Roger Federer books Rafael Nadal showdown in Shanghai

The Swiss maestro appeared to be in deep trouble after losing the first set, but he rediscovered his scintillating best form to come through 3-6 6-3 6-3.

Earlier, Nadal had chalked up a 16th straight win as he downed Marin Cilic 7-5 7-6(3).

The Spaniard saved three set points in a tense opener and recovered from a wobble in the second – when he was broken serving for the match – to see out victory via a tie-break.

Nadal’s winning run stretches back to August, a streak that has yielded US Open and China Open titles.

However, he will have to topple Federer for the first time in 2017 to keep that streak alive. Federer has won all three of their meetings this year, most notably in the Australian Open final in January.