© Zhong Zhi / Stringer – Getty Photos Sport
The 2014 Shanghai Masters may have been a catastrophe for Roger Federer. Nevertheless, he overcame an early scare and raised his stage, reaching the semi-final and battling in opposition to Novak Djokovic. It was their thirty sixth assembly, and Federer scored his nineteenth win over Djokovic, celebrating 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 36 minutes.
The Swiss needed to carry out a miraculous escape in opposition to Leonardo Mayer firstly of the occasion, warding off 5 match factors and beating two extra rivals en path to the semi-final. Novak performed effectively in Shanghai for the third straight yr, searching for his third consecutive title on the penultimate Masters 1000 event.
Djokovic had earned 5 wins of their earlier seven matches, together with the Wimbledon closing three months earlier. Nevertheless, Federer performed higher on this one, sealing the deal in straight units and changing into the favourite to safe his first Shanghai Masters crown.
Roger Federer scored the nineteenth victory over Novak Djokovic in Shanghai 2014.
Roger delivered extra environment friendly numbers on the primary and second serve. He fended off the one break probability and stole Novak’s serve as soon as in every set to emerge on the high.
Djokovic saved eight out of ten break possibilities, giving every part to remain in contact however struggling these two breaks that propelled Federer by means of. Nothing separated them within the shortest and extra prolonged rallies. The Swiss earned the victory within the mid-range exchanges from 5 to eight strokes.
They’d the same variety of winners and compelled errors, and Djokovic misplaced the encounter within the unforced errors vary, spraying too many and ending his run within the semis. The Serb held within the encounter’s opening sport with a forehand winner and produced one other nice maintain with a backhand down the road winner at 1-1.
Roger closed the fourth sport with a volley winner, leveling the rating at 2-2 and incomes a break within the subsequent one with a strong assault. Novak constructed a break probability with a backhand crosscourt winner a couple of minutes later, and Roger denied it with a forehand winner.
Federer fired 4 service winners in sport eight and held at love at 5-4 to seal the opener after 38 minutes. Touchdown deep and aggressive strokes, the Swiss grabbed a break firstly of the second set with a forehand winner and held with a service winner for 2-0.
One other highly effective serve pushed the Swiss 3-1 in entrance earlier than losing 4 break possibilities within the subsequent one that might have despatched him additional forward. Novak did not return Roger’s serve within the sixth sport, discovering himself 4-2 down earlier than reaching 5 deuces on the return at 3-4.
Nevertheless, he did not create break possibilities, not getting a second probability to lengthen the battle. Djokovic saved two match factors on serve within the ninth sport, giving every part to remain in contact. That was his final push, although, permitting Federer to seal the cope with a volley winner at 5-4 and set the conflict in opposition to Gilles Simon.
