Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are through to the Quarter-finals of the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters after convincing wins in straight sets. The Spanish player, Nadal, and world number one didn't offer a chance to Fabio Fognini as it took 64 minutes to dismantle the Italian after 6-3, 6-1. On the other side, Roger Federer took 61 minutes to beat Alexandr Dolgopolov and advance to the next stage of the tournament. The two seem to be indestructible especially after leading Europe to an important win at Laver Cup. In the battle for the year-end world number one, Rafa seems to have a big advantage with a lead of 2370 points.

No way out

Nadal and Federer used to be the two dominant forces in the world of tennis between 2004 - 2010. What seemed to be a tradition then, seems to be the 2017 main rule. Young tennis players are terrified by the idea of having to play against the two giants, whereas the usual faces of ATP are just shattered by the thought of having to play against Rafa's topspin or Roger's aggressive shots. In their quest for the first spot in the rankings, the two 'veterans' didn't spend much time on the tennis court in Shanghai. For Nadal, it is unusual to spend less than one hour but he did it with grace after 55 minutes and just three games won by Jared Donaldson.

On Thursday, it looked as if he didn't stop playing against Donaldson as Fabio Fognini felt the fury of Rafa: 6-3, 6-1 and a 72% first serve percentage, according to the official website of ATP. Nadal seems to be an invincible all-rounder in 2017 as his game gets better and better as the end of the season is approaching.

Swiss brilliance

What can we say about Roger Federer? This guy is 36 and kicking. It doesn't matter if the opponent is the in-form Diego Schwartzman or Alexandr Dolgopolov. Roger does what he knows best. He serves as a champion, he doesn't waste a second waiting for the ball, he hits terrific shots and the result can only be a victory in straight sets.

The aggressive style and the lack of backup gameplans of his rivals have transformed Federer into a sports miracle of the modern age. The Swiss Maestro is on his way to the final stages of ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters but the best is yet to come as he is an indoor specialist. Basel, Paris-Bercy and London can mean his chance to finish the year in style and even dream about what seemed impossible 10 months ago: finishing the year as World Number One. The two friends and rivals might actually meet in the final of the Chinese Masters' tournament if they win the next two matches.
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