England’s Kyren Wilson came from behind to end Zhao Xintong’s 26-match winning run and set-up a Shanghai Masters final date against Ali Carter.
Since losing to Shaun Murphy at the UK Championships last November, Zhao has embarked on a 26-match winning run that saw him win the World Championships at the Crucible in May.
But, in his first tournament since his triumph in Sheffield, Zhao gave up a 5-4 lead in the evening session as Wilson won six frames in a row to claim a 10-5 victory.
The 33-year-old hit breaks of 70, 101 and 51 during a dominant display in the second session.
Wilson, who beat Ronnie O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui on the way to the semi-finals, will face fellow Englishman Carter in the final as he looks to win the tournament a decade after beating Judd Trump for his first major career title.
Carter, a late replacement in the tournament for Mark Allen who withdrew for personal reasons, beat Mark Selby 10-6 in the other semi-final.
The winner of the tournament will claim a £210,000 prize.