LONDON (AP) – Roger Federer equaled Ivan Lendl’s record of 12 semifinal appearances at the ATP Finals, winning his group after winning the first set off Andy Murray 6-0 in their final round-robin match on Thursday.
Earlier, Federer secured a semis berth when Kei Nishikori defeated David Ferrer 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
That left Murray needing to defeat the 17-Grand Slam champion in straight sets to make it to the last four at the O2 Arena and deny the Japanese newcomer a spot in the semis.
But Federer, who won his first two matches in straight sets, got off to a perfect start, and lost only eight points in a 23-minute first set.
Nishikori, the U.S. Open runner-up, is one of the three debutants at the tournament.