Gilles Simon has progressed to the final at the Shanghai Masters after beating Feliciano Lopez 6-2 7-6 in their semi-final this morning.
The Frenchman made a quick start to the last-four encounter, securing an early break over the Spaniard as he cruised to a one-set lead.
Lopez improved his serve in the second to provide more of a test for Simon, but the world number 29 offered his opponent nothing, dropping a total of just seven points during his own service games.
In the second-set tiebreak, Simon showed no signs of slipping up, putting Lopez under pressure straight away with a mini-break before conceding just a single point to wrap up the match.
Simon, who is through to a Masters 1000 final for just the second time in his career, will face either world number one Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer in tomorrow's final.
Sian Cowper
