Djokovic And Nadal Advance Shanghai 2015 Thursday Highlights
Watch highlights as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal move on. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
Watch highlights as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal move on. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
Kevin Anderson, the newest member of the Top-10, reflects on his recent form.
Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah duplicated their recent success against World No. 1s Bob and Mike Bryan on Thursday in Shanghai. The unseeded Colombians rallied to take out the top-seeded Americans 6-7(1), 7-6(7), 10-7 to reach the quarter-finals.
For the Bryans, it was a second setback against Cabal/Farah in as many weeks, the Californians having dropped a Match Tie-break in the round of 16 against the eventual Tokyo finalists just a few days ago. They were up a set and a break, then held match point at 6/5 in the second-set tie-break, but saw their opponents roar back to take the match. The top seeds made eight of nine first serves in the Match Tie-break, but dropped four of nine service points to bow out in one hour and 51 minutes.
The Bryans currently lead the way with 6,285 Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London points and are closely pursued by Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau (5,950 points). However, the second-ranked team will not be making up ground in the Race To London this week, as it was sent packing by Feliciano Lopez and Max Mirnyi 7-5, 7-5 in 78 minutes on Thursday. Lopez/Mirnyi only made 62 per cent of first serves compared to their opponents’ 72 per cent, but had twice as many break point chances (10-5) and breaks of serve (4-2).
In the quarter-finals, Cabal/Farah will take on No. 7 Daniel Nestor/Edouard Roger-Vasselin, while Lopez/Mirnyi will face No. 8 Rohan Bopanna/Lukasz Kubot.
Rafael Nadal’s Asian swing gathered further momentum on Thursday with the eighth seed posting a 6-3, 7-6(3) triumph over Canada’s Milos Raonic at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. After reaching his first hard-court final of the season last week in Beijing, Nadal registered his first win over a Top-10 opponent in six attempts to reach the quarter-finals. His last was against World No. 7 Tomas Berdych at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid.
The 2009 Shanghai runner-up broke Raonic’s opening service game for 2-0 when the No. 9 seed fired a forehand well wide. He maintained the advantage to serve out the opening set with Raonic dumping a backhand return into the net on set point.
“Today, I felt that I was not playing with as much nerves when I am on court,” said Nadal. “I was able to enjoy the match.”
Nadal scored the early mini-break in the second-set tie-break for 1/0. He surged to 5/2 and whipped a forehand passing shot winner to bring up four match points. He secured the match on his second chance when Raonic’s forehand hit the net. The win extended Nadal’s FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Raonic to 6-1 and avenges a quarter-final defeat the last time the pair met at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells this year.
“Winning a match 7‑6 in the third yesterday and winning a match again today in the tiebreak of a second set, two tiebreaks without losing a point with my serve, it’s impossible if you don’t have control of your emotions. That’s something that, a couple of months ago, would have been impossible for me,” added Nadal.
“My serve obviously worked much better than yesterday, but when I play well on my service game, it’s not just because I serve well, but especially because I play well from the baseline,” said Nadal, who has not dropped serve since being broken by Ivo Karlovic in the opening game of the second round.
Nadal’s quarter-final foe will be Stan Wawrinka, who needed nearly three hours to overcome Marin Cilic, 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-4. The Swiss came away with the first set by break his opponent on the final point, but squandered a match point in the second-set tie-break before closing out the win in three. The Spaniard leads the rivalry 12-2, but Wawrinka has not dropped a set in the pair’s past two meetings (2015 Rome and 2015 Australian Open).