Roger Federer got one over his old
rival Rafael Nadal to win the Shanghai Masters 6-4, 6-3 in a showdown between
the two best players on the planet. It was a 94th title for the Swiss legend,
drawing him level with the great Ivan Lendl, and was a fifth victory in a row
against world number one Nadal.
Nadal was ahead in their overall
record down the years, with 23 wins to Federer’s 14 but he was up against it
almost right away. Number two Federer put Nadal under the cosh immediately on
the Spaniard’s serve, breaking him in the first game – to roars of approval
from the majority inside the arena. Another break to 36 year old Federer in the
pivotal fifth game of the second set put him in a reach of a second Shanghai
Masters crown – and a sixth title in 2017.
Federer, fondly known as
"Cow" in China for his laid-back personality, had started the better
in grabbing the break and he then rattled through his own service game for 2-0.
Federer, a 19-time Grand Slam champion, was in full flow under the Qizhong
Tennis Center roof, which was closed because of downpours in Shanghai. Nadal,
31, fresh from winning the US Open and China Open, groaned while lashing many
of his shots; Federer was all quiet efficiency.
Federer rapidly made it 4-2 with
two booming aces in a row, drawing huge cheers from much of the stadium.
In contrast, Nadal - a 16-time Grand Slam winner but who had never won the
Shanghai Masters - was laboring through his service games. There were
suggestions that Federer might not be quite as fresh as his old foe, having
been pushed to three sets a day earlier in the second semi-final against Juan
Martin Del Potro.
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