Shanghai Rolex Masters
Shanghai, China
RESULTS – SUNDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2017
Singles – Final
[2] R. Federer (SUI) d [1] R. Nadal (ESP) 64 63
Doubles – Final
[1] H. Kontinen (FIN) / J. Peers (AUS) d [2] L. Kubot (POL) / M. Melo (BRA) 64 62
FEDERER TOPS NADAL FOR SHANGHAI TITLE; KONTINEN/PEERS PREVAIL
– Roger Federer clinched his second Shanghai crown (2014) and 27th at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level on Sunday.
– It was the 94th title in Federer’s storied career, which pulls him level with Ivan Lendl for second on the Open Era list. Only Jimmy Connors owns more trophies (109).
– With the win, the Swiss draws to within 1,960 points of Nadal for the top spot in the Emirates ATP Race To London.
– Nadal suffered his first defeat since returning to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in August, seeing his win streak snapped at 16 straight.
– One year after finishing runners-up in Shanghai, Henri Kontinen and John Peers claimed the title with a straight-sets win over Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.
– The Finnish-Aussie duo improved to 9-1 as a team in finals, adding a second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Federer
“I had no nerves really before the match, which was nice. I was pretty clear about how I wanted to play the match. And then I came out and started off very well. Felt relaxed from then on. I always know that Rafa can come back at any moment if he connects well, picks the right sides, and does the right things.
“In a way, it’s not surprising, because I did feel good all week, and it does pay off to arrive early to an event. You can’t do it all the time, but I was here since Thursday late night and that’s five, six days to prepare for a Wednesday match. So I was ready.”
Nadal
“I played a fantastic tournament, having very good wins. I’m very pleased the way I played the whole Asian tour for me. Beijing and Shanghai have been a very positive two weeks for me. A lot of points, a lot of victories against great opponents. I come back with very good personal satisfaction the way that I played.”
Kontinen
“Winning matches one by one and then obviously in the end winning the title, that’s great. To do it back to back, last week in Beijing and then here. Losing the final last year and now getting it, yeah, that’s the most pleasing part for me.”
Peers
“I felt the biggest difference is we’ve learnt how to sort of play better and more consistently in the bigger matches and the bigger tournaments. This year we’ve done that a lot better, and that’s been the biggest challenge for us was to consistently perform well in the big events. And for us, to be able to do it this year, has been really great so far. That’s the challenge for us still coming the rest of the year, to keep performing in the biggest events.”
Topics: Atp World Tour, Federer tennis, Federer vs Nadal, Nadal News, Rafa, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Shanghai final, Shanghai Rolex Masters, Tennis Results