Nadal keeps Gasquet at bay

Rafael Nadal maintained his fine form against Richard Gasquet on Sunday as he defeated the Frenchman 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the opening match of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai.

Nadal, looking to better his semi-final finish at the prestigious tournament last year, battled back from a set down to secure the victory in the Gold Group and extend his record against Gasquet to 4-0.

Gasquet claimed the first break to go 4-3 ahead and then proceeded to deal well with Nadal’s shotmaking to claim the set.

But Nadal broke for 3-1 in the second and though Gasquet battled back, the Spaniard broke again to surge to a 5-2 lead.

And in the third set Nadal broke for 3-2 before holding out and claiming the win.

“Every match is very difficult because you play only against the best,” Nadal said on the tournament’s official website.

“So I started the match with some doubts but later I played a little bit more aggressive.

“It was very important to get the break in the beginning of the second. I finished much better than I started.”

Meanwhile, fellow Spaniard David Ferrer produced a superb 6-4 6-4 victory over world number three Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic was favourite for the encounter but made a number of errors to hand Ferrer the victory in one hour 42 minutes.

“I played with confidence all the match,” admitted Ferrer. “I played really, really well. Confidence is very important and right now I am in great shape mentally.”

Djokovic conceded that the best player on the day deservedly won.

He said: “I was the favourite in this match, but he proved that he’s a great player and absolutely he deserved to win.

“I didn’t play on the level I was supposed to play, that I have played throughout all this year.”

Roger Federer will begin his bid for a fourth Masters Cup title on Monday.