Federer powers into fifth Masters Cup final

Defending champion Roger Federer has just taken down arch-rival Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-1 at the semifinals of the Masters Cup in Shanghai to earn the right to face David Ferrer for the final title of the season.
The sixth seeded Ferrer had thumped Andy Roddick 6-1 6-3 in the earlier semifinal match.

This most anticipated match of the year-end tournament between the top two players on tour at least began as a nailbiter. Both players played solidly to hold serve--Federer at one point fought back from 30-40--and bring the score to four games all in the opening set. But the Swiss made timely adjustments to his game to break Nadal's serve in the tenth game and take the set.

That crucial break of serve must have broken the Spaniard's spirit as well as his game completely crumbled thereafter. A now confident Federer put his vast repertoire of shots on display and stormed to a 5-0 lead in the second set all the while limiting Nadal to a total of three measly points. (Nadal eventually won just six more points.) Only then did the runner-up of the Gold Group pull himself together to salvage a game on serve before Federer wrapped up yet another comprehensive straight-sets victory--this one in just under an hour--in his sixth Masters Cup appearance.

After witnessing Federer's annihilation of Roddick yesterday, Nadal had earlier predicted that he had no chance against the world number one if he (Federer) continued his flawless form. Federer himself, mindful of the many tough matches they had previously contested, expected the match to be "entertaining".

The dejected Nadal must have been undoubtedly the least entertained by the one-sided affair as Federer practically duplicated his imperious performance against Roddick: He landed 83% of his first serves once again, fired eleven aces, lost just eleven points on serve and committed sixteen unforced errors.

This latest victory against his long-time rival is Federer's fifth in their last seven matches and brings him closer to leveling their career head-to-head which now stands at 6-8.

On the other hand, Federer's head-to-head with his opponent in tomorrow's final is 7-0 making him the clear favorite to collect a fourth Masters Cup title in five years.

For his part Ferrer who led the Gold group with no losses in the round-robin stage hopes to clinch his very first Masters cup title and win the $1.5M promised to an undefeated champion.
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