Two time champion Roger Federer struggled past veteran Spaniard David Ferrer and extended his winning run to seventeen matches after a scrappy 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win on Thursday at the Roger’s Cup in Montreal. Federer, the second seed who has won the event in Toronto in 2004 and 2006, saw his sets won streak end at 32 when Ferrer broke in the tenth game to clinch the first set.

In the second set Federer broke in the opening game but was broken back as Ferrer levelled it at 2-2. The 35 year old Spaniard lost the advantage right away and saved a set point in the ninth game to force the Swiss to serve out the set. Federer saved two break points in the tenth game before forcing a decider.

Just like the second set he broke in the first game and got the double break in the seventh game before serving out the match in the eighth game. He next goes on to face another Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut who came from behind to end the hopes of the Frenchman Gael Monfils 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(2).

Another Frenchman, Adrian Mannarino was victorious on Thursday. A day after dashing the hopes of the local favourite Milos Raonic, the left handed Frenchman took out South Korean 20 year old Hyeon Chung 6-3,6-3. In what was the most eagerly anticipated match of the day, the German Alexander Zverev continued his impressive run of form with a surprisingly one sided 6-3,6-3 win over 16th seeded Australian Nick Kyrgios.

Miami resident Kevin Anderson ended the hopes of the American Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-1. Querrey had won the ATP 250 event in Los Cabos, Mexico last week, but after beating the 2014 champion Jo Wilfred Tsonga in the previous round only offered token resistance to the tall South African.

In two other round of sixteen matches that went to the distance, the diminutive Argentine Diego Schwartzman rallied after being bageled in the first set by the American GenNext star Jared Donaldson, 0-6,7-5,7-5. In what was a was major upset, the seventh seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria lost to the unseeded Dutchman Robin Haase 6-7(3),6-4,1-6 and now faces the Argentine in the quarter finals which ensures that one of them plays their maiden Master’s series semi final on Saturday.

In a sensational upset, the 18 year old local lad Dennis Shapovalov has ended Rafael Nadal’s hope of regaining the world number one ranking just a day after beating his idol Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina. Shapovalov beat the three time former champion after rallying from a set down to win 3-6,6-4,7-6(4).

 Nadal, winner in 2005, 2008 and 2013 would have regained the world number ranking for the first time after three years had he progressed to the last four stage, but instead the Montreal crowd will now have at least one representative in the last eight where Shapovalov faces the Frenchman Adrian Mannarino on Friday.

Following is the line up for the quarter finals with my pick mentioned first :-

Roger Federer (2) v. Roberto Bautista Agut (12)

Dennis Shapovalov (-) v. Adrian Mannarino (-)

Diego Schwartzman (-) v. Robin Haase (-)

Alexander Zverev (4) v. Kevin Anderson (-)

– Rasesh Mehta [Rasesh Mehta is an analyst with the Tennis Galaxy. You can reach him at the email: sportzcosmos@gmail.com]