form Andy Murray is just one win away from a third straight title after crushing Japan's Kei Nishikori to seal a place in the Shanghai Masters final where he will face comeback king David Ferrer. The British second seed and defending champion was overwhelming favorite against 47th-ranked Nishikori and showed his superior class, coasting to a 6-3, 6-0 win under lights at the Qi Zhong Stadium. Earlier, Ferrer battled back from a set down for the third consecutive match to beat Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-3 in an all-Spanish semifinal. World No. 4 Murray, who will replace Roger Federer as No. 3 if he wins Sunday's final, broke twice in the first set, winning 100 percent of points on his first serve. In the second set the 24-year-old Scot, coming into the tie on a 13-match winning streak including titles in Bangkok and Tokyo, broke in the second game and demolished his opponent in the second set. In the first semifinal, Ferrer looked to dictate from early on, with the match developing into a fascinating duel between the third seed's powerful forehand and left-handed Lopez's sliced backhand. Neither player could force a break in a gripping opening set. Ferrer took control of the tie-break at 4-1 but he could only manage one more point as Lopez, 30, drew first blood, Ferrer smashing a ball into the crowd in anger. The determined Ferrer stayed on the offensive, breaking in the third game of the second set and again in the ninth game to level the match. A tight deciding set stayed on serve until a wild Lopez forehand gave Ferrer a crucial single break in the eighth game, allowing him to serve out for the win. Kvitova-Cibulkova final Petra Kvitova rallied to beat former top-ranked Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the Generali Ladies Saturday to reach her sixth final of the season and first since winning Wimbledon. Kvitova, ranked a career-high fourth, will play Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia for the title. The seventh-seeded Cibulkova defeated Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4 to reach her first WTA final in more than three years. “It will be a tough match, we know each other well,” said Kvitova, who is 3-0 in career matches against Cibulkova. “I really had to fight, I found it difficult to keep my concentration,” Kvitova said.
