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Federer wins opener at Masters Cup
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-14 10:39

SHANGHAI, China - Not quite sure what to expect of his game, Roger Federer began his bid for a third straight Tennis Masters Cup title with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory Sunday over David Nalbandian.

Federer, recovering from a sprained ankle, was playing his first match in seven weeks and moved smoothly against the eighth-seeded Argentine in the season-ending championship.

"There were some good moments and some bad moments," Federer said. "But with the injury, I'm happy I'm back."

In the day's other match, sixth-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia defeated fourth-seeded Guillermo Coria of Argentina 6-2, 6-3. Ljubicic, making his Masters Cup debut, has reached the final in four of his last five tournaments.

The other group in the elite eight-player field — Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Nicolay Davydenko and Gaston Gaudio — begins play Monday night.

Federer is attempting to match the three consecutive season-ending titles of Ivan Lendl (1985-87). Pete Sampras won three, the last in 1999, when it was known as the ATP Tour World Championships.

Federer, the Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, improved to 78-3 this year. The top-seeded Swiss could equal John McEnroe's match-winning percentage record (.965) in a calendar year, the best of the men's professional-era, by winning his two round-robin matches and the title.
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