Switzerland's challenge at the ATP World Tour Finals melted away like an Alpine glacier in a heatwave on Sunday as Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic marched on to the grand finale.
The hardest nut in men's tennis again proved resistant to the heaviest of sledgehammers as Novak Djokovic absorbed the brute force of Juan Martin del Potro to book his place in the last four of the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday.
Roger Federer had never lost his opening match at the ATP World Tour Finals since the elite tournament moved to London in 2009.
Roger Federer showed flashes of his best but Novak Djokovic exposed the Swiss maestro's fading powers with a three-set victory at the ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic overcame a second set slump to defeat the sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina for his second Shanghai ATP Masters title on Sunday.
World No 1 Rafael Nadal battled past 8th seed Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland to set up a Juan Martin del Potro semifinal clash at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament while defending champion Novak Djokovic will face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the other one.
Former world No 1 Roger Federer was ousted by Frenchman Gael Monfils at the third round while heavy favorites Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both get through to the last eight at the ongoing Shanghai Masters on Thursday.
Djokovic won his fourth China Open title in five years on Sunday, prevailing 6-3 6-4 in the final against Rafael Nadal.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia fought off tough resistance from Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the second round to reach the quarterfinals of the China Open on Thursday.
World's top tennis players gear up for China Open in Beijing.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic to play China No.1 Li Na in a charity show game to open the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on Friday night when each single ace shot from Li will earn 37,819 yuan for charity.