Top-seed Nadal brushed aside the challenge of Canadian teenager Shapovalov with a comfortable 6-4 6-1 victory.
Browsing: Roger Federer
Zverev has long been marked out as a future star of the men’s game and his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Thiem suggests the German can be a major threat at the French Open later this month.
Nadal made light work of Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the Barcelona Open final 6-2 6-1 on Sunday, lifting the trophy for a record-extending 11th time.
The 31-year-old Nadal needs to win an 11th Monaco title to retain the number one ranking ahead of Roger Federer, and will be a red-hot favourite against Japan’s Nishikori in Sunday’s final
The 31-year-old made his comeback from a hip injury with two wins in Spain’s Davis Cup quarter-final victory over Germany last weekend, having not played previously since January’s Australian Open.
Nadal, who hasn’t hit a ball in anger since pulling out of the Australian Open quarter-finals in January, saw Federer take over top spot on February 18.
Success at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam followed by a runners-up finish at the Indian Wells held the 36-year-old in good stead for the Miami Open.
The 36-year-old made the announcement after he was knocked out of the Miami Open by Thanasi Kokkinakis – a qualifier ranked 175 in the world.
With defending champion Federer and six-times Miami Open winner Novak Djokovic exiting early, the likes of second seed Maric Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov (3) and Indian Wells winner Juan Martin del Potro (5) will all fancy their chances over the coming week.
In the close to three-hour thriller, the two players kept the audience on tenterhooks, as Federer came from one set down to level scores in a tie breaker.
The fixture will climax another riveting match between Daria Kasatkina and Naomi Osaka, both 20-years old, who will slug it out in the finals of the women’s category.
Federer arrived at Indian Wells knowing anything less than a semi-final finish would cede his world ranking back to Rafael Nadal, who is not playing this week
The 36 year-old Swiss ace has now equalled his best start to a season to stay on course for a sixth Indian Wells title
More significant, he earned the needed points to topple Rafael Nadal as the tennis world number one, becoming the oldest man, at 36, to reach tennis zenith
The 36-year-old needs to reach the semi-finals to overtake Rafael Nadal at the top of the rankings and reclaim the world number one ranking for the first time since November 2012
Federer eventually extended his Grand Slam record after an incredible battle on the Rod Laver court but it took five sets and some stunning changes of momentum
A ruthless Roger Federer handed Chung Hyeon an old-fashioned schooling before the South Korean quit trailing 6-1 5-2 in a damp squib of an Australian Open semi-final on Friday.
Federer was detained for only 62 minutes under the Rod Laver Arena roof as his opponent threw in the towel trailing 6-1 5-2.
Despite the 7-6(1) 6-3 6-4 score line, it was not all smooth sailing against the burly Czech for the 36-year-old Federer.
The defending champion did not require his dazzling best in his first match scheduled during the day session but still emerged a winner.