Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal in much anticipated final
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 15, 2017
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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will meet for the 38th time in their long rival careers at the much-anticipated final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Oct. 15, 2017. [Photo/China.org.cn] |
The 38th career meeting between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer has come true, generating big anticipation among fans and creating the perfect climax to the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Sunday.
The fans in the stadium leapt for joy on Saturday as they saw the world No. 1Nadal earn a 7-5, 7-6 (3) semifinal victory over fourth-seed Marin Cilic of Croatia while Federer squeezed through with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win against 16th-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.
Nadal is seeking his seventh title in 10 finals he has played so far this season. He captured an ATP tour-leading sixth trophy last week in Beijing at the China Open,and is now on a 16-match winning streak.
Nadal holds a 23-14 advantage oversecond-ranked Federer, and has won 14 of their 23 matches at the final tournament stage. However, Federer won all three of their matches played this year, including the Australian Open and in the final of the Miami event.
Their rivalry started more than 13 years ago when a 17-year-old Nadal stunned then world No. 1 Federer in straight sets in Miami in 2004.Since then, they have often stood in each other's way, Nadal twice preventing Federer from achieving a Grand Slam and Federer denying Nadal a year-ending ATP Finals crown. Along the way, they've undeniably pushed the other to new heights.
"I enjoy playing against him even if the head-to-head is not in my favor. He's one of the guys who made me a better player. I don't want to thank him for that, but it made me go back and rework my game," Federer said.
This year also marks the first time in Shanghai Rolex Masters history that the two finals – the singles and the doubles – will feature the top two seeds battling for the title.
Top seeds Henri Kontinen of Finland and John Peers of Australia will play second seeds Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Marcelo Melo of Brazil in the doubles final. Kontinen and Peers booked their second consecutive Shanghai final place with victory over fourth seeded Jamie Murray of Great Britain and Bruno Soares of Brazil.
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