his eighth year on tour.
At the Zhuhai Championships, top-seeded Karen Khachanov defeated fourth-seeded Sebastian Korda 7-5, 6-4 to move into the final in his second tournament since returning from injury.
Khachanov will face Yoshihito Nishioka in Tuesday’s final. The eighth-seeded Japanese player beat Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 6-4.
In a tight first set, Khachanov gained the crucial break in the 11th game when Korda found the net with a drop shot. The 15th-ranked Russian improved in the second set and dominated the baseline rallies to overpower the 23-year-old American.
On the first day of the Ningbo Open, Russian wild-card Vera Zvonareva upset seveth-seeded Katie Boulter 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to advance to the second round.
Zvonareva, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, will next play Clara Tauson, who beat Elina Avanesyan 6-4, 6-1.
Yulia Putintseva, a semifinalist last week at the Guangzhou Open, defeated Daria Saville 6-4, 6-1. The Kazakh will play seconded-seeded Petra Kvitova, who beat Anna-Lena Friedsam 7-6 (2), 6-1.
Fourth-seeded Anna Blinkova beat Viktoria Hruncakova 6-3, 7-5 and eighth-seeded Lucia Bronzetti defeated Swiss qualifier Jil Teichmann 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Also, Linda Fruhvirtova beat Rebeka Masarova 1-6, 6-2, 1-0 (retired) and Kateryna Braidl defeated Yuan Yue 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Top-seeded Ons Jabeur and third-seeded Sorana Cirstea will play their first matches on Tuesday. (AP)
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