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Federer Downs Rafael Nadal in Blockbuster Final

The Swiss defeated his old Spanish rival for the fifth time in a row to win the Shanghai Masters
Roger Federer (L) and Rafa Nadal
Roger Federer (L) and Rafa Nadal

Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win the Shanghai Masters title on Sunday.

The Swiss at his brilliant best was far too good for his old rival with the world number one going down in straight sets 6-4 6-3 in just an hour and 12 minutes, Independent reported.

The victory, a 15th of his career over the Spaniard and a fourth of 2017, makes it 94 career titles for the 36-year-old and ends Nadal’s 16-match winning streak this year.

Federer was made to work for his place in Sunday’s showpiece after coming through a tough test against Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals.

But there were no such problems for the world number two against Nadal and his early break set the tone for a crushing win.

Federer secured his early service hold with three aces and an unreturned serve before winning the opening set in 35 minutes. The Swiss then broke in the fifth game of the second set after Nadal pushed a backhand wide.

Federer, the 19-time slam champion, held to love in the ensuing game before sealing his 94th career title with his third break of the match.

“I played a great match today with hardly any mistakes,” said Federer, who has now secured five consecutive victories against Nadal for the first time in their long-standing rivalry. “It was very clear for me how I had to play and I was able to do it for the one hour and 12 minutes that I was out there”.

“I started perfectly and kept the pressure on before creating more opportunities on the return, stayed on the offensive, and then also pull back at the right times to make sure Rafa could make some errors on his own and that is exactly what happened,” Federer added.

 

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