NEWS

Ferrer Upsets Djokovic in Sweet Day for Spain

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David Ferrer made it two-for-two for Spanish players on the opening day of Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai Sunday after upsetting World No. 3 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4. Following Rafael Nadal's come-from-behind three-set win over Richard Gasquet, Ferrer won his debut match at the circuit finale and avenged his straight-sets loss to Djokovic in this year's US Open semifinals.

Don't for a minute think that Ferrer's ambitions have been sated by simply qualifying for the Masters Cup. His impressive performance against Djokovic - who was the first player to arrive in Shanghai last Monday - now puts him in strong contention to reach the semifinals. Ferrer broke Djokovic at 4-4 in the first set and claimed a second consecutive break in the opening game of the second set when Djokovic double faulted on break point. He then saved all three break points he faced during the set.

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"I think he was a little nervous in the first set," Ferrer said. "I played with confidence all the match. I played really, really good. Confidence is very important and right now I am in great shape mentally.

"We are good friends. I am happy because Rafa won and I won. It's important for tennis in Spain. In my match against Rafa I need to run a lot to beat to him. He's the favorite and if he plays with a good level I think it will be a difficult match for me."

Djokovic, who will next play Richard Gasquet as he tries to keep his semifinal hopes alive, paid tribute to Ferrer for his win.

"I was the favorite 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 played throughout all this year... but I'm still not out of the chances to get to the semifinal... Mentally I felt a bit more pressure than I usually have. Obviously that had an effect on my game.

"I knew that it's not going to be an easy match. I didn't underestimate him. Obviously he was very motivated - it's even his first time in Shanghai, in the Masters Cup, and he didn't have anything to lose. You could see that he was moving really well. He was aggressive. He kind of surprised me in the start, the way he played."