Shanghai: Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas stunned Swiss maestro Roger Federer in the second round of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament beating the second seed 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3 here on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Spaniard played fearless tennis as he shocked defending champion Federer in just over two hours.
Federer failed to convert two break points in Ramos-Vinolas’ opening service game and would rue his missed opportunity as Ramos-Vinolas went on to sneak the first set in the ensuing tie-break.
The Swiss hit back strongly in the second set, breaking in the fifth and seventh games to level the match, but could not carry his momentum into the deciding set. Ramos-Vinolas earned a crucial break in the eighth game and went on to serve out victory to 30.
Federer was playing for the first time in three weeks, since helping Switzerland to a Davis Cup World Group Play-off victory over The Netherlands. The Basel native was looking to win his sixth title of the season this week.
Ramos-Vinolas, a quarter-finalist earlier this year in Auckland and Geneva, goes on to challenge Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Victor Estrella Burgos for a place in the quarter-finals.
Gilles Simon finished strongly to defeat qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 in one hour and 33 minutes. The 10th-seeded Frenchman reached the final in Shanghai last year and goes on to face Leonardo Mayer for a place in the third round.
