Nadal loses Shanghai opener to Troicki, other London hopefuls also fall

Rafael Nadal is out after just one match at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, as he succumbed 6-3, 7-6(3) to Viktor Troicki on Wednesday evening. Nadal failed to generate a single break-point opportunity and got out-aced 11 to one by Troicki, who prevailed in one hour and 34 minutes.

Troicki broke the No. 4 seed at 3-3 and 5-3 to dominate the opening set and he even got a look at a match point at 5-4 in the second only to see Nadal save it. Nadal’s escape and ensuing service hold merely delayed the inevitable, however, as Troicki continued to maintain the upper hand. The 31st-ranked Serb seized a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker and never looked back, cruising through it seven points to three.

The upset marked Troicki’s first win over Nadal in six attempts.

“I played really well,” Troicki assured. “I was aggressive, I served well, (and) I hit the ball nice. It was a great feeling on the court playing like this and playing like this against Rafa Nadal, who is a great champion. It makes it extra special to beat him for the first time, especially in such a big tournament like Shanghai.”

For Nadal, the setback prevents him from enhancing his bid for the World Tour Finals. The Spaniard is inside the cut line at No. 7 in the 2016 race, but he is just 95 points ahead of No. 8 Dominic Thiem and only 420 points clear of No. 9 Tomas Berdych.

The positive news for Nadal is that Berdych also bowed out on Wednesday, 7-6(4), 7-6(1) to Marcel Granollers. Fellow London contender and recent Tokyo title winner Nick Kyrgios also lost, 6-3, 6-1 to qualifier Mischa Zverev. Kyrgios is expected to remain in 12th in the race to London at the conclusion of this Shanghai event, although he could drop lower if Jo-Wilfried Tsonga makes a deep run.

Tokyo runner-up David Goffin, meanwhile, continued his stellar play. The 12th-ranked Belgian, who knocked out Juan Martin Del Potro in the opening round, beat Benoit Paire 6-1, 7-6(0) on Wednesday. Goffin is 11th in the race and will be at least 95 points ahead of Kyrgios next week. He will pass Marin Cilic for No. 10 if he upsets Gael Monfils and reaches the quarters.

Cilic’s London hopes sustained a blow on Tuesday, when he lost in the second round to Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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