Nadal crashes out of Shanghai Masters to Melzer in third round
Published:Jurgen Melzer has claimed the scalp of the year after knocking out Rafael Nadal in the third round of the Shanghai Masters.
After an incredible first set from Melzer which he won 6-1, the German let Nadal back into the match losing the second set 3-6.
But Nadal was unable to complete the comeback and Melzer took the final set 6-3.
The result leaves the tournament wide open with Novak Djokovic 2/1 joint favourite to win after continuing his incredible form with a 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Richard Gasquet.
Djokovic faces Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the man who conquered Nadal on his way to winning the PTT Thailand Open, in what will be a tougher test than the 1/10 odds for Djokovic to win suggests.
Garcia-Lopez has proven form on the hard courts recently, and although he lost to Djokovic in Dubai in February, he took Djokovic all the way when the two met at Wimbledon in 2005.
Lopez is 11/2 to win but Djokovic should come through the test, although he may have to do it in three sets which he is 7/2 to do.
Roger Federer joins Djokovic as 2/1 favourite to win the Shanghai Masters and faces old nemesis Robin Soderling in the quarter-final.
Soderling doesn’t enjoy playing Federer, in 14 matches with the Swiss start he has only won once and is 12/5 to win on Friday.
Federer is 3/10 to beat Soderling and he’s beaten the Swede consistently in straight sets – Federer is 5/6 to win 2-0.
Andy Murray, buoyed by his qualification for the ATP Tour finals in London in November, faces Jo-Wilifred Tsonga and is 1/3 to beat the Frenchman.
Murray hasn’t been in his best form on his favourite surface, and Tsonga will take confidence from his 2008 Australian Open victory over Murray and is 9/4 to win.
Murray is in the easier half of the draw now Nadal is out and is 5/2 to win. See the full Shanghai Masters tennis betting odds market here.
