Melzer stuns Nadal in Shanghai

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Jurgen Melzer blew the draw wide open at the Shanghai Masters by inflicting a shock defeat on world No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

The Austrian, who had never taken a set from Nadal before the match, clinched a 6-1 3-6 6-3 victory in just shy of two hours on court.

For Nadal, defeat is a minor blip in a hugely successful year - but for Melzer, the win will be remembered as one of the greatest achievements of his career.

"I think the key was that I played the best tennis of my life," Melzer said. "I know when I go out there against Nadal that I have to be aggressive and hit my shots. I am very proud to have served it out."

Melzer, who has reached a career-high world ranking of No. 12, took the game to Nadal and was rewarded for his fearless approach. After dominating the first set - where he won 12 of 20 points on his opponent's first serve - Melzer was wobbled by a resurgent Nadal in the second.

The momentum seemed to have swung behind the all-conquering Spaniard, who was hunting down an eighth ATP Tour title of the year - but Melzer hadn't read the script, and he took a huge step towards victory with a break in the sixth game of the third frame.

It wasn't all plain sailing after that - he needed four match points before eventually sealing the victory - but the triumph, which boosts his hopes of a place at the ATP World Tour Finals, was a thoroughly deserved one. He now moves on to play Juan Monaco in the last eight.