Shanghai Masters tennis quarterfinals revealed – Nadal, Federer, Cilic and Del Potro
Rafael Nadal v/s Grigor Dimitrov
If their 9-1 head-to-head and the last week’s match, which also was, in favor of Rafael Nadal is any indication then this could be another close third set loss for Grigor Dimitrov. Such an heavily lopsided head-to-head invariably leads to doubts and lack of confidence in the crucial and defining moments of the match, in the losers mind, which results in further losses and even more one sided head-to-head and eventually a self perpetuating cycle of doubts, losses and a worse head-to-head record. Moreover, Nadal is very driven to win this tournament and seal the number one ranking for the year and will therefore give it his very best. However, if Dimitrov is able to break through this hold of negativity against Nadal then he may evolve into the player that he was touted to be about 5 years ago.
Winner: Nadal in close 2 or 3 sets
Marin Cilic v/s Albert Ramos
Ramos is playing good but Cilic has too much experience and fire power to lose against him.
Winner: Cilic in 2 sets.
Juan Martin Del Potro v/s Viktor Troicki
Juan Martin Del Potro leads their head-to-head 6-0 but they haven’t played since 2012 and Viktor Troicki is brimming with confidence after his beat-down of Dominic Thiem and John Isner. However, Juan Martin too is playing at a high level and he is a far more accomplished player than Viktor.
Winner: Juan Martin Del Potro in 3 sets
Roger Federer v/s Richard Gasquet
Roger Federer’s performance picked up a notch against Dolgopolov and he seemed to be moving better and executing his backhands effectively in this match. Richard Gasquet has beaten Roger twice in seventeen attempts and there is little reason to believe that he’ll increase that count to 3 anytime sooner.
Winner: Roger in 2 or 3 sets