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Without a doubt the most attractive match of the day

Although his lukewarm starting attitude saw him lose the serve and set at the start, Federer dominated in the rest of the match against Istomin. Dimitrov quickly recovered from the first round trouble to impress against Pospisil. He will have to again tonight, if he wishes to keep the London race going

Although Federer started the home tournament with a very convincing win, being happy with the way he played, he spoke of the match against Istomin with caution, as he started such a match with a lost set last year. He said he knew the mistakes he shouldn't make, yet they happened again, as he started the match weakly, with lots of errors, and allowed his opponent to get his first break point in the sixth game. It was a casual rally, each side waiting for the other to pull the first real move and it's usually the Swiss, but this time Istomin nailed a monster backhand diagonal which was impossible to catch, and gave him a break advantage he kept on his serve.

Of course, the Swiss is too experienced to panic and confident enough not to worry. On the contrary, the situation only motivated him more, and his serve was impeccable in the next period. He allowed a single break point in the last two sets, after he already had a break advantage in the third set. He dealt with the second set in the sixth game and focused on his own serve. The third one was similar, with a battle to get a break and then holding on to your own serve, a formula we've been seeing for years from the mighty Swiss.


- I lacked rhythm in the first set, while Istomin played well in those moments. He used my mistakes, but the most important thing is that I managed to come back- commented Federer on the performance in which he won 91% of his first serve points, and will now face someone chasing London:


- Although I don't have long to rest, I believe I'll be ready. I played many matches lately and I know how to react in situations such as these.


Dimitrov was far more convincing, which was definitely a surprise, as the Bulgarian arrived from Stockholm where he lost in three sets in the final. This kept him further away from securing a spot in Finals Masters, but did not shatter his hopes. The ankle injury was a much bigger issue, as we could see by the trouble he had moving in the first round, where only young Zverev's inexperience saved him, as the German could have won in two sets.


That was why he was not a favorite in the match against Pospisil. The Canadian got through the first round without losing a single service game, hitting 30 aces along the was, and last year he got to the semifinal here, even taking a set from Federer. If anyone thought he would threaten Dimitrov, those hopes were soon dashed. The Bulgarian got off to a hurricane start, and could have won the first four games in a row, but had no reason to worry as he was a constant threat on the return, while Pospisil on the other hand couldn't even dream of a break point.


This allowed the Bulgarian to reach a quick win in just 64 minutes, an ideal scenario for him as he played the last match of the day for the second time in a row. He scored two breaks in each of the sets, without a hint of the issues we saw in the first round match. The Canadian helped him along with 32 unforced errors, while Dimitrov once again got the highlight move of the day with another shot through the legs, which are getting as common for him as volleys or smashes are for some others.


Although some will still compare him to Federer or mention his relationship with Sharapova, Dimitrov lived up to the great expectations this year. He has a shot at ending the year in the Top 10, although a defeat here would end his dreams of getting to London. Federer on the other hand also has a motive, and a good one, getting to Number 1 at the end of the season. They played here last year and the Swiss won in two sets. Dimitrov is more experienced and stronger now, no doubt about it, but Federer is in much better form now than he was last year.