17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer would face unseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday after both the players recorded straight set wins against Novak Djokovic and Feliciano Lopez respectively.
Federer ended world number one and defending champion Djokovic's 28-match unbeaten run in China with a 6-4, 6-4 win. Djokovic saved two match points as he held serve in game nine of set two, but Federer hit a seventh ace before a backhand volley secured his win.
Meanwhile, Simon reached his first Masters series final in six years with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) win over Lopez. He dominated the baseline and lost only two points when he got his serve in, The BBC reported.
Simon, beaten by Britain's Andy Murray in his previous Masters series final in Madrid, said that he was feeling really good from the baseline, adding that he felt he almost didn't lose one point from the baseline the whole match.
The world number 29, who had dropped as low as 44 in the rankings earlier this year, will now move inside the top 20 and could rise as high as 15 if he beats Federer.
Federer, who saved five match points to get through round one, looked in excellent form as he repeated his 2010 Shanghai Masters semifinal victory over 2012 and 2013 winner Djokovic.
Federer said that he was thinking about the victory over Leonardo Mayer in the first round midway through the match when he was up a set and a break going. He said that he remembered how lucky he got.
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Federer said that he clearly feels very fortunate being in the tournament, but added that that is sometimes how things go.
The Swiss, who will return to number two in the world rankings, broke serve in the fifth game of the first set after a couple of unforced errors by Djokovic, the report added.