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By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, October 15, 2016

 
Andy Murray

A streaking Andy Murray dismissed Gilles Simon, 6-4, 6-3, to score his ninth straight win and reach his 10th final of the season in Shanghai.

Photo credit: Shanghai Rolex Masters

Pinballing from side to side, Gilles Simon was frozen as Andy Murray fired a forehand down the line to break serve again.

The scrappy Simon stretched baseline rallies, but Murray hit him right out of Shanghai.

Watch: ATP Fines Kyrgios For Tanking

Tormenting his opponent's serve, Murray broke serve six times sweeping Simon, 6-4, 6-3, to cruise into his second straight final at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Continuing the best season of his career, Murray extended his winning streak to nine matches reaching his 10th final of the season.

A week ago, Murray defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the Beijing final to reach a milestone. Murray captured his 40th career title becoming the 16th man to reach the 40 title mark and fourth active player to do it, joining Roger Federer (88 titles), Rafael Nadal (69) and Novak Djokovic (66).

The second-ranked Scot will play for his sixth title of the season when he faces Roberto Bautista Agut in Sunday's final.

The 28-year-old Spaniard upset defending champion Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4, scoring his first win over Djokovic and his first career victory over a reigning world No. 1 to reach his first Masters 1000 final.

Murray has won both of his prior meetings with the 15th-seeded Spaniard, beating Bautista Agut on the clay of Munich last year and on grass at Wimbledon two years ago.

The two-time Olympic gold medal champion had held in all 25 service games this week, but surrendered serve to open the match.

Simon backed up the break for a 2-0 lead, but then ran into issues.

The slender Simon plays a similar style as the Scot but lacks a major weapon to finish points. Consequently, he tested Murray in baseline exchanges, but often lacked the knockout blow to put the two-time champion down.

Shrewdly altering spin and pace, Murray often played the short, no pace slice backhand to draw Simon into no-man's land and create space to thump his two-hander and put the Frenchman on the run.

From 0-2 down, Murray won 12 of the next 14 points. A double-fault and sprayed inside-out forehand from Simon gifted another break as Murray won his fourth consecutive game.




Serving for the set, Murray turned defense into offense and severe dose of heart-break to Simon. Racing back to the baseline in pursuit of a lob, Murray spun and lofted a picture-perfect backhand lob right inside the baseline to close the set in style.

After that initial 0-2 deficit, the world No. 2 reeled off 11 of the next 14 games building a 6-4, 5-1 lead.

To his credit Simon broke again to narrow the gap.

Sliding a slice serve out wide, Murray closed out a one hour, 43-minute victory in style.

It was Murray's 20th consecutive victory over a Frenchman as the Scot raised his career record against Simon to 15-2.

Murray will contest his 20th career Masters final tomorrow, while bidding for his 13th Masters championship.


 

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