Tennis News

Roger Federer has had plenty of difficult days against a Spanish left-hander during his illustrious career. But it wasn’t his great rival Rafael Nadal whipping forehands at him on Tuesday in Shanghai. Instead it was the Spanish No. 10, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who held his nerve to claim the biggest win of his career over Federer.

Having lost the first set against World No. 70 Ramos-Vinolas, Federer steadied the ship with a strong second set and looked poised to sustain his momentum in the decider. Indeed, just 12 months ago in Shanghai he had found himself in worse trouble when he faced six match points against Leonardo Mayer in his opening match. On that occasion, Federer had narrowly escaped and gone on to win the title.

But there was to be no let-off against the resilient Ramos-Vinolas, who did not let the opportunity to claim his first Top 10 win slip through his grasp. The 27 year old stayed strong on serve in the third set and snuck a crucial break in the eighth game.

“I definitely thought of last year’s match,” said Federer. “But at the same time it was a completely different match. Playing a lefty maybe also had something to do with it. Who knows? Albert was doing a good job of trying to stay on the offensive as well as I was trying to do the same. There were some good rallies there.

“I had my chances. I just couldn’t make it today. I’ve got to look into it. But at the end of the day this can happen during the year. Unfortunately, here in Shanghai where I was defending champion, I was really hoping again to play a great tournament.

“I just think the first round here in Shanghai has always been historically quite difficult, getting used to the conditions and the surface and the balls. The balls play very different than in other places. Last year I got lucky. This year I didn’t. So it’s a pity.”

Ramos-Vinolas is the lowest-ranked player to beat Federer since July 2013, when World No. 114 Federico Delbonis stunned Federer in the Hamburg semi-finals.

“I’m always cautious,” said Federer, who had lost just three games in his one previous meeting with Ramos-Vinolas at Wimbledon three years ago. “I don’t underestimate or lack respect for anybody out there. These guys are all touring professionals, they know what they’re doing. The margins are so small.

“I played him at Wimbledon before, so I knew him. I’ve seen him play. He’s definitely improved since then. That was a while back and that was not his favourite surface. I was aware that he could give me a tough workout and even beat me.”

Defeat for Federer in Shanghai, where he was defending 1000 Emirates ATP Ranking points, also puts in jeopardy his chance of finishing as year-end World No. 2 behind Novak Djokovic.

The Swiss started the week 770 points behind Andy Murray in the year-to-date standings. Murray has the chance to stretch that lead even further this week now, only defending 90 points from his third-round exit against David Ferrer last year. The Scot begins his campaign on Wednesday against Steve Johnson.

What a way to get your first Top 10 win. Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas has stunned Roger Federer in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters after beating the second seed 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 on Tuesday evening.

Going into the contest, the No. 70-ranked Ramos-Vinolas was 0-15 against Top 10 players and had won just two sets. But the 27-year-old Spaniard played fearless tennis as he shocked defending Shanghai champion Federer in just over two hours.

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 tie-break.

The Swiss hit back strongly in the second set, breaking in the fifth and seventh games to level the match, but could not carry his momentum into the deciding set. Ramos-Vinolas earned a crucial break in the eighth game and went on to serve out victory to 30.

“I’m really happy to beat Roger Federer,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “I didn’t expect it during the match. After the second set I thought I would lose. But I played really good. I was very solid with my serve in the third set. I am very happy because it’s the most important victory for me.” 

Federer was playing for the first time in three weeks, since helping Switzerland to a Davis Cup World Group Play-off victory over The Netherlands. The Basel native has already punched his ticket to the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and was looking to win his sixth title of the season this week.

Ramos-Vinolas, a quarter-finalist earlier this year in Auckland and Geneva, goes on to challenge Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the quarter-finals. The 16^th-seeded Tsonga closed Tuesday’s play with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Victor Estrella Burgos.

In an all-Croatian contest, Marin Cilic defeated rising star Borna Coric 6-1, 6-2 in just 62 minutes. The 2014 US Open champion lost just six points on serve as he won the pair’s first meeting.

Gilles Simon finished strongly to defeat qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 in one hour and 33 minutes. The 10^th-seeded Frenchman reached the final in Shanghai last year (l. to Federer) and goes on to face Leonardo Mayer for a place in the third round.

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Milos Raonic has posted his first victory on Chinese soil for the season after a narrow 7-6(5), 7-6(2) triumph over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai on Tuesday. The Canadian, currently at No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, atoned for a disappointing first-up loss in Beijing last week, taking the initiative in the tie-breaks better against the World No. 34.

Bellucci broke Raonic in the opening game of the match and held a mini-break in the opening set tie-break but could not maintain the advantage. Despite his loss in Beijing last week, Raonic had salvaged somewhat of a return to form with his first title of the season – his first in 14 months – in St. Petersburg late last month. He moved through to a showdown with Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut after the one-hour, 39-minute tussle and consigned Bellucci to his 17^th straight defeat to Top 10 opponents.

“I feel like I’m in a good place physically and mentally,” said Raonic. “Now I hope I can play some good tennis. It’s just been in a lot of ways a frustrating season. For most of it, through many important tournaments, not to be able to play at 100 per cent, that sort of has its own downfalls, I guess. I’m trying to make the most of it now for the rest of the year.” 

Belgian David Goffin – No. 17 in the Race to London – made a perfect start on his Shanghai debut, beating Japanese qualifier Go Soeda 6-4, 6-2. Soeda saved a set point on serve at 3-5 but Goffin closed out the opening set on serve 6-4 and powered through to set up a second-round meeting with No. 13 seed John Isner. Goffin saved both break points he faced and won 90 per cent of his first serve points.

Within seconds of the Belgian’s victory, American Jack Sock followed him through and by an identical score-line. Fresh from a run to the quarter-finals in Beijing last week, where he pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets, Sock saw off Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 6-2. The World No. 33 finished with 10 aces to the Pole’s four and made good on five of the eight break points he brought up.

Richard Gasquet set a second-round clash with Vasek Pospisil as he withstood 18 aces to defeat Gilles Muller 7-6(4), 6-2. The 11^th-seeded Frenchman is currently one spot out of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and is looking to rebuild after a surprise first-round exit in Tokyo last week (l. to Bautista Agut).

Gasquet will look to overturn a 1-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Pospisil, who dismissed qualifier Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-4.

Last week’s Tokyo champion Stan Wawrinka will open his Shanghai campaign against Viktor Troicki after the Serb rallied from a set down to beat Pablo Cuevas 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. It will be their first meeting in five years.

In his first match as a Top 10 player, Kevin Anderson defeated Tommy Haas 6-3, 7-5. The South African fired 22 aces and converted two of his 14 break points to set a second-round contest with Fabio Fognini, who beat Joao Sousa 7-6(2), 6-3.