Andrey Rublev defeats Dimitrov in the Shanghai Masters to set up a final with Hubert Hurkacz

Andrey Rublev, a feisty player who defeated Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday at the Shanghai Masters to go to the final against Hubert Hurkacz, claimed he is attempting to control his “ugly” behavior.

Rublev of Russia overcame Dimitrov in their semi-final 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, and hasn’t dropped a set in Shanghai as he nears his second Masters 1000 victory of the year.

Hurkacz of Poland, the 16th seed, defeated Sebastian Korda of the United States 6-3, 6-4 in the first semi-final.

Rublev, who is now ranked seventh in the world and is the highest-ranked player still in the competition, sometimes cut an unhappy figure. He was particularly irritated by what looked to be a drone above early on.

At one point, he also repeatedly hit the net. After his outbursts, he added, “It is not helping me at all and it looks pretty awful.

“Some matches, like today, are harder to control because you feel more pressure and stress because it’s a semi-final and you want to win,” the player said.

The 25-year-old kept his composure to rally from a deficit at 0-40 in the opening set and finally hold serve for 3-3 in a 10-minute game.

After that, Bulgaria’s Dimitrov was broken by Rublev for a score of 6-5, but the 18th seed promptly broke him back as he served for the set.

In the tie break, the players traded more powerful groundstrokes and each lost a set chance until Rublev won the set in 76 minutes after Dimitrov missed a forehand.

The second set began with a break for the 32-year-old Dimitrov, who is now playing some of his greatest tennis of his career. Rublev responded by hitting the net three times with his racket.

However, 14-time champion Rublev, who recovered the break for a 2-2 tie, then used the tactic again to easily pull away from Dimitrov as he suddenly ran out of steam.

Rublev, who won the Monte Carlo Masters in April, said it was “special” to be in the Shanghai final but felt bad for Dimitrov, whom he considers a friend, who lost.

He remarked, “I told him I’m really sorry after the match.”

Hurkacz earlier blasted 14 aces as he raced into the championship.

In the face of a bombardment, the 26th seed Korda, who was playing in his maiden Masters semi-final, was always at a disadvantage.

With his strong serve, the 26-year-old Pole faced no break points and ended the match after 77 minutes on his second match point.

Hurkacz, who already has six championships, including winning the Miami Masters in 2021, said of Seb: “He’s a really tough opponent and great returner so you need to play well against him otherwise he ends up taking advantage of your shots.”

Hurkacz said that his serve is “a big thing for me” before the semi-final match. He entered the match with the most aces in the competition.

“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 added.