Federer to face Murray;Swiss regains world No. 2 rank after ousting Djokovic in Shanghai semi-final
Shanghai - Roger Federer will regain the world No. 2 ranking after defeating Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament yesterday.
The Swiss, the former world No. 1, had fallen to the No. 3 spot after losing to Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals in August.
Serbian Djokovic, the second seed, had hoped to secure his second title of the week after winning the China Open on Monday, but squandered four break-points in the first set against the Swiss.
Federer's win set up a final with Briton Andy Murray, who also advanced with a straight-sets victory.
Murray was dominant against Argentina's Juan Monaco, easily winning 6-4, 6-1.
His date with Federer tonight will be a repeat of January's Australia Open when Federer picked up his 16th Grand Slam crown.
Murray did prevail over the Swiss in August, though, beating him in the Toronto Masters final.
'I do really enjoy playing Roger and wouldn't mind playing him. It's a great experience every time,' Murray said after his match.
'When I played him in the Toronto final, I was a lot more aggressive and didn't give him many chances to dictate the points, especially on my serve.
'That's something that I need to do against him if I want to beat him.'
Murray's comeback this week after illness - he suffered an early loss at the US Open and a quarter-final exit last week in Beijing - looks to have marked his return to form.
'In each match I felt better,' he said. 'I feel like I move well on these courts and I can still get my serve through the court to get enough free points.
'It's been a couple of tough weeks in Beijing. Getting ready for Beijing was tricky. This is probably a better result than I expected at the start of the week.'
The 23-year-old Murray will be bidding to back up the Toronto crown he won over Federer, and is aiming for his fifth career victory at the elite Masters level.
His win was his 40th of the season, in which he is still seeking a second trophy after winning an ATP-leading six trophies last year.
The Scot has reached the final without losing a set, saying:
'I think I moved really well today, which to me is very important to my game. I have a feeling on the court if I'm running around, chasing a lot of balls down, I feel good.'
AP, Reuters
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