British number one Kyle Edmund missed out on what would have been his second ATP Tour final by losing to Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili at the China Open.

World number 16 and fifth seed Edmund was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in 98 minutes by the world number 34 in their semi-final Beijing.

Edmund lost his maiden ATP Tour final in Morocco in April.

Basilashvili will face Argentina’s world number four and top seed Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday’s final.

Edmund was playing his first competitive event since his US Open first-round loss in August, having endured a tough year because of illness, including recurring bouts of tonsillitis.

• Kyle Edmund beats Peter Gojowczyk to reach second round
• Kyle Edmund through to quarter-finals with hard-fought win
• Kyle Edmund reaches semi-finals in Beijing

Edmund, 23, was broken in the first game of the match, but hit back to lead 2-1 before Basilashvili required a short break for medical attention.

The Briton had two set points at 5-4 and another at 6-5, but on both occasions Basilashvili fought back to hold to eventually force the tie-break.

Edmund saved two set points in the tie-break to recover from 6-4 down having led 4-1, only for Basilashvili to seal the first set at the third time of asking with an ace.

Basilashvili, 26, raced into a 3-0 lead at the start of the second set with an early break of the Edmund serve.

The Georgian had his first match point at 5-2 on the Edmund serve but fired a return into the net to allow the Briton to eventually hold.

Edmund extended the match with a break of his own to get the set back on serve at 5-4.

But Basilashvili was not to be denied again as the Georgian sealed the win on his second of three match points on the Edmund serve in the 10th game.

Del Potro advanced to the final after Italy’s Fabio Fognini withdrew from their semi-final because of injury.

At the Japan Open, home favourite Kei Nishikori will face Daniil Medvedev in the final after beating France’s Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 in 89 minutes.

Japanese world number 12 Nishikori, who won the Japan Open in 2012 and 2014, is aiming to win his first ATP event since February 2016.

“I figured there might be a tiebreak in there,” said Nishikori, who has lost seven consecutive ATP finals, most recently to Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo in April.

“He’s such a dangerous opponent, but I stayed focused and found a nice groove.”

Russian qualifier Medvedev beat Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-3.

Naomi Osaka says the pressure of expectation after her US Open win is causing her “stress” as the Japanese world number six tries to “prove” herself.

The 20-year-old’s first Grand Slam win earlier this month was overshadowed by Serena Williams’ row with the umpire.

“I think definitely as the weeks go by, I have this feeling of wanting to prove myself,” said Osaka.

“I think that takes a toll a little bit because I stress myself out.”

Osaka missed out on becoming the first player in 2018 to reach three consecutive finals, losing 6-4 6-4 to Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova in the semi-finals of the China Open in Beijing.

An emotional Osaka apologised to opponent Zhang Shuai after her quarter-final win over the Chinese a day earlier, having been close to tears at points during the match on Friday.

“If you don’t win a tournament, then people will say, ‘Oh, she hasn’t won a tournament.’ If you haven’t won a Slam, they’ll say, ‘She hasn’t won a Slam,'” added Osaka.

“Then if you win one Grand Slam, they’re like, ‘Oh, she only won one Grand Slam.’

“I know it’s bad, but I sort of read the comments. I’m just like, ‘Oh, I guess I have to do more, to be better.'”

• Angelique Kerber out, Naomi Osaka through to quarter-finals
• Naomi Osaka apologises after ’emotional’ win over Zhang Shuai
• World number one Simona Halep suffers slipped disc

Against world number 20 Sevastova, Osaka was broken once in the first set to concede the opener in 46 minutes.

Sevastova broke again for a 4-2 lead in the second set against a visibly struggling Osaka, who was complaining of a back injury.

The world number six briefly rallied after a medical timeout and drew level at 4-4 with a break of her own.

But Sevastova reclaimed the break before sealing victory in 91 minutes on her first match point.

“Naomi is one of the best players this year so you need to be aggressive and concentrate,” said Sevastova, who will play world number two Caroline Wozniacki in the final.

Wozniacki beat Chinese wildcard Wang Qiang 6-1 6-3 in 82 minutes.

“I was focused and I stayed focused. She has been winning a lot of matches recently and I knew it was going to be a very tough match,” said Wozniacki.

Australian Open champion Wozniacki took an early 2-0 lead before pulling further clear with another break to seal the first set in 37 minutes.

The Dane also grabbed an early break at the start of the second, but this time Wang responded to lead 3-2.

Wozniacki broke back for a 4-3 lead before wrapping up the win with another break of the Wang serve.