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Big-serving Hurkacz powers into Shanghai Masters final / Photo: © AFP
Big-serving Hurkacz powers into Shanghai Masters final
Big-serving Hubert Hurkacz blasted his way into the final of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday with a ruthless 6-3, 6-4 win over Sebastian Korda of the United States.
The 16th-seeded Pole sent down 14 aces as he barrelled his way into a meeting with either fifth seed Andrey Rublev or 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov.
They play their semi-final later on Saturday.
The 26th seed Korda, who was contesting his first Masters semi-final, was always up against it in the face of a barrage from Hurkacz.
The 26-year-old Pole did not face a single break point on his powerful serve and wrapped up the last-four encounter on his second match point after 77 minutes.
"Seb is a really tough opponent and great returner so you need to play well against him otherwise he ends up taking advantage of your shots," said Hurkacz, who has six titles already including winning the Miami Masters in 2021.
Hurkacz, who has the highest number of aces in the tournament with 77, said his serve is "a big thing for me".
"It's really important to set up the point with the serve and if I am serving well that puts pressure on the opponent and they know they need to serve well," he said.
M. Taylor--BTZ
