Avid followers of both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer know that when these two tennis superstars compete against each other, sparks fly to the high heavens. This means fans are flocking the venues to watch these players play live or global fans log online or cough up cash for pay per view to see these two greats unleashing their tennis prowess. In fact, the tennis betting market flourishes when a Nadal vs Federer match takes place. The Cincinnati Masters 2013 is no exception.
Rafael Nadal, fresh from winning the Montreal Masters title last weekend, continues his winning streak on hardcourts this week in Cincinnati with a straight sets win over Benjamin Becker in his opening match on Wednesday and followed that up with a tight three-set victory over Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 on Thursday. This is the Mallorcan’s 58th career ATP Masters 1000 final and out of these 58, he has gone on to win the title 25 times, making him the record holder for the most number of Masters 1000 title in history.
Swiss superstar Roger Federer enters the Cincinnati Masters as the defending champion. Being a five-time champion at this tournament, Federer is undoubtedly a heavy favorite in this event. However, his performaces as of late had been mixed. He lost in the second round of Wimbledon championships, reached the semifinals at a claycourt event in Hamburg and lost his opening match at the Suisse Open in Gstaad. He skipped the Montreal Masters to recuperate from a back injury. Federer has 21 Masters 1000 titles to his name, a haul that is second to Nadal’s.
This is the 31st edition of Nadal vs Federer match. Nadal holds the lead in their head-to-head series 20-10. However, in their 12 hardcourt meetings, they’ve split their record at 6-6. Their most recent hardcourt match was at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last March with Nadal emerging as the victor and winning all the way to the title. Their most recent match was in the final of the claycourt Rome Masters in May and being the “King of Clay,” Nadal prevailed in straight sets.
What is there to expect in the Cincinnati Masters quarterfinal match between Nadal and Federer? For the most optimistic and faithful fans of Federer, the Swiss Maestro could pull off a minor upset considering that he’s switched back to his old 90-inch frame racquet that brought him 17 Grand Slam titles. However, analysts are in agreement that Nadal is the player to beat and his eight titles of the 2013 season is an indication that he’ll win, unless it is his off day.
