Nadal to face Federer in Shanghai Masters final
SHANGHAI: World number one Rafael Nadal squeezed past Croatian Marin Cilic with a 7-5 7-6(3) victory on Saturday to set up a mouth-watering clash with Swiss Roger Federer in the Shanghai Masters final. Secondranked Federer came from behind to beat Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 3-6 6-3 6-3 to ensure he would meet Nadal for the fourth time this year in Sunday’s final. Nadal leads the headto-head with Federer 23-14 but has not beaten the Swiss in 2017, losing in the finals of the Australian Open and Miami Masters and in the last-16 at Indian Wells.
The Spaniard was pushed hard by fourth seed Cilic, who put his booming forehand to good use but could not stop Nadal claiming a 16 consecutive victory.
NADAL SEEKS DAMAGES
PARIS: Rafael Nadal is seeking 100,000 euros ($118,000) in damages from former French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot after she accused the Spanish tennis legend of a dope test cover-up.
Nadal is suing Bachelot, who served as sports minister between 2007 and 2010, over remarks in March 2016 on French television. She alleged that Nadal faked an injury in 2012, when he missed the final six months of the season due to knee problems, in order to hide a positive drug test.
Neither Nadal nor Bachelot were at the court hearing in Paris on Friday. The player’s lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, told the court that the doping accusation could have had “major consequences” for Nadal concerning his “existing or future sponsors”.
SHARAPOVA IN FINAL
BEIJING: Maria Sharapova eased past Peng Shuai 6-3, 6-1 at the Tianjin Open to reach her first WTA final in almost two and a half years.
Sharapova will meet teenaged Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who is ranked 102 and made her first WTA final after beating Italy’s Sara Errani 6-1, 6-3 in the other semi-final.