The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Federer delivers masterclass in Shanghai to see off Nadal
Tennis: Swiss ace wins title with fifth consecutive victory against great rival
Roger Federer delivered a masterclass to beat Rafael Nadal in the final of the Shanghai Masters.
Federer took just one hour and 12 minutes to record a dominant 6-4 6-3 victory against the world number one to secure his sixth title of the year.
The 36-year-old broke Nadal’s serve in the opening game of the final and never looked back to claim his fourth victory over his rival in as many matches this season.
Federer was made to work for his place in the final, coming through a tough test in the last four against Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro.
But there were no such problems for the world number two against Nadal, and his early break set the tone for a crushing win.
Federer held to love in the ensuing game before sealing a 94th career title with his third break of the match.
“I played a great match today with hardly any mistakes,” said Federer, who secured a fifth consecutive victory against Nadal for the first time in their long-standing rivalry.
Federer is the only man who can stop Nadal, a winner of this year’s French and US Open championships, from ending the season as world number one.
Federer told Sky Sports: “I am actually surprised that I have won here. With all that has happened since Montreal with my back, it is just nice to see that I am back again.
“London is my priority now and I really want to win the World Tour Finals,” he added.
“Finishing the year as world number one is a long shot, and I don’t think it will happen. But if I play like this, who knows? Maybe I will get close again.”