Shanghai braces for Nadal-Federer clash
shanghai — Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer breezed into the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters on Thursday and Juan Martin del Potro defeated racquet-smashing Alexander Zverev.
World number one Nadal blew away Fabio Fognini in 63 minutes and plays sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov as he pursues one of the few tournaments to have eluded him.
Timeless rival Federer was even faster, dismissing Ukrainian qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-2 in 61 minutes.
The 31-year-old Spaniard Nadal, fresh off the back of triumphs at the US Open and China Open, anticipates a tough encounter against the Bulgarian Dimitrov.
“I played a very good match, I don’t know how many mistakes I made, but very few,” said the 16time Grand Slam winner and top seed in Shanghai. “I have a tough match against Grigor and know I will have to play my best... but I am playing well.”
Nadal, enjoying a late-career flourish, defeated good friend Dimitrov on his way to winning the China Open on Sunday, his sixth title of the season.
And he underlined his status as the man to beat in Shanghai as he battered the Italian Fognini 6-3, 6-1. Dimitrov, chasing a spot at the season-ending ATP Finals in London, beat American Sam Querrey 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to set up a Chinese reunion with Nadal.
Federer, the Swiss world number two, plays either of the Frenchmen Gilles Simon or Richard Gasquet in the last eight on Friday.
A mouthwatering Nadal-Federer final on Sunday awaits if the celebrated pair continue at the current rate. Gutsy Del Potro recovered from a set down to win 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 against rising star Zverev and will next play Viktor Troicki or John Isner.
The talented 20-year-old Zverev was going after his sixth title of a breakthrough season and was comfortable in the first set against Argentine Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion and 16th seed.
The German prodigy and the 29-year-old, whose career has been beset by injury, went toe to toe in the second set and the tie break was just as tight until Del Potro grabbed the crucial minibreak. And then came the turning point — and a flash of anger from third seed Zverev — as he yielded the crucial service break to go 3-2 down in the third set.
“Right now I’m very pissed off, as you can probably tell,” said Zverev afterwards, having smashed the racquet on the court, then trodden on it, and brutalised it further as he stomped back to his chair. —