Murray books ATP Finals place as Edmund and Boulter also prosper

● Scots doubles specialist qualifies for season-ending tournament in London on a good day for British tennis in China

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares have qualified for the ATP Finals at London’s O2 Arena for the third straight year.

The British-brazilian pair booked their place in November’s tournament by beating Robert Lindstedt and Dominic Thiem to reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

Murray and Soares are the third team to guarantee their place in London after Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, and Juansebastiancabalandrobert Farah, and will attempt to go one better after making the semi-finals on their previous two appearances.

It has been a disappointing season for Murray and Soares at the grand slams, with quarter-final appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open their best showings, but they have won three ATP Tour titles, including a first Masters crown in Cincinnati.

In the singles at the Shanghai Masters, Kyle Edmund dispatched Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in straight sets to book a quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev.

British No 1 Edmund saw off world No 48 Jarry 7-6 (5), 6-3 to set up the last-eight showdown with Germany’s Zverev.

Edmund needed an hour and 0 Katie Boulter: Win should see her break into world top 100.

a half to account for Jarry, and will now take on world No 5 Zverev for a place in the semifinals in China. Zverev eased past Alex De Minaur 6-1, 6-4.

Top seed and defending champion Roger Federer needed three sets to see off Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, and will now face Kei Nishikori in the last eight.

Nishikori moved past American Sam Querrey 7-6 (7), 6-4. 0 Jamie Murray: Into the last four of the Shanghai Masters.

Novak Djokovic cruised past Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-0 to tee up a clash with Kevin Anderson, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6 (1).

Juan Martin Del Potro retired through injury to hand Borna Coric passage into the last eight. Coric had taken the first set 7-5 when the Argentine withdrew, and will now meet Australia’s Matthew Ebden, who saw off Germany’s 2 Kyle Edmund hits a return shot to Nicolas Jarry of Chile during the British No 1’s win at the Shanghai Masters. Peter Gojowczyk 6-2 6-3.

Katie Boulter should break into the world’s top 100 after grinding past Barbora Krejcikova in three sets to reach the Tianjin Open quarterfinals.

The 22-year-old British star will now face top seed Karolina Pliskova in Friday’s lasteight encounter, after prevailing over world No 227 Krejcikova 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

Boulter dropped serve three times en route to conceding the second set, only to fire back and book her meeting with world No 6 Pliskova.

Second seed Caroline Garcia cruised past Chinese qualifier Zhang Yuxuan 6-3, 6-4 to move into her 10th quarterfinal in 2018.

Garcia will now face Petra Martic, and expects a tough challenge despite beating the Croatian in straight sets earlier this season.