From the ATP site:
5. Grigor Dimitrov d. Andy Murray 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3), Acapulco semi-finals
The 2014 Abierto Mexicano Telcel marked a “New Court for a New Eraâ€, as the ATP World Tour 500 event unveiled a surface makeover, switching to blue hard courts after 20 years on red clay.
Grigor Dimitrov was eyeing a fresh start of his own, as his budding rivalry with Andy Murray was renewed in the semi-finals. A year prior, Murray had defeated the Bulgarian young gun in the Brisbane final and Dimitrov remained in search of his first set won against the Scot as they faced off for the fourth time.
Both players’ conditioning was put to the test at the Fairmont Acapulco Princess, with temperatures soaring to heights akin to a sauna and matches extending deep into the night. Second seed Murray came back from the brink to defeat Gilles Simon in a three-set quarter-final the day before and the 22-year-old Dimitrov summoned every trick in his shotmaking arsenal to overcome Ernests Gulbis after two hours and 39 minutes.
They would have to wait until after 11:30pm to step on court and the drama was palpable from the start, with neither player willing to concede an inch from the baseline. Murray broke immediately to open the match and would hold on to secure the first set 6-4, extending his sets-won streak against the rising star to seven straight.
The former World No. 2 may have snatched the early advantage, but it was Dimitrov who would have the last laugh. In the third game of the second set, the pair produced one of the more epic exchanges of the year – a 27-shot rally that brought the Cancha Central faithful to their feet – as Dimitrov held for 2-1. The Bulgarian would capture the second set in a tie-break and served for the match at 5-4 in the third, before Murray valiantly broke back and forced a deciding tie-break.
Dimitrov would hold his ground, racing to a 5-2 lead and sealing the victory as the clock edged past 2:30 a.m. after nearly three hours on court.
"At the moment it feels like the best win of my career," said Dimitrov. "I always thought Andy was an unbelievable player. We all know how he competes. I was really happy with how I played today. I wanted to win badly. He doesn't give up easily, but I'll take that win in two tie-breaks."
Murray won two more total points (109-107), but it was Dimitrov’s aggressiveness that would pay dividends, winning 26 of 33 at the net. He claimed the first of four Top 10 wins of the year and would survive a stern test from Kevin Anderson a day later, needing another third-set tie-break to grab his second ATP World Tour crown.
4. Novak Djokovic d. Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(2), Toronto second round
Select two players with supreme shotmaking skills, impenetrable defences akin to an elastic wall and agility that rivals that of a gazelle, and you have the formula for a high-octane battle. It is no surprise that when Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils meet, instant classics are often the outcome.
Djokovic enjoyed a rather eventful month of July, ahead of the 2014 Rogers Cup, claiming his seventh Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and marrying high school sweetheart Jelena Ristic a week later. Monfils was looking to catch the Serb off guard as the pair entered the Rexall Centre for a second round clash, seeking his first victory in 10 FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters.
An intense two-hour and 41-minute duel would ensue, with razor-thin margins, a bevy of highlight reel moments and a combined 67 winners. The previous two encounters between Djokovic and Monfils went the distance, with the 28-year-old Paris native racing to a one-set lead at both the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Cincinnati 2011 and Shanghai 2013. Their Canadian clash would be no different.
The top-seeded Djokovic was pushed to the brink in his bid for a fourth title in Canada (2007, '11-12). Monfils was far from discouraged after dropping the opening set 6-2 and he would elevate his game in the second set, attacking the lines with authority and leveling the match after a scintillating tie-break. The momentum was firmly with the Frenchman after surging ahead in the decider behind an early break, but Djokovic would break right back. As the match edged towards a third-set tie-break, Monfils would find himself two points from completing the upset at 6-5 30/30, but Djokovic reeled off nine of the next 11 points for the victory.
"In a way it was fun, of course, and entertaining to be part of this match," said Djokovic. "I enjoyed it. I tried to take the positives from this long match, and those are obviously the fact that I stayed over two-and-a-half hours on the court and I have not played an official hard court match since the Miami final. That helps obviously to play a little bit more, to feel the court, to feel the conditions."
Monfils was bidding to hand Djokovic his earliest defeat on hard courts since the 2012 BNP Paribas Masters (l. to Querrey), a task that would be completed a day later by countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
3. Rafael Nadal d. Pablo Andujar 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(10), Rio de Janeiro semi-finals
Rafael Nadal has enjoyed a decade of dominance on clay against fellow Spaniards and the Mallorca native entered 2014 having won 63 of his past 65 such encounters.
Nadal’s 14th season on the ATP World Tour would mark a stark departure from the norm, as his countrymen had seemingly begun to crack his clay code. David Ferrer halted the World No. 3’s nine-year run of reaching the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final, with a straight-sets win in the quarter-finals, and a week later Nicolas Almagro would hand him his first defeat in 11 years at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
The wheels of a Spanish uprising against Nadal were already set in motion two months prior, as an upset-minded Pablo Andujar entered a semi-final clash at the inaugural Rio Open presented by Claro hdtv full of confidence. The Spanish No. 8 was the pebble in Nadal’s shoe for two hours and 46 minutes, wreaking havoc on his compatriot’s game. A rematch of a 6-0, 6-4 rout by Nadal in the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open last year, Andujar would get off to a roaring start in the Brazilian coastal metropolis, claiming the first set 6-2.
Nadal looked to have restored order after snatching the second set and securing a break in the seventh game of the decider, but Andujar was far from willing to acquiesce to defeat, breaking back immediately. A defiant Andujar played the set of his life, executing an exceptional game plan with a ferocious offensive onslaught, opening the court and forcing Nadal into uncomfortable positions. He would force a deciding tie-break and both players would save their best for the climax of the match, which was epic all on its own.
Andujar’s anticipation and movement in the critical moments was off the charts, saving a match point at 8-7 with a half-volley drop shot and giving himself one of his own with a lunging backhand passing shot at the net, a point later. It would not be enough, however, and, having saved two match points, Nadal converted on his fourth opportunity, advancing to his 88th tour-level final.
"Pablo played a great match, playing very aggressive,†said Nadal. “I played too short and I gave him the chance to have control of the point... It is the first edition of a big tournament like Rio, a very important city in the world, and after coming back from injury it always makes the victory a little more special."
The 28 year old would go on to win the inaugural edition of the tournament, his second of four titles in 2014. Andujar, meanwhile, would surge to his third title on the ATP World Tour a few months later, topping Juan Monaco on the clay of Gstaad.
2. Kei Nishikori d. David Ferrer 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3, Madrid semi-finals
Kei Nishikori enjoyed a breakout 2014 campaign, soaring to No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings behind four titles and a 54-14 record. The first Asian-born player to reach a Grand Slam singles final, at the US Open, he also became the first Japanese player to win a clay-court crown on the ATP World Tour, topping Santiago Giraldo in Barcelona.
Nishikori would ride the momentum of his success on the Spanish coast to its capital city the following week, reaching his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final at the Mutua Madrid Open. It was in the Madrid semis that the 24 year old would square off with home favourite David Ferrer and the pair produced what would become the clay-court match of the year.
With their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry knotted at three wins apiece, their semi-final showdown came on the heels of a dramatic 7-6(7), 2-6, 7-6(9) victory by Nishikori at the Masters 1000 stop in Miami just six weeks prior. The right-hander saved four match points in that third round victory, a harbinger of things to come on the clay of the Caja Magica.
It would take 10 match points and just less than three hours for Nishikori to navigate Ferrer’s dogged defence in Madrid, surviving their seventh meeting in dramatic fashion. The Shimane native saw his streak of consecutive sets won extend to 18, as he fought back from a 2-5 deficit in the first set to clinch the opener in a tie-break. He looked good for a straight-sets win when he earned match point in the 10th game of the second set, with Ferrer serving at 5-4, but the Spaniard denied Nishikori with an ace down the middle and then converted his fifth break point in the 11th game to level the match.
After saving a break point in the fifth game of the deciding set, Nishikori broke Ferrer for a 4-2 lead and again appeared poised for victory as he served at 5-3, 40/0. But Ferrer was not ready to relinquish the match. In a game exceeding 17 minutes, a multitude of break points and match points were traded. Finally, after staving off four break chances, Nishikori converted his 10th match point, and ninth of the game, as Ferrer fired wide from the baseline.
“Now I'm hurting because I've lost a really tough match,†lamented Ferrer, who was seeking to advance to his 26th tour-level final on clay and second of the year, after securing a three-peat at the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires. “I had my opportunities too, especially in the first set. He played at a really high level.â€
The win cemented Nishikori in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time, as he moved into his third of six tour-level finals in 2014. Despite succumbing to Rafael Nadal in the title match a day later, retiring in the third set with a back injury, his sensational run on Spanish soil would catapult him to even greater heights as the year winded along.
1. Roger Federer d. Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6), Barclays ATP World Tour Finals semi-finals
We saved the best for last at No. 1 – literally. What would be the final match of the 2014 ATP World Tour season, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka dueled in the semi-finals at The O2 in London. It would prove to be an epic all-Swiss showdown on the banks of the River Thames, featuring two of the most dominant players on the ATP World Tour this year.
Both players were looking to add an exclamation mark on their campaigns, with Federer putting the finishing touches on his sixth 70-win season and seeking a ninth berth in the season finale title match. Wawrinka was contesting his second straight semi-final in London following a breakout year that saw him claim his first Grand Slam and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns at the Australian Open and Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
Having split their two previous meetings, with the fourth-ranked Wawrinka prevailing in the Monte-Carlo final and the World No. 2 exacting revenge on the grass of Wimbledon, the grudge match would settle Swiss supremacy in 2014.
Federer would save four match points in a pulsating comeback victory, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5), in two hours and 48 minutes. Three of the four opportunities came in the third set at 5-4 and the fourth at 6/5 in the deciding tie-break.
Wawrinka dominated the opening exchanges, breaking Federer's serve in the fifth and seventh games, and controlling baseline rallies. He won all 10 of his first service points to clinch the 35-minute first set. The pressure began to mount on Wawrinka’s 6’ frame in the second set as Federer plotted his assault. The third seed’s unforced error count soared to 28, and at 5-6, he hit two groundstrokes and one smash into the net to drop his serve to love, sending the match to a decider.
Wawrinka would secure the opening break of the third set and eventually served for the match at 5-4, but Federer was not finished, rifling a forehand winner down the line to save his first match point faced. Once again, Wawrinka attempted to close out the match with a serve and volley approach, only to be stymied by Federer. A third chance came and went, with the Stefan Edberg pupil ruthlessly striking a short forehand winner. Ultimately, after 11 minutes of play, Federer got the break when Wawrinka hit a backhand into the net after a long rally.
In the tie-break, a fourth match point went begging for Wawrinka at 6/5 when he misfired on a backhand. Ultimately, Federer would convert on his first chance to seal the victory, executing a drop volley winner two points later.
“I thought it was a very exciting match, to say the least,†said Federer, at his press conference close to 1 a.m. local time. “I think the crowd got really into it. “I really didn't think I was going to turn it around anymore because Stan looked very good for a long time, was able to win the second set somehow by hanging around. Then in the third, I think he played very well. Maybe a serve let him go a little bit when he needed it the most.
“I was frustrated being down in the third… I clearly got lucky tonight. There's no doubt about that. But you've got to keep believing that maybe there is a slight chance that you are going to be able to turn it around somehow. It happened today. I'm very pleased. It's very hard, obviously, against Stan.â€
Honourable Mention
Did we leave any thrilling encounters off the list? Too many exhilarating matches on the ATP World Tour in 2014 to name just five? We definitely agree.
In May, Nadal and Andy Murray met for the first time in more than two years in the Rome quarter-finals and the Scot gave the seven-time champion all he could handle, racing to a 5-0 lead before eventually succumbing 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Nadal reeled off five of the last six games to claim victory in two hours and 41 minutes.
Perhaps the most nail-biting of finishes came in the Gerry Weber Open quarters, when Philipp Kohlschreiber won an 18-16 third set tie-break, saving five match points to deny countryman Dustin Brown. No stranger to match point saving wins was Murray, who dodged five against Tommy Robredo in two thrilling finals, in both Valencia and Shenzhen. Federer also saved five match points in a winning effort in the Shanghai Rolex Masters second round against Leonardo Mayer. The Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena also witnessed a hard-fought three-set win by Novak Djokovic over Mikhail Kukushkin, extending the Serb’s winning streak in China to 27 matches.
5. Grigor Dimitrov d. Andy Murray 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3), Acapulco semi-finals
The 2014 Abierto Mexicano Telcel marked a “New Court for a New Eraâ€, as the ATP World Tour 500 event unveiled a surface makeover, switching to blue hard courts after 20 years on red clay.
Grigor Dimitrov was eyeing a fresh start of his own, as his budding rivalry with Andy Murray was renewed in the semi-finals. A year prior, Murray had defeated the Bulgarian young gun in the Brisbane final and Dimitrov remained in search of his first set won against the Scot as they faced off for the fourth time.
Both players’ conditioning was put to the test at the Fairmont Acapulco Princess, with temperatures soaring to heights akin to a sauna and matches extending deep into the night. Second seed Murray came back from the brink to defeat Gilles Simon in a three-set quarter-final the day before and the 22-year-old Dimitrov summoned every trick in his shotmaking arsenal to overcome Ernests Gulbis after two hours and 39 minutes.
They would have to wait until after 11:30pm to step on court and the drama was palpable from the start, with neither player willing to concede an inch from the baseline. Murray broke immediately to open the match and would hold on to secure the first set 6-4, extending his sets-won streak against the rising star to seven straight.
The former World No. 2 may have snatched the early advantage, but it was Dimitrov who would have the last laugh. In the third game of the second set, the pair produced one of the more epic exchanges of the year – a 27-shot rally that brought the Cancha Central faithful to their feet – as Dimitrov held for 2-1. The Bulgarian would capture the second set in a tie-break and served for the match at 5-4 in the third, before Murray valiantly broke back and forced a deciding tie-break.
Dimitrov would hold his ground, racing to a 5-2 lead and sealing the victory as the clock edged past 2:30 a.m. after nearly three hours on court.
"At the moment it feels like the best win of my career," said Dimitrov. "I always thought Andy was an unbelievable player. We all know how he competes. I was really happy with how I played today. I wanted to win badly. He doesn't give up easily, but I'll take that win in two tie-breaks."
Murray won two more total points (109-107), but it was Dimitrov’s aggressiveness that would pay dividends, winning 26 of 33 at the net. He claimed the first of four Top 10 wins of the year and would survive a stern test from Kevin Anderson a day later, needing another third-set tie-break to grab his second ATP World Tour crown.
4. Novak Djokovic d. Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(2), Toronto second round
Select two players with supreme shotmaking skills, impenetrable defences akin to an elastic wall and agility that rivals that of a gazelle, and you have the formula for a high-octane battle. It is no surprise that when Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils meet, instant classics are often the outcome.
Djokovic enjoyed a rather eventful month of July, ahead of the 2014 Rogers Cup, claiming his seventh Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and marrying high school sweetheart Jelena Ristic a week later. Monfils was looking to catch the Serb off guard as the pair entered the Rexall Centre for a second round clash, seeking his first victory in 10 FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters.
An intense two-hour and 41-minute duel would ensue, with razor-thin margins, a bevy of highlight reel moments and a combined 67 winners. The previous two encounters between Djokovic and Monfils went the distance, with the 28-year-old Paris native racing to a one-set lead at both the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Cincinnati 2011 and Shanghai 2013. Their Canadian clash would be no different.
The top-seeded Djokovic was pushed to the brink in his bid for a fourth title in Canada (2007, '11-12). Monfils was far from discouraged after dropping the opening set 6-2 and he would elevate his game in the second set, attacking the lines with authority and leveling the match after a scintillating tie-break. The momentum was firmly with the Frenchman after surging ahead in the decider behind an early break, but Djokovic would break right back. As the match edged towards a third-set tie-break, Monfils would find himself two points from completing the upset at 6-5 30/30, but Djokovic reeled off nine of the next 11 points for the victory.
"In a way it was fun, of course, and entertaining to be part of this match," said Djokovic. "I enjoyed it. I tried to take the positives from this long match, and those are obviously the fact that I stayed over two-and-a-half hours on the court and I have not played an official hard court match since the Miami final. That helps obviously to play a little bit more, to feel the court, to feel the conditions."
Monfils was bidding to hand Djokovic his earliest defeat on hard courts since the 2012 BNP Paribas Masters (l. to Querrey), a task that would be completed a day later by countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
3. Rafael Nadal d. Pablo Andujar 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(10), Rio de Janeiro semi-finals
Rafael Nadal has enjoyed a decade of dominance on clay against fellow Spaniards and the Mallorca native entered 2014 having won 63 of his past 65 such encounters.
Nadal’s 14th season on the ATP World Tour would mark a stark departure from the norm, as his countrymen had seemingly begun to crack his clay code. David Ferrer halted the World No. 3’s nine-year run of reaching the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final, with a straight-sets win in the quarter-finals, and a week later Nicolas Almagro would hand him his first defeat in 11 years at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
The wheels of a Spanish uprising against Nadal were already set in motion two months prior, as an upset-minded Pablo Andujar entered a semi-final clash at the inaugural Rio Open presented by Claro hdtv full of confidence. The Spanish No. 8 was the pebble in Nadal’s shoe for two hours and 46 minutes, wreaking havoc on his compatriot’s game. A rematch of a 6-0, 6-4 rout by Nadal in the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open last year, Andujar would get off to a roaring start in the Brazilian coastal metropolis, claiming the first set 6-2.
Nadal looked to have restored order after snatching the second set and securing a break in the seventh game of the decider, but Andujar was far from willing to acquiesce to defeat, breaking back immediately. A defiant Andujar played the set of his life, executing an exceptional game plan with a ferocious offensive onslaught, opening the court and forcing Nadal into uncomfortable positions. He would force a deciding tie-break and both players would save their best for the climax of the match, which was epic all on its own.
Andujar’s anticipation and movement in the critical moments was off the charts, saving a match point at 8-7 with a half-volley drop shot and giving himself one of his own with a lunging backhand passing shot at the net, a point later. It would not be enough, however, and, having saved two match points, Nadal converted on his fourth opportunity, advancing to his 88th tour-level final.
"Pablo played a great match, playing very aggressive,†said Nadal. “I played too short and I gave him the chance to have control of the point... It is the first edition of a big tournament like Rio, a very important city in the world, and after coming back from injury it always makes the victory a little more special."
The 28 year old would go on to win the inaugural edition of the tournament, his second of four titles in 2014. Andujar, meanwhile, would surge to his third title on the ATP World Tour a few months later, topping Juan Monaco on the clay of Gstaad.
2. Kei Nishikori d. David Ferrer 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3, Madrid semi-finals
Kei Nishikori enjoyed a breakout 2014 campaign, soaring to No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings behind four titles and a 54-14 record. The first Asian-born player to reach a Grand Slam singles final, at the US Open, he also became the first Japanese player to win a clay-court crown on the ATP World Tour, topping Santiago Giraldo in Barcelona.
Nishikori would ride the momentum of his success on the Spanish coast to its capital city the following week, reaching his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final at the Mutua Madrid Open. It was in the Madrid semis that the 24 year old would square off with home favourite David Ferrer and the pair produced what would become the clay-court match of the year.
With their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry knotted at three wins apiece, their semi-final showdown came on the heels of a dramatic 7-6(7), 2-6, 7-6(9) victory by Nishikori at the Masters 1000 stop in Miami just six weeks prior. The right-hander saved four match points in that third round victory, a harbinger of things to come on the clay of the Caja Magica.
It would take 10 match points and just less than three hours for Nishikori to navigate Ferrer’s dogged defence in Madrid, surviving their seventh meeting in dramatic fashion. The Shimane native saw his streak of consecutive sets won extend to 18, as he fought back from a 2-5 deficit in the first set to clinch the opener in a tie-break. He looked good for a straight-sets win when he earned match point in the 10th game of the second set, with Ferrer serving at 5-4, but the Spaniard denied Nishikori with an ace down the middle and then converted his fifth break point in the 11th game to level the match.
After saving a break point in the fifth game of the deciding set, Nishikori broke Ferrer for a 4-2 lead and again appeared poised for victory as he served at 5-3, 40/0. But Ferrer was not ready to relinquish the match. In a game exceeding 17 minutes, a multitude of break points and match points were traded. Finally, after staving off four break chances, Nishikori converted his 10th match point, and ninth of the game, as Ferrer fired wide from the baseline.
“Now I'm hurting because I've lost a really tough match,†lamented Ferrer, who was seeking to advance to his 26th tour-level final on clay and second of the year, after securing a three-peat at the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires. “I had my opportunities too, especially in the first set. He played at a really high level.â€
The win cemented Nishikori in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time, as he moved into his third of six tour-level finals in 2014. Despite succumbing to Rafael Nadal in the title match a day later, retiring in the third set with a back injury, his sensational run on Spanish soil would catapult him to even greater heights as the year winded along.
1. Roger Federer d. Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6), Barclays ATP World Tour Finals semi-finals
We saved the best for last at No. 1 – literally. What would be the final match of the 2014 ATP World Tour season, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka dueled in the semi-finals at The O2 in London. It would prove to be an epic all-Swiss showdown on the banks of the River Thames, featuring two of the most dominant players on the ATP World Tour this year.
Both players were looking to add an exclamation mark on their campaigns, with Federer putting the finishing touches on his sixth 70-win season and seeking a ninth berth in the season finale title match. Wawrinka was contesting his second straight semi-final in London following a breakout year that saw him claim his first Grand Slam and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns at the Australian Open and Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
Having split their two previous meetings, with the fourth-ranked Wawrinka prevailing in the Monte-Carlo final and the World No. 2 exacting revenge on the grass of Wimbledon, the grudge match would settle Swiss supremacy in 2014.
Federer would save four match points in a pulsating comeback victory, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5), in two hours and 48 minutes. Three of the four opportunities came in the third set at 5-4 and the fourth at 6/5 in the deciding tie-break.
Wawrinka dominated the opening exchanges, breaking Federer's serve in the fifth and seventh games, and controlling baseline rallies. He won all 10 of his first service points to clinch the 35-minute first set. The pressure began to mount on Wawrinka’s 6’ frame in the second set as Federer plotted his assault. The third seed’s unforced error count soared to 28, and at 5-6, he hit two groundstrokes and one smash into the net to drop his serve to love, sending the match to a decider.
Wawrinka would secure the opening break of the third set and eventually served for the match at 5-4, but Federer was not finished, rifling a forehand winner down the line to save his first match point faced. Once again, Wawrinka attempted to close out the match with a serve and volley approach, only to be stymied by Federer. A third chance came and went, with the Stefan Edberg pupil ruthlessly striking a short forehand winner. Ultimately, after 11 minutes of play, Federer got the break when Wawrinka hit a backhand into the net after a long rally.
In the tie-break, a fourth match point went begging for Wawrinka at 6/5 when he misfired on a backhand. Ultimately, Federer would convert on his first chance to seal the victory, executing a drop volley winner two points later.
“I thought it was a very exciting match, to say the least,†said Federer, at his press conference close to 1 a.m. local time. “I think the crowd got really into it. “I really didn't think I was going to turn it around anymore because Stan looked very good for a long time, was able to win the second set somehow by hanging around. Then in the third, I think he played very well. Maybe a serve let him go a little bit when he needed it the most.
“I was frustrated being down in the third… I clearly got lucky tonight. There's no doubt about that. But you've got to keep believing that maybe there is a slight chance that you are going to be able to turn it around somehow. It happened today. I'm very pleased. It's very hard, obviously, against Stan.â€
Honourable Mention
Did we leave any thrilling encounters off the list? Too many exhilarating matches on the ATP World Tour in 2014 to name just five? We definitely agree.
In May, Nadal and Andy Murray met for the first time in more than two years in the Rome quarter-finals and the Scot gave the seven-time champion all he could handle, racing to a 5-0 lead before eventually succumbing 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Nadal reeled off five of the last six games to claim victory in two hours and 41 minutes.
Perhaps the most nail-biting of finishes came in the Gerry Weber Open quarters, when Philipp Kohlschreiber won an 18-16 third set tie-break, saving five match points to deny countryman Dustin Brown. No stranger to match point saving wins was Murray, who dodged five against Tommy Robredo in two thrilling finals, in both Valencia and Shenzhen. Federer also saved five match points in a winning effort in the Shanghai Rolex Masters second round against Leonardo Mayer. The Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena also witnessed a hard-fought three-set win by Novak Djokovic over Mikhail Kukushkin, extending the Serb’s winning streak in China to 27 matches.
