Roger Federer will continue his Shanghai campaign when he goes up against Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals on Friday. A much more surprising showdown features Borna Coric and unseeded Matthew Ebden.
(1) Roger Federer vs. (8) Kei Nishikori
Federer and Nishikori will be squaring off for the eighth time in their careers when they clash in the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-2 in favor of Federer, who has won four in a row at Nishikori’s expense since briefly trailing 2-1 in the rivalry back in the spring of 2014. They have faced each other only once since the end of 2015, with Federer most recently surviving 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in round four of the 2017 Australian Open.
Two of their last three encounters have come at the year-end championship, and Nishikori would take huge step toward making another London appearance with an upset on Friday. The world No. 12 will climb to at least ninth in the 2018 race thanks to his performance in Shanghai and he could reach No. 7 with a title. A runner-up last week in Tokyo, Nishikori has advanced with wins over Yibing Wu and Sam Querrey. Federer has not been at his best yet, but he did enough to defeat both Daniil Medvedev and Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets. Conditions should suit the second-ranked Swiss extremely well, and he will likely raise his level now that the competition is getting even tougher.
Pick: Federer in 2
[polldaddy poll=10133828]
Matthew Ebden vs. (13) Borna Coric
Only one unseeded competitor remains in Shanghai, where Ebden has benefited from the quick conditions to post victories over Frances Tiafoe, Dominic Thiem, and Peter Gojowyczk. After outlasting Tiafoe and Thiem in three sets (the latter in a deciding tiebreaker), the 51st-ranked Australian clobbered Gojowyczk 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday. Ebden is now 19-18 for what has been a resurgent 2018 campaign, which includes a recent quarterfinal showing in Chengdu to begin his Asian swing.
A second Masters 1000 quarter-final 7 years in the making…@mattebden sets up quarter-final clash with winner of Del Potro/Coric after brushing aside Gojowczyk 6-2 6-3.#RolexSHMasters pic.twitter.com/DqbZbNf3x0
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 11, 2018
Up next for Ebden on Friday is a first-ever contest against Coric, who got a retirement from a sick and injured Juan Martin Del Potro during third-round action. The 19th-ranked Croat preceded that result with a three-set win over Stan Wawrinka and a 6-4, 6-2 beatdown of Bradley Klahn. Thus his Asian swing has turned around in a hurry, as Coric had previous lost right away in Shenzhen (to Cameron Norrie) and Beijing (to Feliciano Lopez). This is a real upset opportunity for Ebden, who is executing his net-charging tactics to perfection this week.
Pick: Ebden in 3
[polldaddy poll=10133896]
WWW?
Federer in 3, Ebden in 3.
like the Ebden pick
Fed and Ebden in three
I agree with your picks.
I initially wanted to go with Borna Coric because to me he is the better player until I read your comments about this matches in the daily picks then I Kind of changed my mind.
I haven’t been following this tournaments actively so not completely sure but both player’s have done good wins in Shanghai 🤔.
Some typos.
Fed in three again and Coric in three.
Fed looking good vs Kei; familiar foe, knowing what to expect, unlike playing against Medvedev for the first time. I hope should Fed get to meet Djoko, he’ll not play like that Cincy final.
If Fed can maintain his speed and precision like in this match, he’ll have a good chance of beating Djoko. He’s moving into the forecourt so often, taking time away from Kei, should be useful against Djoko on this quick court. I do feel Fed was affected by the unusually humid and hot weather at Cincy and New York hence not playing well at those places.
Fed’s backhand looking GREAT!! That shot hasn’t really been clicking as much as last season the last couple of months but he seems to have rediscovered his form on that wing.