LONDON (AP) – Roger Federer made up for his own mistakes in a see-saw match to earn his third straight victory at the ATP finals on Thursday, beating Kei Nishikori 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to secure top spot in his group and eliminate the Japanese player.
Federer broke for a 3-1 lead in all three sets but Nishikori came back each time, taking advantage of some rare mishits by the Swiss star along the way. But he finally ran out of comebacks as Federer earned his sixth break of the match in the last game, clinching the win with a smash at London’s O2 Arena.
Federer finished the group stage 3-0 while Nishikori was eliminated with a 1-2 record. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic played Tomas Berdych in the late match needing to win just a set to advance.