The 17-time Grand Slam tennis champion Roger Federer has crashed out to the little-known Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in a major second-round shock at the Shanghai Masters.
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With Federer’s hero Rod Laver watching from the stands, Nadal, who had won an epic, five-set semi-final against Fernando Verdasco just a day earlier, did it all over again as he floored his great rival 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-2.
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.
Defending champion Roger Federer flew to Shanghai for his first tournament since reaching the final of the US Open as one of the favourites for the title.
“I thought Federer would strike back in that last game, but he held his nerve”. “I didn’t expect it during the match”.
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”.
In other second round action, ninth seed Milos Raonic, one of several players hovering around the cut-off mark for the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London, came through against Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci in two tiebreaks.
Federer in his reaction said: “I had my chances. I played the tournament just like a practice”, the Spaniard said. “I’m going to get a couple days of rest and practice and get ready”, he said late on Sunday in Beijing.
And it was a very different story in the Shanghai second round on Tuesday as Federer struggled to impose himself. While the Swiss’ serve was very solid in this match, his ground strokes did let him down in key moments. This year I didn’t.
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Kevin Anderson’s 6-3 7-5 triumph over Tommy Haas sets up a clash with Fabio Fognini in round two, the Italian having beaten Joao Sousa 7-6 (7-2) 6-3.
