Andy Murray was dominant behind his service in his semifinal win over Kei Nishikori.

Story highlights

Andy Murray cruises into the final of the Shanghai Masters

World number four thrashes Kei Nishikori in straight sets

He will face Spain's David Ferrer in Sunday's final

Ferrer came from a set down to beat compatriot Feliciano Lopez

CNN  — 

Britain’s Andy Murray cruised into the final of the Shanghai Masters with a straight sets thrashing of Japan’s Kei Nishikori Saturday as he bids for a third straight title on the ATP Tour.

The second seed overwhelmed Nishikori 6-3 6-0 in the Qi Zhong stadium and will play David Ferrer for the title after the Spaniard beat his compatriot Feliciano Lopez in the earlier semifinal.

World number four Murray will replace Roger Federer as number three if he wins Sunday’s final after a superb run which has seen him claim victories in Thailand and Japan.

He broke No.49-ranked Nishikori twice in the opening set and swept through the second without the loss of a game.

Ferrer will be bidding for his first Masters 1000 crown and once again battled back to give himself the opportunity.

He dropped the first set on a tiebreaker 7-5, but two breaks in the second saw him level. A single break was enough to win the decider and seal a 6-7 6-3 6-3 victory for the world number five.

“I’ve never won a Masters 1000, and it is very important for me, for my career, for my tennis career,” Ferrer told AFP, but he lost the Tokyo semifinal last week to Murray, winning only five games.

Scot Murray has won 14 straight matches since losing to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the U.S. Open. Nadal, the top seed in Shanghai, was shocked by Germany’s Florian Mayer.

On the WTA Tour, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic will contest the final of the Linz Open in Austria.

Cibulkova beat another Czech player Lucie Safarova 6-1 6-4 while Kvitova, ranked fifth in the world, overcame Serbian Jelena Jankovic in three sets, 4-6 6-4 6-3 in the semifinals.