Federer through in Masters Cup

Roger Federer qualified for the semi-finals of the Masters Cup thanks to Nikolay Davydenko's 6-4 6-3 defeat of Fernando Gonzalez in Shanghai.

Davydenko was already out of contention after losing his first two matches but he out-battled a below-par Gonzalez.

The Chilean hit some superb winners but his lack of consistency cost him dear.

Federer meets Andy Roddick in Friday's other match to decide who tops the Red Group, and will play Rafael Nadal or David Ferrer in the last four.

Spanish duo Nadal and Ferrer booked their semi-final spots with straight-set wins over Novak Djokovic and Richard Gasquet on Thursday.

Ferrer finished top of the gold group and will play Federer unless the world number one manages a straight-sets victory over Roddick.

Roddick has won both his games so far, while Federer suffered a shock defeat to Gonzalez in his opening match.

Gonzalez failed to build on that achievement and, although he still produced some memorable individual shots against Davydenko, he could not maintain any sort of form.

The Chilean runs around his backhand when possible, preferring to utilise his often devastating forehand and while that tactic still worked, he looked short of energy.

While Gonzalez went for the big shots, Davydenko's more measured approach saw him through.

ATP Masters Cup, Shanghai, 11-18 November:

Red Group:
Roger Federer (Swi)
Andy Roddick (US)
Nikolay Davydenko (Rus)
Fernando Gonzalez (Chi)

Gold Group:
Rafael Nadal (Spa)
Novak Djokovic (Ser)
David Ferrer (Spa)
Richard Gasquet (Fra)

Source: BBC Sport