Federer Locks Up No. 1 A Little Longer, Faces Cilic Friday; Djokovic, Murray Charge Ahead In Shanghai
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A week that began with concern turned to celebration Thursday for Roger Federer. The Swiss rallied from a set down to edge Davis Cup friend Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 7-6, 6-0 to reach the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals and secure No. 1 for a few more weeks, guaranteeing a 300th week on top Monday.
“Just getting to an incredible milestone, that all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off,” Federer said. “I never give up. Show up, tired, injured, doesn’t matter how I felt mentally so many times over the years. It’s gotten to this incredible number of 300. It’s a great reward for me. I feel a great sense of satisfaction because of that incredible number and because of all the effort I’ve put into it. I know how much work it has been.”
Federer now faces Croat Marin Cilic Friday in the quarterfinals, with a possible date against Andy Murray on Saturday. That is if Murray, an easy winner over Alexandr Dolgopolov, gets past Radek Stepanek on the quick Shanghai courts.
“He’s a character on the court,” Murray said of the Czech who upended John Isner. “He likes to entertain, too, and can frustrate guys. I’ll need to make sure I’m focused and patient and take care of my side of the court tomorrow.”
In the bottom half, Novak Djokovic remains a threat after dispatching Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-3. Next for Novak is 34-year-old Tommy Haas, a winner over another Serb Janko Tipsarevic.
Djokovic lost his chance at No. 1 this week with Federer winning, but he knows there’s more opportunity ahead.
“I think it’s fair to say it has been quite an evenly balanced year between the four, if you want to call it,” Djokovic said. “But it hasn’t been over. There’s still a few more big events to come. Still there are things up for grabs, like No. 1 place in the world. It’s something that gives me a lot of motivation with Roger also.”
In the first quarterfinal and maybe the best, former Grand Slam finalists Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych clash.
STADIUM start 2:00 pm
[5] J Tsonga (FRA) vs [4] T Berdych (CZE)
Not Before 3:00 PM
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs R Stepanek (CZE)
Not Before 6:00 PM
T Haas (GER) vs [2] N Djokovic (SRB)
Not Before 8:00 PM
[1] R Federer (SUI) vs [10] M Cilic (CRO)
E Butorac (USA) / P Petzschner (GER) vs M Cilic (CRO) / M Melo (BRA) – After Suitable Rest
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