This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/tennis/6154680.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Federer & Nalbandian reach semis | Federer & Nalbandian reach semis |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Roger Federer and David Nalbandian secured semi-final places at the Masters Cup with victories in their final Red Group matches in Shanghai. | Roger Federer and David Nalbandian secured semi-final places at the Masters Cup with victories in their final Red Group matches in Shanghai. |
| Defending champion Nalbandian knocked out Andy Roddick with a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) victory that also guaranteed world number one Federer's qualification. | Defending champion Nalbandian knocked out Andy Roddick with a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) victory that also guaranteed world number one Federer's qualification. |
| Federer returned the favour, beating Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 to give Nalbandian second place in the group. | Federer returned the favour, beating Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 to give Nalbandian second place in the group. |
| Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko face off for the final slot on Friday. | Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko face off for the final slot on Friday. |
| Nalbandian will face James Blake in the last four after the American qualified for the semi-finals by winning his opening two matches in the Gold Group. | Nalbandian will face James Blake in the last four after the American qualified for the semi-finals by winning his opening two matches in the Gold Group. |
| MASTERS CUP SEMI-FINALS Federer v Nadal/DavydenkoBlake v Nadal | MASTERS CUP SEMI-FINALS Federer v Nadal/DavydenkoBlake v Nadal |
| "In the end what I care about is that I came through it, and not really who's the other guy," said Federer. | |
| "But it's still a bit of a surprise, of course, that Nalbandian came through again. | |
| "I guess he deserved it because he should have beaten Ljubicic yesterday and he beat Roddick convincingly today." | |
| Knowing he had to win to have any chance of retaining his title, Nalbandian did an excellent job of defusing Roddick's big serve. | Knowing he had to win to have any chance of retaining his title, Nalbandian did an excellent job of defusing Roddick's big serve. |
| In this group, it's tough to win just one match David Nalbandian | |
| "In the beginning I played very good," said Nalbandian. "I was hitting good shots and got control of the match. | "In the beginning I played very good," said Nalbandian. "I was hitting good shots and got control of the match. |
| "He didn't serve so good, that's why I went away from him. | |
| "In this group, it's tough to win just one match. Sometimes you need a little of luck." | |
| And Nalbandian said it was difficult to enjoy the win after learning that his nine-year-old cousin and godson Lautaro Nalbandian had died in an accident at home in Argentina. | And Nalbandian said it was difficult to enjoy the win after learning that his nine-year-old cousin and godson Lautaro Nalbandian had died in an accident at home in Argentina. |
| "It was terrible (but) I can do nothing from here," he said. "I try to push as hard as I can on the court." | "It was terrible (but) I can do nothing from here," he said. "I try to push as hard as I can on the court." |
| Roddick, ranked fifth in the world, was a shadow of the player who came close to upsetting Federer on Tuesday. | Roddick, ranked fifth in the world, was a shadow of the player who came close to upsetting Federer on Tuesday. |
| 606 DEBATE: Who will win the Masters Cup? | |
| "Give credit where credit's due - I didn't play badly, I hit the ball through the court, but he played very well," he said. | "Give credit where credit's due - I didn't play badly, I hit the ball through the court, but he played very well," he said. |
| "Let's put it in perspective. Going into the summer, I think I was 18 in the champions race with people questioning if I would ever play top-level tennis again - I righted that." | |
| Roddick joins Spain's Tommy Robredo in being eliminated from the tournament after defeat in the first two-set encounter in a tight group. | Roddick joins Spain's Tommy Robredo in being eliminated from the tournament after defeat in the first two-set encounter in a tight group. |
| Red Group: Roger Federer (Swi), Ivan Ljubicic (Cro), Andy Roddick (USA), David Nalbandian (Arg) | Red Group: Roger Federer (Swi), Ivan Ljubicic (Cro), Andy Roddick (USA), David Nalbandian (Arg) |
| Gold Group: Rafael Nadal (Spa), Nikolay Davydenko (Rus), Tommy Robredo (Spa), James Blake (USA) | Gold Group: Rafael Nadal (Spa), Nikolay Davydenko (Rus), Tommy Robredo (Spa), James Blake (USA) |