It will be Roger Federer vs. Nikolay Davydenko and Robin Soderling vs. Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinals of the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals.
Davydenko of Russia earned the final spot in the semifinals at the ATP World Finals by beating Soderling from Sweden on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Novak Djokovic stayed alive in round-robin play by pulling out a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 win over Rafael Nadal in Group B’s opening singles match.
A win by Soderling in the latter match would have advanced Djokovic, but Davydenko outlasted the Swede, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-3, putting each of their records at 2-1 in the group.
Soderling, who gained entry into the exclusive eight-man field when American Andy Roddick withdrew because of injury, had already qualified for the semis with wins over Nadal and Djokovic. Davydenko advanced due to having a better sets record than Djokovic, who won this title last year.
Nadal surprisingly failed to win a match in Group B play this week and his setback on Friday dropped the Spanish superstar’s record against fellow top-10 opponents to 1-9 since a loss to Roger Federer in the final of the Madrid Masters in May.
Federer and U.S. Open champ Juan Martin del Potro both advanced to the semifinals from Group A. Federer, last year’s runner up here, will face Davydenko, while del Potro battles Soderling in the nightcap on Saturday.