Federer unfazed by No 1 battle

SHANGHAI: Roger Federer is refusing to stress over the yearend No 1 ranking battle, even as rival Rafael Nadal enters the Shanghai Masters riding high after winning his sixth title of the season.

The Spaniard, top seed in Shanghai for the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season, won his second Beijing title at the weekend, by trashing Nick Kyrgios.

Federer, while determined to give Nadal a run for the yearend top spot, is not in crisis over his No 2 position.

“It’s more about staying healthy, which then is going to naturally give me, I hope, the opportunity to compete for winning tournaments,” he said yesterday. “The focus really is right here, right now, on Shanghai and nothing else.

“I’d like to think ahead to Basel (his home tournament later this month) – one of my favourite tournaments of the year – (London) World Tour Finals. Paris, we’ll see what happens.”

Narrow focus

The winner of five titles this season will begin his campaign in the second round, facing the winner from Argentine Diego Schwartzman and Australian Jordan Thompson.

The 36-year-old is keeping a narrow focus as he chases Nadal in the points table. “Week by week, you just try to do your absolute best.

“Every year is different. I’d like to win a couple of tournaments. But we’ll see how it goes. It all starts here on Wednesday.”

Federer admits that Nadal is building up a healthy lead in the table, leading by nearly 2,000 points.

“I said after the US Open, after I lost, that (whatever) Rafa was going to do, it didn’t change my schedule. I can’t play more than I’m already playing.”

On court, South Korea’s Chung Hyeon produced a minor upset, knocking out Spanish ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-3. Spaniard Feliciano Lopez dumped Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (71), 7-6 (8-6) while Frenchman Richard Gasquet overhauled Dutchman Robin Haase 6-7 (1113), 7-5, 6-2.

Juan Martin del Potro, seeded 16th, won his second match from his last three with a defeat of Georgian Nicolaz Basilashvili 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

Spain’s Albert Ramosbeat Joao Sousa of Portugal 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. There were wins for Francis Tiafoe, with the American putting out Benoit Paire of France 6-4, 6-4 while Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas beat fellow young gun Karen Khachanov of Russia 7-5, 6-3. Briton Kyle Edmund stopped Czezh Jiri Vesely 6-,3 6-2; young Russian Andrey Rublev defeated Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. – dpa