Federer, Nadal Lead Shanghai Masters Field; 2013 Finalist Del Potro Opens Play Mon.
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Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will both headline the Shanghai Masters event which began today. With a 2,360 point ranking lead and 1,000 points to the winner, a title for Nadal this week could all but wrap up the year-end No. 1 ranking.
Nadal, though, has never won Shanghai, reaching the final in 2009 losing to Nikolay Davydenko. Federer won the title in 2014 and fell in the final in 2010.
With 3-time champ Novak Djokovic and 2-time winner Andy Murray out, Federer is the sole former champion in the field.
Nadal’s draw puts him in with Jared Donaldson to start, then a rematch potentially with Lucas Pouille or the dangerous Fabio Fognini, followed by Grigor Dimitrov in the quarters. Americans Sam Querrey, Frances Tiafoe and Ryan Harrison are also in the Dimitrov section.
The second quarter is led by Marin Cilic and Pablo Carreno Busta, along with Nick Kyrgios and Kevin Anderson. In the quarters, Cilic would face Kyrgios while Anderson would collide with Carreno Busta in a US Open rematch. Anderson, though, will have to deal with Mischa Zverev to begin and Kyrgios with Steve Johnson.
A stacked third quarter features Alexander Zverev, John Isner, Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin del Potro, plus Denis Shapovalov, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev. Thiem would face Isner in the quarters, Delpo would get Zverev.
Roger Federer anchors the final bottom quarter and of the top seeds, he has the easiest draw with David Goffin in the quarters, Jack Sock in the third round and either Jordan Thompson or Diego Schwartzman to start. Roberto Bautista Agut or Richard Gasquet could also come out to the quarters and meet Federer, while Ivo Karlovic and 3-time semifinalist Feliciano Lopez could be third round foes for the Swiss.
Last year, Murray beat Roberto Bautista Agut for the title.
PROJECTED QFs
Nadal-Dimitrov
Cilic-Carreno Busta
Thiem-Zverev
Goffin-Federer
MONDAY SHANGHAI SCHEDULE
STADIUM start 1:00 pm
F. Lopez (ESP) vs I. Karlovic (CRO)
H. Chung (KOR) vs [9] R. Bautista Agut (ESP)
Not Before 6:00 pm
[16] J. del Potro (ARG) vs [Q] N. Basilashvili (GEO)
Not Before 8:00 pm
[Q] J. Chardy (FRA) vs [WC] D. Wu (CHN)
UNION PAY 3 start 1:00 pm
R. Haase (NED) vs R. Gasquet (FRA)
B. Paire (FRA) vs [Q] F. Tiafoe (USA)
K. Edmund (GBR) vs J. Vesely (CZE)
Not Before 5:30 pm
A. Rublev (RUS) vs D. Dzumhur (BIH)
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