ROGER FEDERER STUNNED BY RAMOS-VINOLAS, RAFAEL NADAL TO FACE IVO KARLOVIC ON WEDNESDAY BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 13th October 2015

ROGER FEDERER STUNNED BY RAMOS-VINOLAS, RAFAEL NADAL TO FACE IVO KARLOVIC ON WEDNESDAY BY RICKY DIMON

epa04929324 Roger Federer of Switzerland hits a return to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the men's final on the fourteenth day of the 2015 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 13 September 2015. The US Open runs through 13 September, which is a return to a 14-day schedule. EPA/DANIEL MURPHY |

Defending champion Roger Federer is out after one match at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. Albert Ramos-Vinolas upset the second-seeded Swiss 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 during second-round action on Tuesday evening. The qualifier won seven fewer points in the match but came up big when it mattered most to prevail after two hours and five minutes.

“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.”

It was a victory that Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer almost pulled off last season in the Shanghai second round. Federer saved a whopping six match points in his opening match and eventually got past Mayer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(7).

“I definitely thought of last year’s match,” the 17-time major champion commented. “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 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.”

Rafael Nadal will hope to avoid the same fate when he contests his opener against Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday.

The two veterans will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers. All four of their previous encounters have gone Nadal’s way, but he has never finished the job in straight sets. Twice the Spaniard has prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker; on the grass courts of Queen’s Club in 2008 and three years later in Indian Wells.

Karlovic is through to the last 32 thanks to a 6-4, 7-6(6) victory over Jeremy Chardy on Monday. The 36-year-old Croat is 34-21 on the season and registers at an impressive 21st in the world.

Nadal is coming off a successful campaign in Beijing, where he reached the final before succumbing to Novak Djokovic. The No. 8 seed is 9-5 lifetime in Shanghai and a shocking 5-5 in his last 10 matches. Nothing suggests this will be an easy one for the Nadal.

Rafael Nadal of Spain in action against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the men’s singles final match for the China Open tennis tournament at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, China, 11 October 2015. EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG

A jam-packed Wednesday schedule also features Kei Nishikori versus Nick Kyrgios.

Kyrgios cruised through his first-rounder 6-3, 6-2 on Monday at the expense of Andreas Haider-Maurer. Although the match could not have been more routine, the 20-year-old Australian failed to make his way through it entirely unscathed. He incurred a $1,500 fine for an outburst that included an audible obscenity.

The volatile world No. 32 was asked afterward about his discontent with the cameramen and general atmosphere.

“They were talking in the middle of the points,” Kyrgios said. “I was just expecting a lot more obviously from a Masters event. You’re not going to see Roger or Rafa playing on a court like that. They’re always playing on center court, where things usually go pretty smoothly.”

Stemming from his August incident involving Stan Wawrinka, Kyrgios will be suspended for 28 days if he racks up at least $5,000 in fines before Feb. 25, 2016.

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

Topics: 10sballs.com, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Atp World Tour, Ivo Karlovic, Kei Nishikori, Men's tennis, Nick Kyrgios, Rafa Nadal, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Shanghai Rolex Masters, Sports, Tennis News

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10sBalls_com says:

October 13, 2015 at 12:01 pm

-@rogerfederer STUNNED BY @albertramos88, @RafaelNadal TO FACE @ivokarlovic ON WEDNESDAY BY @Dimonator- http://t.co/fo8Ti2oQTk #Shanghai
Dimonator says:

October 13, 2015 at 12:23 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: -@rogerfederer STUNNED BY @albertramos88, @RafaelNadal TO FACE @ivokarlovic ON WEDNESDAY BY @Dimonator- http://t.co/fo8Ti…