Federer sinks Soderling to enter semis

Roger Federer seals place in semi-finals of ATP World Tour Finals with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 victory over Robin Soderling.

LONDON: Roger Federer sealed his place in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 victory over fourth-seed Robin Soderling. Federer will top Group B after producing his third dominant display as he needed to win one set to be guaranteed first place in the group.

It took the Swede just three games to secure the first break, but after Soderling forced the Swiss into some uncharacteristic errors in the eighth game which allowed the world number four to break back. Federer regained his composure quickly enough to ensure the set went to a tie-break which he claimed.

Federer kept coming at Soderling and secured the only break of the second set with a whipped forehand winner before serving out the match.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is on course for a place in the semi-finals beating Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-2. Nadal was pushed hard in the first set, but the world number one eventually crushed the Serb with a ruthless display of power hitting.

A victory over Tomas Berdych will guarantee the Spaniard a spot in the last-four and he could even qualify from Group A without winning depending on the result of Djokovic’s match against Andy Roddick.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2010.