Roger Federer didn’t face a break point as he won his opening match at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2, 7-6 (5).
The second-seeded Federer, who is bidding to win a third Shanghai Masters title, dominated in the first set, but was tested in the second.
Federer struggled in the tiebreaker, falling behind 1-4, but eventually managed to pull even. He won his lone match point when he executed a forehand crosscourt volley.
“I focused and had good energy, because sometimes, you know, when you travel around the globe, you’re missing a bit of energy,” Federer said. “Those first few games or matches can be sometimes a bit tricky.
“I think (my) serve was solid. I was hitting my spots and really was never in trouble there.”
The last time the two faced each other was in the 2015 Shanghai Masters, where the Spaniard shocked Federer by taking the three-set encounter, and Federer admitted he had that second-round match on his mind on Tuesday.
“All the time,” said Federer, when asked if he thought of their previous outing. “The truth, yeah, I was thinking about it. Watched highlights. Remember how it felt. I had my chances. I won many more points that time than I lost, so I should have actually won that match.”
Andy Murray served for his second-round match against 10th seed Fabio Fognini twice in the third set – in the 10th and 12th games – but ended up losing 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (2) in a match which lasted more than three hours.
“I’m very disappointed right now,” Murray said. “There is a lot of things that I need to get better at, and I can do much better. I will go away and I’ll work on those things.
“I served for the match twice and lost after three hours, so I want to say that’s the first time ever in my career that that’s happened.”
Similarly to Federer, third seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia never offered his opponent, British qualifier Cameron Norrie, a break point opportunity in securing a 6-3, 6-1 second-round win in 54-minutes.
“I’m really happy with my performance, really happy with the score and am really looking forward to the next round,” Medvedev said. “It was my first match here in Shanghai after having a few weeks off, so I was a little bit stressed about how my level would be.
“I managed to get out of there in less than an hour.”
Medvedev has reached the final of the last five tournaments he’s played, including his first Grand Slam final showing, which came at the U.S. Open.
Unseeded Andrey Rublev of Russia upset Borna Coric 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the first round.
The 12th-seeded Coric was runner-up in Shanghai last year, losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final.
Two Americans — 16th-seeded John Isner and Reilly Opelka — are through to the second round.
Isner ousted Alex De Minaur of Australia 7-6 (1), 6-4, and Opelka defeated Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-3, 6-4.
Swiss professional tennis player Roger Federer competes against Spanish professional tennis player Albert Ramos during the second round of 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters, in Shanghai, China, 8 October 2019. [Cover Image: IC]
