ATP World Tour Finals 2014 Results: Day 5 Scores, Highlights and Recap
Andy Murray's ATP World Tour Finals prospects were blown out of the water Thursday at the 02 Arena as he was thrashed, 6-0, 6-1, by Roger Federer in a peerless display from the Swiss.
The Scot had needed to win in straight sets to advance to the semi-finals from the round-robin stage, but he was outdone in every area as Federer won his third match of the tournament to advance on top of Group B.
Kei Nishikori's 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over David Ferrer eventually proved good enough to see the Japanese player through to the knockout rounds in London along with Federer.
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Here's a look at Thursday's results:
| Roger Federer defeats Andy Murray | 6-0, 6-1 |
| Kei Nishikori defeats David Ferrer | 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin defeats Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo | 4-6, 6-2, 10-8 |
| Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic defeat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez | 6-7(5), 6-3, 11-9 |
Murray Bulldozed by Federer
Murray was in the match Thursday for all of five minutes before Federer found his rhythm and produced a masterclass in Greenwich to knock his opponent out of the tournament.
The Scot won the first two points on Federer's serve but netted after a long rally at 30-0 up to give the Swiss an opportunity, which he duly took.
At 1-0 up, Federer produced some truly stunning tennis as he dominated Murray's serve from the off.
A combination of drop shots, net play and magnificent ground strokes saw Murray run ragged as Federer won the opener to love and ended his opponent's tournament in double-quick time, per Tennis TV:
The misery continued for the two-time Grand Slam champion in the second set. He continued to serve up several unforced errors and Murray simply could not get into the match.
Four double faults did not help Murray's cause, but the 33-year-old Federer was simply too good; he would have thrashed most players the way he performed.
Murray finally got a game on the board to make it 5-1 in the second set, but Federer served out for the win to move into the semi-finals with consummate ease. The 17-time Grand Slam champion himself was evidently impressed with his own performance, per sports writer Simon Cambers:
It was quite the showing from Federer, who is well on his way to claiming a seventh Finals title if he can get through two more matches.
All things being equal, he should meet Novak Djokovic on Sunday for a fitting final between undoubtedly the two best players of the season.
Nishikori Comeback Downs Ferrer
Ferrer's opening-set win against Nishikori was enough to see Federer through to the semis after the Swiss won both of his opening games, but the Spaniard looked set to throw a spanner in the works for Nishikori's prospects.
Playing as an alternate after Raonic's withdrawal, Ferrer took the game to his opponent and arguably provided a stiffer test than the struggling Canadian would have.
The Spaniard won the opener, 6-4, with ESPN highlighting the impressive nature of the display considering the lateness of Ferrer's call-up:
However, Nishikori was not to be outdone as he looked to qualify out of the round-robin group stage in his debut at the Finals, and he took an early break in the second set.
That proved decisive as the U.S. Open finalist held his serve well to claim the set and gain parity.
It was in the third when Nishikori powered away as he produced some of the unbelievable tennis which has been commonplace during a fine year.
Four games in a row at the start of the set for Nishikori effectively ended the match as a contest, with the 24-year-old producing winner after winner, showing impressive variety.
He eventually won the set 6-1 to claim the match. The BBC's Russell Fuller explained what the result means in terms of qualification for the knockout round:
Nishikori described his third-set performance as close to perfect after the match, per BBC Sport's Piers Newbery:
"The third set was almost perfect. I served well and everything worked well. We've played each other four times this year and always three sets. It was really difficult to make this adjustment—they told me one hour before the match, it was tough to change tactics but I'd prepared well and I'm happy to win today.
"
Nishikori's win over Ferrer was his second of the week—having beaten Murray in his opener—and proved that he may well have the ability to go on and win the season-ending Finals if he can keep his form up.
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