SHANGHAI, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Roger Federer and James Blake play for the title Sunday at the ATP Masters Cup in Shanghai.
In the semifinals Saturday, Federer, the tournament's top seed, beat No. 2 Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 7-5; while Blake, the eighth seed and the only American to advance past the third round, trounced defending champion David Nalbandian of Argentina, 6-4, 6-1.
"It was a great challenge for me because (Nadal) is one-dimensional," Federer said. "He always plays the same way, but he does it so well. It was nice that we played each other because he was on the verge of not qualifying for the semis."
Federer began the match with three straight aces and was able to quash a mini-rally by Nadal in the second set.
Blake got a major boost by capturing the first four games in the first set.
Federer is 5-0 in lifetime meetings between the two finalists.
