Alexander Zverev, Karen Khachanov to play for ATP 250 titles in Chengdu and Zhuhai
The German notched his seventh consecutive win over Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
Alexander Zverev improved to 4-0 this season against Grigor Dimitrov after winning their semifinal encounter in Chengdu on Monday.
The top seed defeated the third-seeded Dimitrov, 6-3, 7-6 (2), saving all five break points he faced. Zverev has now won seven straight encounters over the Bulgarian dating back to 2016 Indian Wells.
The 26-year-old is seeking his second title of the year after capturing the 500-level crown on clay in Hamburg. With the points he's picked up this week, Zverev has moved up one place to No. 7 in the race to Turin. The world No. 10 is a two-time ATP Finals champion, most recently winning the inaugural edition held at the Pala Alpitour stadium in 2021 after the event relocated following a 12-year stint at London's O2 Arena.
Standing between Zverev and the trophy is Roman Safiullin, who ousted No. 2 seed Lorenzo Musetti, 6-3, 6-4, to reach his maiden ATP final. Safiullin fired nine aces and made the most of a single break in each set to advance after 89 minutes.
With the win, Safiullin upped his record in tour-level matches this year to 15-14. The Podolsk, Russia native posted a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon in July to achieve a career-high No. 43 ranking and is projected to improve upon that with his performance this week.
At the Zhuhai Championships, Karen Khachanov continued his confidence-building week by moving through the semifinal stage. Seeded No. 1, Khachanov overcame fourth seed Sebastian Korda, 7-5, 6-4, in one hour and 51 minutes.
Khachanov is seeking his first singles title in nearly five years, when he tasted victory at the Masters 1000 event in Paris-Bercy. The 27-year-old enjoyed semifinal showings at the Australian Open and Miami and a quarterfinal effort at Roland Garros, before injuries derailed his season for two months.
In the final, Khachanov will meet Yoshihito Nishioka. The left-hander beat Aslan Karatsev, 6-4, 6-4.
Nishioka, currently ranked No. 46, is due to drop 250 points on October 2 from his 2022 triumph in Seoul. The Japanese No. 1 is 1-3 against Khachanov, having fallen to the Russian in the round of 16 of the Melbourne major.