Bautista Agut keeps the set alive. Only just, though. Murray is making him work for every point, repeatedly salvaging points when they have seemingly gone. The Spaniard gets a big slice of luck when his drop shot catches but sneaks over the net to give him a 40-30 lead from which he seals the game. Murray serving for the set - it'll be his 19th won on the trot over both this tournament and the China Open.

Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off' plays in the stadium as the players take on some fluids. Bautista Agut needs to heed the advice. His chances in this final very much depend on how he responds to this first bit of adversity.

Credit to the Spaniard, who takes the game to deuce, despite losing a remarkable point that sees Murray twice fend off two point-blank forehands and somehow steer the ball into in-court space.

It is Murray who comes through strongest, though, to put daylight between the two players.

Advantage Murray. Bautista is giving as good he gets in the baseline rallies but Murray has the extra ideas and skill to execute them. The Scot demonstrates this with a wonderful soft touch to beat the Spaniard, who had misjudged his own drop shot. It gives the world number the platform and he doesn't disappoint, winning the next two points to bring about the first service break of the match.

Image source, AFP

We stay on serve. Murray has to dig deep, though. A wide forehand has Murray shaking his head in self-admonishment at 15-30 down and coach Jamie Delgado clapping encouragement from the sidelines. He looks to be on course until an unforced error into the net takes the game to deuce. Angered, Murray closes it in two points courtesy of a couple of big forehands.

Brilliant game. Murray wins a lengthy rally to go 30-0 but loses the next three points - prompting the first swipe at the surface with his racquet from the Scot. He manages to salvage deuce but a lovely little dink over the net from the Spaniard, who had somehow managed to reach Murray's powerful cross-court return, sets him up to keep the match on serve.

Murray just shaking off some stiffness. There are gasps from the crowd as he double faults - it is a big shock, such is the Scot's form this year. But he makes amends quickly, racing through the last three points of the game to level matters up again.

Image source, Getty Images

Andy Murray is not the only British player in a final on Sunday, either...

Naomi Broady and Heather Watson are due on court any time now in the women's doubles final at the Hong Kong Open..

They face top seeds Chan Yung-jan and Chan Hao-ching of Chinese Taipei in their first final as a pair.

Bautista Agut demonstrates that this is not going to be a straightforward romp to victory for Murray. The Spaniard holds to love. Murray's only real chance came during a second-point rally that ends with an unforced error from the Scot into the net. It provokes the first mini bout of baseline chuntering.

Jamie Ramsay: Good luck Andy. That No.1 spot is getting closer & closer And we all know you deserve it...   

Folarin Olawale: Andy Murray is playing with his heart and brain. I think he want the world No.1 spot. 

Powerful stuff from Murray. He starts with a pounding ace - his 23rd of the tournament - and is then way too strong for his opponent with some crushing forehands to take the game 40-15.

Image source, Getty Images

So, who is Roberto Bautista Agut? Well, he is a 28-year-old Spaniard with four career titles to his name, two of which have come this year, in Sofia and Auckland (his other two were both in 2014 - the year he was voted the ATP's most improved player). 

He is currently ranked number 19 in the world, having reached a career high of 14 around this time two years ago. He is the first Spaniard younger than Rafael Nadal to get inside of the top 20.

Bautista Agut is clearly a bit of a Sport Billy. Until the age of 14 he was playing football with Villarreal before deciding tennis was for him.

He has recent unhappy experience against a Brit. Earlier this month, he was knocked out of the China Open in the round of 16 by Kyle Edmund. In the next round, Edmund lost to - you guessed it - Andy Murray.

The Spaniard holds his first service game. He gives Murray a sniff with an early double fault and then a long forehand but Murray's error - sending the ball beyond the baseline - ensures Bautista Agut takes it.

We've got a decent crowd in a hot and humid Shanghai for the final. The smart money is on Murray winning this in straight sets. Let's find out how smart that money actually is...

Image source, Getty Images

Murray has played Bautista Agut twice before. He has won both encounters without dropping a set.

The first came at Wimbledon in 2014, when Murray claimed a 6-2 6-3 6-2 victory. The second was on clay in Munich, Germany the next year when the Scot won their semi-final clash 6-4 6-4 before going on to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in the final.

Russell Fuller
BBC tennis correspondent

Novak Djokovic has experienced a strange sensation in recent months. Unable to bend matches to his will on a regular basis, as he did so relentlessly in an extraordinary period of domination, his frustration has become evident.

Andy Murray, meanwhile, who has been the best player in the world for the past four months, looks increasingly like the man who will officially succeed Djokovic at the top of the rankings. April 2017 would still be my best bet, but if Murray beats Bautista-Agut in Sunday's final then claiming the year end number one ranking will still be in his sights.

Image source, Getty Images

Murray reached his 10th final of the year with a determined 6-4 6-3 semi-final win over France's Gilles Simon.

The 29-year-old Briton, seeking his sixth title of the year, hadn't lost a game on serve until Saturday but was broken in the first game of the match, setting the tone for an opening set that saw six breaks of serve.

Having lost the first set, Simon fell to 5-1 down in the second but fought back well, making Murray ultimately work hard for his win.

Image source, Getty Images

Djokovic took his frustration out on his racquet and shirt yesterday as he lost 6-4 6-4 to world number 19 Bautista Agut in the semi-finals on Saturday. 

Having ripped his shirt open in frustration, the 29-year-old Serb was further incensed at receiving a time violation when changing into a new one, raising the point forcefully with umpire Carlos Bernardes at the end of the match.  

Earlier, Djokovic had failed to take the two break-point chances he was able to create in the opening set, with his opponent instead seizing the opportunity, prompting the 12-time Grand Slam title winner to smash his racquet to bits.

Image source, Getty Images

It is Andy Murray's stated ambition for the 2016 season to chase down and replace Novak Djokovic as the world's number one tennis player. Today will take him closer to his goal.

If the Scot beats Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut he will be just 915 points behind Djokovic in the annual rankings points.

It looks like the pressure might just be starting to tell on Novak...

Watch out Novak...

Image source, Getty Images

Andy's coming for you!

Image source, Getty Images