Wimbledon champion Roger Federer beat world number one Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters final yesterday to capture his sixth title of the year.
The 36-year-old Swiss, who has lost only four times in 2017, was again in imperious form as he won in 72 minutes.
It was his fourth win of the year against Nadal and his fifth in succession over the Spaniard.
Federer fired 10 aces, and the 19-time Grand Slam winner’s 94th career title cut his deficit against Nadal to 23-15.
It moves him level with Ivan Lendl in terms of Open era titles, with only American Jimmy Connors (109) having more.
The Swiss survived a stern test against Argentine Juan Martin del Potro to win 3-6 6-3 6-3 in just under two hours in Saturday’s semi-final.
It was the 24th meeting in a final between the world’s top two, and with the roof again closed because of rain in Shanghai, Federer built a 4-2 lead en route to winning the opening set.
There was little between them in the early exchanges of the second set until the pivotal fifth game.
Nadal, winner of the US Open and China Open, saved the first break point but could not survive the second as Federer surged to a second Shanghai Masters crown.
Federer is the only man who can deny Nadal the number one ranking at the end of the year, but he said the ATP Finals at London’s 02 Arena next month was his main focus.
“I’ll go home and we will work out where I play next – Basel, Paris, one of those or none, before I go to London, which is my priority,” said Federer.
“World number one I don’t think will happen but if I play like this maybe I’ll get close, who knows?”
Elsewhere, Former world number one Maria Sharapova won her first title since May 2015, beating Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 7-6 (10-8) in the Tianjin Open final.
The 30-year-old Russian was playing her seventh event since she returned to the tour in April from a 15-month drug ban.
She trailed 4-1 in both sets before overcoming the 19-year-old Belarusian, who was contesting her first WTA final, in two hours and five minutes.
It is the five-time Grand Slam winner’s 36th WTA tournament victory.
Sharapova was denied a wildcard for the French Open, missed Wimbledon through injury and reached the US Open fourth round as a wildcard before losing to Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova.
The Russian, who began the week ranked 86th in the world, received a wildcard for the event in China.
She broke a nervous-looking Sabalenka in the opening game but then lost four games in succession as the teenager struck back with aggressive returns.
The Russian got back on serve at 4-3 after a 16-point game and then claimed the decisive break with a forehand winner down the line.
