Alexander Zverev has blasted away Britain’s Kyle Edmund in a power-packed 6-4 6-4 display to reach the final four of the Shanghai Masters in China.

It is Zverev’s fifth Masters semi-final appearance of the year after a strong run on the tour.

He won the Madrid title in May after making the Miami Open final and reaching the last four in Monte Carlo. He was also beaten by world No.1 Rafael Nadal in the Rome final before the French Open.

The 21-year-old, seeded fourth for the tournament, broke Edmund early on Friday to serve for a 3-1 lead and rallied to take the first set in 34 minutes.

Edmund, ranked 14th in the world and seeded 11th, resisted Zverev’s hard hitting in the second set until a stunning backhand pass allowed the German to break in the fifth game.

The world No.5 confirmed his victory with a swift serve and smash winner at the 70-minute mark.

He will face 14-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic or 2018 Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson in Saturday’s semi-finals.

Matthew Ebden has a golden opportunity to become Australian No.1 after progressing to the quarter-finals in Shanghai.

Ebden won through to the last eight with a 6-2 6-3 win over Peter Gojowczyk on Thursday and can leapfrog Alex de Minaur as the top-ranked Aussie player if he beats world No.19 Borna Coric on Friday.

The West Australian will rise to a career high 40 when the rankings are released next week, but reaching the semi-finals would catapult him up to 31 – the spot currently occupied by de Minaur.

The 21-year-old Coric booked his quarter-final spot after injury forced Juan Martin del Potro to retire from their third-round clash.