RICKY DIMON CHECKS IN FROM SHANGHAI MEN’S TENNIS. ROGER FEDERER WINS AS DOES NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Written by: on 10th October 2014
Shanghai Tennis Masters
RICKY DIMON CHECKS IN FROM SHANGHAI MEN'S TENNIS. ROGER FEDERER WINS AS DOES NOVAK DJOKOVIC

epa04439911 Roger Federer of Switzerland in action during his quarterfinal match against Julien Benneteau of France at the Shanghai Tennis Masters in Shanghai, China, 10 October 2014. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL  |

Djokovic, Federer win again in Shanghai, set up semifinal showdown on Saturday

 

 

The Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer rivalry will add another chapter to its lore after the soon-to-be top two players in the world won their respective quarterfinal matches at the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Friday. Djokovic took care of David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2 to book his semifinal spot before Federer downed Julien Benneteau 7-6(4), 6-0.

 

Djokovic faced only two break points against Ferrer, both which came as the two-time defending champion attempted to serve out the first set at 5-4. He managed to seal the deal and was off to the races in the second.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action during his quarterfinal match against David Ferrer of Spain at the Shanghai Tennis Masters in Shanghai, China, 10 October 2014. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The 10th game of the first set was crucial,” Djokovic explained. “It was crucial to serve the first set out. Obviously, it was a huge relief because it was very physical, especially towards the end of the first set. I served well in important moments. [The] second set was pretty good.”

 

Federer’s second set was better than pretty good. After battling through a wildly entertaining tiebreaker to begin his match against Benneteau, the 33-year-old Swiss did not lose another game the rest of the way. Federer finished with 11 aces and no double-faults, served at 77 percent, and won 92 percent of his first-serve points.

Roger Federer of Switzerland in action during a quarterfinal match against Julien Benneteau of France at the Shanghai Tennis Masters in Shanghai, China, 10 October 2014. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I thought I played very well against (Robert) Bautista Agut (in the third round), but maybe tonight was a bit better,” said Federer, who will pass Rafael Nadal for the No. 2 world ranking on Monday. “Especially once I got in the lead, it’s nice to have those great 10, 15 minutes where you can stretch it. That’s what I was able to do. So this probably was my best match so far.”

 

Saturday will mark the 36th career meeting between Djokovic and Federer. The head-to-head series stands at 18-17 in favor of the 17-time Grand Slam champion. They have split four 2014 encounters at two wins apiece while saving their most memorable showdown for last. In the Wimbledon final, Djokovic survived a spirited charge from Federer to take the title with a 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 victory.

 

The other Shanghai semifinal will pit Feliciano Lopez against Gilles Simon. Lopez is through to his third semifinal at this event following a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Mikhail Youzhny. Simon also needed three sets in his quarterfinal, which saw him rout Tomas Berdych in the decider for a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-0 win.

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: , , , , , , , ,








10sBalls Top Stories

In Case You Missed It

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA thumbnail

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Eugenie Bouchard is the winner of the 2018 Excellence Awards in the Female Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year categories.
TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE

Time to get tickets to watch! Surly you have heard about The Largest Open Tennis Event in America!
TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

According to Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal was supposed to be back at practice on either Dec. 4 or 5. Well, better late than never!
Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife thumbnail

Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife

Española y checa ya trabajaron juntas durante el pasado Open de Estados Unidos
ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS thumbnail

ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a forehand to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during her second round match at the Nature Valley International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.