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SHANGHAI - Roger Federer, baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, offered no excuses for his stunning loss to Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in the opening round of the Tennis Masters Cup.
"I just thought it was ridiculous the kind of shots he was coming up with," Federer said.
"You've got to give him credit for that."
The shock loss - 3-6 7-6 7-5 - was the first time Gonzalez had beaten the World No 1 in 11 matches.
The Swiss, chasing his fourth title at the season-ending tournament, had never previously been beaten in round-robin play at the Masters Cup.
Federer appeared to be in total control after taking the opening set, but he lost his cool after Gonzalez ripped through the second set tiebreak 7-1.
The 12-times Grand Slam champion vented his fury at the umpire and his mood darkened further in the third set, Gonzalez saving five break points with some more inspired shot-making.
"Obviously he's always going to pound my backhand with his incredible forehand," said Federer.
"You can't do much when he drills it in the corners.
"The backhand, that's what killed me today. He's dangerous. On any given day he can beat you. It's a tough loss. I wish I had an excuse."
Gonzalez acknowledged he had played to his limit after throwing the group wide open with the performances of his life.
"I was saying to my coach in the locker room that nobody had ever beaten me 11 times in a row," joked Gonzalez, whose previous defeat by Federer came in this year's Australian Open final.
"I played three unbelievable points to break him at 5-5. The last two games were the top of my level. The key was my serve and not being scared to go for my shots."
Andy Roddick survived a scare against Russia's Nikolay Davydenko in the day's earlier red group match in Shanghai, the American coming through 6-3 4-6 6-2.
Davydenko's gutsy fightback from a set and a break down sparked a tantrum from Roddick, who smashed his racquet in disgust at his second set collapse.
But Roddick recovered superbly, storming through the third set to severely dent his opponent's chances at the US$4.45 million ($5.9 million) eight-man event.
Both players have been tormented by Federer in the past.
- Reuters