Alexander Zverev shocks Roger Federer in Shanghai Masters quarter-final

Image Courtesy: Reuters

20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer suffered a major blow as he knocked out of the ongoing Shanghai Masters after going down fighting against Germany's Alexander Zverer in the quarter-finals of the men's singles event on Friday. 

After losing the opening set, Federer rebounded strongly to narrowly clinch in the second set before Zverer rallied back to eventually seal a 3-6, 7-6(7), 3-6 win in a thrilling last-eight clash that lasted two hours and four minutes. 

In the second set, the German tennis player had three match points on his serve but he lost the next five points against Spain's Federer to lose the second set. 

Zeverer, however, came up with a much better performance in the third set he smashed more backhand passes on the run to clinch his first top 10 victory of the season and reach first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in 12 months. 

Reflecting on the clash, Zeverer said that he has finally displayed a kind of tennis which he should have played the entire year. 

“Finally starting to kind of play the way I should play, really. I was playing really defensive the whole year, and I was not with a lot of confidence,” the Association for Tennis Professsionals (ATP) quoted Zverev as saying.

The win also saw Zeverer improve his head-to-head rivalry against Federer to 4-3.

Zeverer will now lock horns with Greek tennis sensation Stefanpos Tsitispas, who stunned top-seed Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach semi-final of the tournament.