Andrey Rublev will take on Hubert Hurkacz in the final of the Shanghai Masters, while the Tel Aviv Open Open has been cancelled because of the Israel-Hamas war.

Rublev defeated Carlos Alcaraz’s conqueror Grigor Dimitrov thanks to a comfortable 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 victory.

“It’s not easy when you win matches against friends, because you feel both sides,” reflected Rublev, who is now into his fourth Masters 1000 final. “You feel sad, but at the same time you want to win. It’s a mix of feelings.”

Both men are vying for a second Masters 1000 title, with Rublev going for a second of the season having lifted the trophy in Monte Carlo in April.

He edged a very close first set against Dimitrov, who defeated Alcaraz earlier in the tournament, before coming from a break down in the second to clinch a fine victory.

The 25-year-old will climb to a career-high world No 4 if he can claim the title on Sunday.

Hurkacz produced a strong serving display against Sebastian Korda to reach a Masters final for the third successive season.

Korda battled for nearly three hours to see off fellow young American Ben Shelton in the last eight and was unable to produce the same level of play here.

But he was kept at arm’s length by Hurkacz, who did not face a break point during the contest, wrapping up a 6-3 6-4 victory in an hour and 17 minutes.

“I’m thinking only to rest and try to recover for tomorrow, because Hubi is so tough to play,” said Rublev of the Hurkacz clash.

“He’s one of the players that you don’t want to face because he can beat everyone. With his style of the game, the way he serves, the way he hits the ball. We’ll see, I just want to take my time to recover and to be as [ready] as possible for tomorrow.”

Jessica Pegula advanced to the final of the Korea Open by beating Yanina Wickmayer 6-4 6-3.

Fourth-ranked Pegula held off a late challenge from the Belgian to seal the win and will face world No 128 Yuan Yue in the final.

A late break in the first set gave the American the lead, and she extended the advantage to 4-1 in the second set to all but end the contest against the 83rd-ranked Wickmayer.

“Being half-Korean and being able to be in the final here is something I can always say,” Pegula said. “Hopefully I can win, but nonetheless, it’s an honour, so I’m really happy.”

Pegula, with titles at Montreal and Tokyo already this year, is looking to capture her second title of the tour’s Asian swing when she meets Yuan for the first time on Sunday.

The 25-year-old from China rallied to beat Emina Bektas 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2. It will be Yuan’s first tour final and she will also be the first Chinese player to contest a Korean Open final.

The Tel Aviv Open tennis tournament scheduled for next month has been cancelled because of the Israel-Hamas war.

The ATP men’s tour said the decision was made after consultation with security experts and with the safety of players and fans in mind.

“The violence and acts of terror witnessed in Israel are beyond comprehension,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said.

“We strongly condemn any form of terrorism and mourn the loss of innocent lives across this conflict. We hope and pray for peace in the region.”

The event was scheduled for early November.

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