Nadal and Federer to Battle for ATP No.1 in Cincinnati

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Nadal and Federer to Battle for ATP No.1 in Cincinnati

Roger Federer’s loss in the Montreal final to Alexander Zverev has given Rafael Nadal a leg up in the race to No.1 at Cincinnati.

Either Nadal or Federer will end next week’s Western and Southern Open as the No.1-ranked player in the world, but Nadal has a 320-point lead over Federer and is guaranteed to come out on top if Federer does not reach the semifinals. But if Federer reaches the final and Nadal fails to get past the quarterfinals, or if Federer wins the title, the Swiss will become No.1.

Roger-Rafa No.1 ranking scenarios for @CincyTennis.

Looks like Roger needs at least semis to have a shot.

Nadal in the driver's seat. pic.twitter.com/fux28c8OlL
— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) August 13, 2017

Nadal was two matches from reclaiming the No.1 ranking in Montreal, but he fell to Denis Shapovalov in the round of 16. The loss left Nadal disappointed.

Nadal: "it's my worst loss of the year because it's my loss to the opponent with the lowest ranking & because I had chance to be No. 1."
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) August 11, 2017

Top-seeded Nadal will begin his quest in Cincinnati with a second-round match with either Richard Gasquet or John-Patrick Smith. He could face No.16-seeded Gilles Muller in a rematch of his round of 16 Wimbledon defeat next. If the seeds hold Nadal would face No.8-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals and either No.3-seeded Dominic Thiem or No.5-seeded Kei Nishikori in the semis.

Here are the @CincyTennis men's singles draws for those interested in Roger and Rafa's path. 👇 pic.twitter.com/Jp5crdrvAW
— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) August 13, 2017

Federer could face Russia’s Karen Khachanov or Diego Schwartzman in his second-round match after a bye, and could face Jack Sock in the third round. If the seeds hold, Federer would face No.7-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals and No.4-seeded Alexander Zverev in the semis.

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