Nadal, Ferrer reach Masters Cup semis
Rafael Nadal got past third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4.
Shanghai, China - Spanish stars Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer posted round-robin wins Thursday to reach Saturday’s semifinals at the $3.7 million Tennis Masters Cup.
The second-seeded Nadal got past third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, while a sixth-seeded Ferrer whipped eighth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-1 at this exclusive eight-man event on the hardcourt at Shanghai’s Qi Zhong Stadium. After Nadal won the opening match on Thursday, he then needed Ferrer to beat Gasquet to be assured of a spot in the semis.
Nadal advanced in 1 hour, 44 minutes, with his three service breaks, compared to Djokovic’s zero, being the difference. The talented Serb fired nine aces in a losing effort.
Ferrer, meanwhile, blitzed Gasquet in a mere 59 minutes by winning 29 more points (54-25) than his French counterpart. Gasquet could come up with only one break on Day 5, while Ferrer piled up a whopping six in seven Gasquet service games.
The gritty Ferrer, at 3-0, captured this week’s four-player Gold Group in undefeated fashion, while the French Open champion Nadal went 2-1 to move on. Gasquet settled for a 1-2 record, while the U.S. Open runner-up Djokovic was a very disappointing 0-3 for the week and failed to win even one set in the process.
Ferrer will meet the second-place finisher from this week’s Red Group, while Nadal will take on the winner from that group on Saturday.
The semifinalists from the Red Group will be decided here on Friday, when top- seeded/world No. 1 Roger Federer battles fifth-seeded former top-ranked star Andy Roddick and fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko takes on seventh-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, who stunned Federer here on Monday.
Roddick (2-0) has already clinched a spot in the semis here, as the other berth from the Red Group will go to either Federer (1-1) or the Australian Open runner-up Gonzalez (1-1). The U.S. and French Open semifinalist Davydenko (0-2) is out of contention for the final four.
If Davydenko beats Gonzalez on Friday, then Federer would be in the semis. If “Gonzo” defeats Davydenko and Federer tops Roddick, Gonzalez would be out and Federer would be in. In order to qualify, Gonzalez needs to defeat Davydenko and hope that Roddick beats Federer.
Federer is an awesome 14-1 lifetime against Roddick, including wins in their last 10 meetings, dating back to 2003. The Swiss topped the American in this year’s U.S. Open quarters and Aussie Open semis. And Federer is 2-0 in their all-time Masters Cup matchups, including a dramatic 4-6, 7-6 (12-10), 6-4 victory in last year’s round-robin stage here in Shanghai.
Davydenko, meanwhile, is 3-0 lifetime against Gonzalez, with their last meeting coming back in 2005.
Federer is 16-1 lifetime in his Masters Cup round-robin matches, with his only loss coming just three days ago.
The 12-time major champion Federer will finish the year at No. 1 for a fourth straight year. The sublime Swiss is the reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Aussie Open and Masters Cup titlist. He defeated American James Blake in last year’s finale here in Shanghai and is seeking his fourth Masters Cup title in five years.
The Masters Cup features round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semis. The lucrative final will be staged here on Sunday.
An undefeated champion, which at this point could be only Roddick or Ferrer, in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.
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