Roger Federer stays on course to defend Shanghai Masters title

ATP Tour
Roger Federer celebrates

Roger Federer is two wins away from successfully defending his Shanghai Masters title after seeing off Kei Nishikori in the quarter-final.

The top seed broke twice in the first five games of the match and, although Nishikori managed to get one break back, he lost the set 6-4.

Federer again broke early in the second, but the Japanese eighth seed levelled it up in the six game only to lose the tie-breaker for a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) defeat.

“It was a tough match. Obviously Kei hogs the baseline much more than [Daniil] Medvedev did or also what [Roberto Bautista Agut] did. I think it was a different type of match,” the 20-time Grand Slam winner said after the match.

“I was very happy with the beginning of the match, to be quite honest. I played quite great there. Then the second set was key moments who was going to play a little bit better. Kei really tried to step it up one more time. I somehow got it done, so I was very pleased.”

Federer will play Borna Coric for a place in the final after the Serb secured a 7-5, 6-4 victory over unseeded Australian Matthew Ebden.

The other semi-final will see second seed Novak Djokovic up against the fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev.

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