.As Sharapova claims first title after drug ban
Roger Federer has defeated world number one Rafael Nadal in straight sets earlier today to claim the prestigious Shanghai Masters title.
The Wimbledon champion only needed 72 minutes to dispose of his old foe 6-4 6-3 as he secured his fifth consecutive success against the Spaniard and the fourth this year, meaning he has now beaten Nadal 15 times in 38 meetings.
After the game, the Spainard stated:”I played a great match today with hardly any mistakes,” said the 19-time Grand Slam winner.
“It was very clear for me how I had to play and I was able to do it for the one hour and 12 minutes that I was out there.
“I started perfectly and kept the pressure on before creating more opportunities on the return, stayed on the offensive, and then also pull back at the right times to make sure Rafa could make some errors on his own and that is exactly what happened.”
Shanghai Masters is the 27th Masters 1000 title for Federer and it leaves him 1940 points behind Nadal in the world rankings.
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova clinched her first WTA title since returning from a drugs ban in April this year. The Russian beat Belarusian teenager Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 7-6 (8) to win the Tianjin Open, her first title in 29 months.
Sharapova trailed Sabalenka 4-1 and 5-1 in the first and second set respectively but fought her way into the game on both occasions.