Shanghai's Big Surprise

David Ferrer is the only undefeated player left standing. He's likely to lose tomorrow against a rejuvenated Roger Federer (how happy was he that David Nalbandian wasn't here?) who easily dispatched Rafael Nadal, but David the Spaniard became the headline maker of this event.

Who would've predicted it? Not known for his indoor results, Ferrer usually doesn't post this time of the year. But after winning in Tokyo, he did something that most players don't do till the off-season: he began an intense training regimen that has already paid dividends.

His coach and taskmaster put him through sprints and weight training and endurance exercises. The result: Ferrer blitzed through four matches against elite competition and only dropped one set. At 25, he makes his big-event final debut, and there's no reason to think it will be his last.

Andy Roddick didn't have a chance today. Demoralized and beat up from another thrashing at the hands of the man I'm sure he wish was born in some other era, Andy dropped his second service game and the rest of the match blurred by in just over an hour.

David returns serve with such placement and depth, you'd think he was the one serving once the rallies got underway. He's been dictating play from the first shot all week. And speaking of his serve, he's hitting his spots much better than he used to and he's upped the pace on his first delivery as well.

Deuce Magazine has a feature on the rise and fall and rise of this warrior. It's a great read. Check it out.