2006 TMC SHANGHAI

RR

JAMES BLAKE v RAFAEL NADAL        

6-4, 7-6

James Blake stunned second seed Rafael Nadal with a straight-sets win in the Masters Cup Gold Group in Shanghai.
The American number eight seed, making his Masters debut, won 6-4 7-6 to extend his winning record over Nadal.
Blake, 26, recovered from a break down in the first set but slipped to 0-4 in the second before rallying, breaking Nadal three times to force the tie-break.
He then won every point in the tie-break as Nadal crumbled.
Blake said: "I'm the guy that's supposed to be the easy match in this tournament, which doesn't help my confidence much.
"You don't beat Nadal by playing conservatively but I don't have any specific advice for any other players how to beat Nadal.
"I've been lucky enough to play him all three times on hard courts, which is definitely in my favour more so than if I were to play him at the French Open."
Nadal said he was not far from his best during the match, but did not play many of the big points with conviction.
"James played very good points, very aggressive points in the decisive moments, important moments," said Nadal.
 

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