1110: Bit of a sponge pudding of a performance from Murray - solid top and bottom but a bit gooey in the middle. He's into the final having not dropped a set, however, where he will play either Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer. That match, a sequel to their classic US Open semi-final, could be another doozy. Yours in sport, Benjamin Dirs

Murray 6-4 6-1 Monaco
Cracking rally and Murray finishes it off with a knifed backhand volley. Monaco buckling under the weight and depth of Murray's groundstrokes and what a shot that is, Murray creating three match points with a flicked backhand, and he finishes things off with an ace. Monaco absolutely monstered in that second set.
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*Murray 6-4 5-1 Monaco
Murray's ascendancy is so pronounced that an argument has broken out in the office as to the correct pronounciation of 'beigel'. The Scot races into a 0-40 lead on Monaco's serve and only needs one of them, stepping in on a second serve and hammering a backhand which Monaco is unable to cope with.
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Murray 6-4 4-1 Monaco*
Double-fault from Murray, I believe his second of the match, but he goes 30-15 up with a clubbed backhand down the line. What an exchange that is and once again it finishes with Monaco missing with a forehand. Monaco finds the net with a backhand return and Murray is cruising into the final.
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*Murray 6-4 3-1 Monaco
Monaco had a bit of physio between games, not sure what's wrong with him, and unless the sponge man can fix his forehand, he's toast. Murray only really needs to keep the ball in play at the moment and rely on his opponents' mistakes, but Monaco does hold - eventually - putting away a smash, as he should have done a few games ago.
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philgarrood on Twitter: "You're right about Murray - he does lose focus. Hopefully a new coach will help that side of his game. It can be frustrating."

Murray 6-4 3-0 Monaco*
Monaco struggling to keep it together now as Murray races through that service game to love...
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*Murray 6-4 2-0 Monaco
Deep, penetrating backhand from Murray and Monaco finds the net and the Argentine follows up with a whipped forehand that lands miles long. Two break points and he only needs one - Murray expecting a mistake to come eventually and it does, again on the forehand side. That forehand is not so much a weapon for Monaco than a albatross round his neck.
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Murray 6-4 1-0 Monaco*
Monaco slips into something more blue between sets but he's still making forehand errors by the bucketload. Murray makes it 40-0 with a laced forehand onto Monaco's toes and wraps things up with a gossamer drop-shot.
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*Murray 6-4 Monaco
Strange how Murray can look so focused one minute and so distracted the next. He looks sluggish there, finding the net with a backhand, but what a point this is - Monaco has three bites at the cherry at the net, Murray retrieves the first two smashes and Monaco sprays the third attempt long. To embarrass Monaco further, Murray had broken a string early in the rally. Monaco tugs a backhand long before flaying a forehand into the middle of the net to hand Murray two set points - the Argentine's knees are knocking. Another forehand error from Monaco and Murray takes the opening set - his opponent just melted, and he wasn't even generating much heat. Curious opening set.
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Murray 5-4 Monaco*
Murray digs a serve into the Monaco forehand and an error follows but the world number four balloons a forehand long to go 15-30 down. Murray looking very ragged all of sudden and he hands Monaco two break points courtesy of a sprayed backhand which misses by six feet. Poor from Monaco - he gets a sighter of a second serve and prods a backhand long. Murray coughs up a double-fault, that's a break...
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*Murray 5-3 Monaco
Monaco sends down his first ace of the match and that's a pretty straightforward hold, Murray handing it to him on a plate with a backhand plonked into the net.
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Murray 5-2 Monaco*
Monaco moves into a 0-30 lead - signs that Murray has lost concentration, that backhand missed by miles - before Murray digs up a big first serve to pull a point back. Monaco challenges a call on the baseline, and it did indeed graze the line, before the Argentine muscles a backhand wide. There follows a brutal exchange which ends with Murray finding the net and sets up a first break point - but Monaco muffs a backhand return into the net. Another error on the backhand side from Monaco and Murray holds - knifed drop-shot, Monaco fetches, but Murray puts away the cross-court winner.
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*Murray 4-2 Monaco
Fairly sparse crowd in today, I'm told the stadium's a little bit out of town. Superb fetching from the back of the court from Murray and he then has a rummage about in his top drawer and pulls out a magnificent top-spin lob. Monaco hits back with a forehand winner down the line before stepping in and finishing off the point with another forehand winner. Monaco finds the net to make it deuce - there are as many forehand errors from the world number 41 as there are winners - but he saves one break point after Murray leaves a forehand well short. Monaco leaves the door open but Murray misses with a backhand and Monaco makes sure of the hold with a superlative forehand winner on the scamper after Murray had tempted him into court.
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Murray 4-1 Monaco*
Monaco having real difficulty dealing with the depth of Murray's groundstrokes and what a shot that is from the Scot, just steering a backhand down the line at full stretch. Solid hold, confirming the break.
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*Murray 3-1 Monaco
Monaco steps in and rips a forehand winner past a rooted Murray before putting a forehand long. Monaco is surprised by the top-spin generated by Murray and frames one out of the ground before Murray wins a rapid-fire exchange at the net to create two break points. Monaco outlasts Murray to save one and saves the second off the back of a good second serve. Monaco hands Murray another chance courtesy of a rather rushed forehand into the net and that's a break, Monaco really struggling with the kick off Murray's top-spin forehand.
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Murray 2-1 Monaco*
A double-fault from Murray before Monaco balloons a forehand long. Naughty drop-shot from Murray and he finishes off the point with a clubbed backhand down the line - the Scot looking pretty unruffled on serve so far.
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*Murray 1-1 Monaco
Great coverage from the back of the court from Murray and Monaco finds the net with a rather wooden backhand volley. Murray made to scramble again by Monaco and this time he finds the net with a poked forehand on the run and the Argentine wins his first point. Murray misses with a smash before outlasting Monaco in another marathon rally, finishing it off with a laced cross-court forehand winner from the back of the court. Monaco finds a couple of decent serves and manages to hold.
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Murray 1-0 Monaco*
Murray to serve first and he wins his first two points with the minimum of fuss before putting away a straightforward overhead. Big serve out wide from Murray and Monaco is unable to deal with it, pretty easy hold.
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0942: ... a little correction before we start - the last meeting between the two was actually on clay in Rome last April, and Monaco won. Murray won their previous match in March in Miami...

Anon via text, 81111: "Good Luck Andy. Come on the Scots. I think it will be a hard game but Andy will pull through."

0938: They're knocking up now and the good news is we've got good weather and the roof is open. Murray, by the way, has lost only 15 games this week and dropped serve once. He last met Monaco last March, when he was taken to three sets in Miami. Federer v Djokovic up after this, the first time they've met since their classic US Open semi, it could be a screamer.

0935: The odds are stacked against Monaco in this one - he has struggled with injury this season and before this tournament he hadn't won on tour since May. In addition, while Tsonga was roasted by Murray in just 55 minutes, Monaco required three hours to dispose of Melzer. However, Monaco is 1-1 against Murray in head-to-heads, beating the Scot on clay in 2008.

0930: Hello. Andy Murray is up against unseeded Argentine Juan Monaco in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, and that should all kick off in about 15 minutes. Murray had been struggling to find top gear before his quarter-final smoking of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - the British number one will be expected to triumph again today. We of course live in an age when everyone and his uncle has an opinion on everything, which is lucky, because you can get in touch via Twitter or text on 81111 (UK) or 44 7786200666 (worldwide) with TENNIS before your message.