Shanghai Rolex Masters 2015: Wednesday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Schedule
Rafael Nadal defeated Ivo Karlovic 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(4) on Wednesday evening to prolong his Shanghai Rolex Masters campaign after a long and arduous test against an often irrepressible opponent.
Earlier in the day, Andy Murray made short work of American Steve Johnson at the Shanghai Masters in China, beating his opponent 6-2, 6-4 in the second round.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was also unstoppable in his match against the talented Martin Klizan, the Serbian crushing his opponent 6-2, 6-1.
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It was a comfortable day at the office for two-time major winner Stan Wawrinka, who prevailed against Viktor Troicki after an opening set tie break, winning 7-6, 6-3.
Asian favourite Kei Nishikori beat an irate Nick Kyrgios on the stadium court, but there was a shock for Spain's No. 7 seed David Ferrer, who was defeated by the impressive Bernard Tomic, the Aussie prevailing with ease 6-4, 6-2.
Here is a roundup of Wednesday's results, and a closer look at the day's key matches:
| Round 2 | (6) Kei Nishikori bt. Nick Kyrgios | 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Round 2 | (3) Andy Murray bt Steve Johnson | 6-2, 6-4 |
| Round 2 | (1) Novak Djokovic bt. Martin Klizan | 6-2, 6-1 |
| Round 2 | (8) Rafael Nadal bt. Ivo Karlovic | 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 |
| Round 2 | Bernard Tomic bt. (7) David Ferrer | 6-4, 6-2 |
| Round 2 | (5) Tomas Berdych bt. Jack Sock | 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 |
| Round 2 | (4) Stan Wawrinka bt. Viktor Troicki | 7-6, 6-3 |
| Round 2 | (9) Milos Raonic bt. Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 |
| Round 2 | (13) John Isner bt. David Goffin | 6-3, 7-6 |
| Round 2 | (10) Gilles Simon bt. Leonardo Mayer | 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 |
| Round 2 | (11) Richard Gasquet bt. Vasek Pospisil | 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 |
| Round 2 | (15) Feliciano Lopez bt. Dominic Thiem | 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 |
| Round 2 | (12) Kevin Anderson bt. Fabio Fognini | 6-3, 7-6 |
Wednesday Recap
A gruelling battle ensued between Croatia's Ivo Karlovic and 2013 Shanghai semi-finalist Nadal on Wednesday evening, where the Spaniard beat his powerful opponent 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(4) after a lengthy match.
Despite his seismic serve, Karlovic conceded the opener set 7-5, but even after the Croatian won a dramatic second-set tie breaker to level the contest, his Spanish opponent returned the favour in the third thanks to a late double fault from his foe.
Nadal struggled in the open game as Karlovic displayed his power from the base line, breaking the Spaniard’s serve. The Croatian remained in control for much of the first set, but Nadal abruptly hit form to wrest control of the fixture just as it looked like Karlovic would win the first set.
He broke his opponent in back-to-back games to taking the first set following a dramatic (and timely) improvement as statistician Steph Trudel provided detail of his triumphant pickup in form:
The second set was an even tighter contest as the one-set leader contended against a very fast and effective Karlovic serve. But Nadal showed glimpses of his vintage self, dealing with his opponent’s raw power.
The scores levelled at 5-5 in the second, with Nadal taking his service game to get one break away from victory. However, Karlovic responded to hold serve and take it to a tie break. It wasn't done with any great deal of finesse, but Karlovic dragged himself over the line before clinching the tie break 7-4 to force a final set.
Both contenders showed stamina in vast supply, rallying to yet another fine scoreline as the sun set over Shanghai, but there was no rest in sight for the battling pair.
Once again, Nadal and Karlovic guarded their serves for all their worth and while the latter's dominion came from his rising ace tally, the former looked the technical superior in defence.
A titanic encounter looked destined for another tiebreak as the score ticked up with no more than a game separating the duo at any point. Karlovic claimed a 6-5 lead heading into a make-or-break 12th before Nadal matched him once more to force a final showdown at six games apiece.
Karlovic's game-plan of attacking the serve unsurprisingly did not change, but Nadal managed to stay close despite that particular torment and asserted himself when play remained open, drawing 3-3 after six points.
A terrific forearm down the line to draw 4-4 outlined just how much more exquisite the Spaniard was in those finer margins of the game, and a rare double fault from Karlovic gave Nadal his crucial breakthrough to lead 5-4.
Buoyed by the momentum that had suddenly swung in his favour, Nadal finished Karlovic off as the Croat slumped to a cruel defeat right at the death, confirmed by the tournament's official Twitter account:
Feliciano Lopez and Milos Raonic were the other late victors on Wednesday as they emerged as winners in their three-set encounters against Dominic Thiem and Roberto Bautista-Agut, respectively.
Nadal's compatriot Lopez bounced back from a set down to defeat Austria's Thiem 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-3, while Raonic was forced into a mid-match lull before trumping Bautista-Agut 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(5).
Andy Murray looked very against Steve Johnson in Shanghai, producing a sharp performance to progress. It seemed it would be a tricky day for the No. 3 seed after he was broken in the opening game, but he immediately broke back and worked Johnson across the court with a technical display of power and experience.
The Scotsman strolled to the first set 6-2. The second stanza was a tighter affair, but Murray was not in the mood to take his foot off the gas. Johnson lived with his opponent, holding serve for 2-2 early on, but Murray took the set 6-4 to march on.
Tennis TV shared the vital stats from Murray's win:
Clearly the greatest talent in the sport right now, Djokovic hit with machine-like precision in his contest against Klizan, only conceding three games in his straight sets win.
Against other professionals, Klizan's efforts would have been rewarded, but Djokovic sits in a separate class bracket from his peers. Tennis TV highlighted the No. 1 seed's utter dominance:
Nishikori made an excellent comeback against Kyrgios after being obliterated in the opening set. The Aussie took the opener 6-1 and appeared fully in control, but the Japanese superstar wrestled back the advantage to level at 6-4 in the next.
All eyes were on Kyrgios after his foul-mouthed outburst in the previous round, in which he called the tournament a "circus," per BBC Sport. But his competition came to an end as Nishikori showed greater class in the decider.
The World No. 6 won 70 per cent of his service points as he dispatched Kyrgios, per ATPWorldTour.com. He also forced the Aussie to face 12 break points in the match.
Elsewhere, American big hitter John Isner claimed a place in the next round by beating Belgium's David Goffin in straight sets, triumphing 6-3, 7-6.
South Africa's Kevin Anderson sustained his recent good form, defeating Italian world No. 26 Fabio Fognini 6-3, 7-6. And No. 5 seed Tomas Berdych had a tough contest against young American talent Jack Sock, dropping the second set, but taking the match 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.
No. 10 seed Gilles Simon had a battle with Leonardo Mayer for a place in the next round. The players tied the match at one set apiece, but the French player took a well deserved victory 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.
British star Murray looks in good shape as he attempts to win in Shanghai, and it will be a strong test for any of the top seeds if they clash with the world No. 2.
His main challengers are likely to come in the shape of Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, with the Spaniard playing his best tennis for many months.
For the updated tournament schedule and bracket check out the official ATP website.
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