Chengdu (China), Sep 25 (AP) Top-seeded Alexander Zverev will play for a 21st career title after beating third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the semifinals of the Chengdu Open on Monday.

The 26-year-old German will meet Roman Safiullin in Tuesday's final. The 55th-ranked Russian defeated second-seeded Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4.

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Zverev hit 10 winners and four aces in the first set and his serve continued to be effective in the second set.

The 26-year-old Safiullin will be playing in his first career final in his eighth year on tour.

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At the Zhuhai Championships, top-seeded Karen Khachanov defeated fourth-seeded Sebastian Korda 7-5, 6-4 to move into the final in his second tournament since returning from injury.

Khachanov will face Yoshihito Nishioka in Tuesday's final. The eighth-seeded Japanese player beat Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 6-4.

In a tight first set, Khachanov gained the crucial break in the 11th game when Korda found the net with a drop shot. The 15th-ranked Russian improved in the second set and dominated the baseline rallies to overpower the 23-year-old American.

On the first day of the Ningbo Open, Russian wild-card Vera Zvonareva upset seveth-seeded Katie Boulter 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to advance to the second round.

Zvonareva, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, will next play Clara Tauson, who beat Elina Avanesyan 6-4, 6-1.

Yulia Putintseva, a semifinalist last week at the Guangzhou Open, defeated Daria Saville 6-4, 6-1. The Kazakh will play seconded-seeded Petra Kvitova, who beat Anna-Lena Friedsam 7-6 (2), 6-1.

Fourth-seeded Anna Blinkova beat Viktoria Hruncakova 6-3, 7-5 and eighth-seeded Lucia Bronzetti defeated Swiss qualifier Jil Teichmann 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Also, Linda Fruhvirtova beat Rebeka Masarova 1-6, 6-2, 1-0 (retired) and Kateryna Braidl defeated Yuan Yue 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Top-seeded Ons Jabeur and third-seeded Sorana Cirstea will play their first matches on Tuesday. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)