Federer crowned tennis “Master” again

It was the fourth time Federer lifted the Masters trophy Keystone

World tennis number one Roger Federer has won the Masters Cup in Shanghai, defeating Spain's David Ferrer in the final 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

It is the fourth – and second in a row – Masters title for the Swiss star, and cements his place at the top of the year’s rankings.

It was the third consecutive dominating performance by Federer, who won his 53rd career title – including eight this year – and ran his record against Ferrer to 8-0.

The Spaniard was simply no match for Federer’s blend of spins, power and volleying skills, managing only 10 winners to 38 unforced errors.

Federer faced a break point at 2-2, 30-40 in the first set, then ran off 18 of the next 19 points. The streak also started a stretch in which Federer won 30 of 33 service points through the end of the second set.

It seemed that no matter how well Ferrer played, Federer was just better, never giving up on a single shot, finding angles where none seemed to exist and moving even better than usual.

But Federer got off to a slow start in the Shanghai tournament, losing his opening match to Fernando Gonzalez.

He made up for it in exceptional fashion, making quick work of both Andy Roddick on Friday and his nemesis, Rafael Nadal, in the semi-final on Saturday.

Master Federer

Friday’s match against Roddick was nearly a repeat of the Australian Open semifinals when Federer annihilated the American, allowing him only six games in three sets. Federer was thoroughly dominant in Shanghai, winning 6-4, 6-2.

It also took Federer less than an hour to dispose of Nadal, 6-4, 6-1, on Saturday. The Spaniard proved a strong challenger in the first set but could not capitalise on the one chance he had to break service.

Federer walked through the second set in only 20 minutes and was ahead 5-0 before Nadal was able to salvage some of his pride and erase the zero beside his name.

The head-to-head scorecard between the world’s two best tennis players is now 6-8 in favour of Nadal.

The Swiss star previously won the Masters Cup in 2003, 2004 and 2006 and was runner-up in 2005, when he was beaten by David Nalbandian in a five-set thriller.

He is now only one Masters Cup title away from tying Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl, both who have five to their credit.

The Masters Cup marks the end of the men’s tour but Federer will play three exhibition matches next week against the man who is still a couple of records up on him – including the total number of Grand Slam titles – the retired Pete Sampras.

swissinfo with agencies

In brief

Roger Federer has led the world rankings of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) since February 2004.

In 2007 he has won eight titles, including three Grand Slams – Australia, United States and Wimbledon.

The ATP named Federer “Player of the Year” for the third year in a row.

He was Swiss sportsman of the year in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Federer has been an ambassador for the children’s aid organisation Unicef since April 2006.

Federer figures

Date of birth: August 8, 1981
Height: 185cm
Weight: 80kg
Plays: Right-handed, single-handed backhand
Turned professional: 1998
Titles: 53 (Grand Slams: 12)
Prize money: $37,207,078