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| November 21, 2005 | Monday | Shawwal 18, 1426 |
Nalbandian inflicts rare defeat on Federer
SHANGHAI, Nov 20; David Nalbandian fought back from two sets down to inflict a rare defeat on world number one Roger Federer and win the season-ending Masters Cup on Sunday.
Nalbandian’s 6-7 6-7 6-2 6-1 7-6 victory — only the fourth Federer has suffered all year — snapped the Swiss maestro’s 35-match winning streak and denied him a share of John McEnroe’s professional-era record for a season of 82-3 set in 1984.
Nalbandian had looked finished at two sets down in Shanghai but hit back with some sparkling tennis as an exhausted Federer faded in the next two sets.
The Swiss valiantly fought back from 4-0 down in the fifth set and served for the title at 6-5 but Nalbandian battled back again to force a decisive tiebreak.
Nalbandian, the first Argentine to reach the final since Guillermo Vilas won the title in 1974, won it 7-3 to seal victory after four hours, 33 minutes for the biggest title of his career.
He had also won his last four matches against Nalbandian, including the opening match of the Masters Cup last weekend. The Argentine had won their first five meetings.—Reuters
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