World number three and defending champion Roger Federer crashed out of the Shanghai Masters after suffering a second round defeat at the hands of Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Tuesday.
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Ramos-Vinolas is set to face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the next round of the Shanghai Masters, after the tall Frenchman dispatched his Dominican competitor Victor Estrella Burgos. “At the end after the break, I thought, OK, maybe I can do it”.
The Swiss was still gracious in defeat, saying that he knew Ramos was capable of taking him out, “I was aware that he could give me a tough workout and even beat me”.
“I definitely thought of last year’s match”, the 17-time major champion commented.
“I just spoke with my girlfriend, my father, my mother, my fitness coach, my other coach who is travelling when Jose is not coming”. Still Ramos-Vinolas played full-blooded, percentage tennis, stuck to his tactics, kept his serving on target, but Federer played more offensively and, as in the first set, seemed in control.
Federer lost the match 1-2. “I didn’t expect it during the match”.
Federer hasn’t played since helping Switzerland win a Davis Cup match the week after losing to Novak Djokovic in the US Open final.
Federer failed to convert two break points in Ramos-Vinolas’ opening service game and would rue his missed opportunity as Ramos-Vinolas went on to sneak the first set in the ensuing tiebreak.
Rafael Nadal stormed Federer’s London citadel and won his first Wimbledon title in a final of extraordinary drama and a tournament-record length of four hours, 48 minutes.
The eighth seed succumbed against 60th ranked Andreas Haider-Maurer in straight sets 6-7 (4), 2-6 in the Beijing opening round.
Tournament director Michael Luevano told Federer, who was eager to create his own pizza, he had to win the title for a chance to add his creation to the menu.
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As second-round opponents go, 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky looked as easy as they come for Federer but the Ukrainian unknown wrote himself into Grand Slam lore with a stunning display in front of an uncomprehending Wimbledon crowd.
