Sky Sports Today - Breaking Transfer News, Build-up to Super Sunday and the Latest Sports News

ATP World Tour Finals live!

ATP World Tour Finals live!

    K NISHIKORI* 4-6 6-4 4-1 D FERRER
    Nishikori has it on a bit of string and Ferrer is rooted to the spot as a forehand return winner whizzes past. The Spaniard, brave as ever, battles back though, and it is 40-30 when Nishikori goes long. A net-cord takes a Ferrer forehand out but he is undeterred and wins the next two points to open his account for the set. The crowd roar their approval.
    11/13/2014 4:07:17 PM
    K NISHIKORI 4-6 6-4 5-1 D FERRER*
    Nishikori throws in his fifth double fault of the match and then nets a pair of forehands. 15-40. A solid approach shot and smash save one break point and Ferrer then nets a forehand when he had a chance to power home a winner. Cruel! A big Nishikori serve saves a third break point and then he saves a fourth with an athletic volley at the net. Great stuff! Break point five is squandered by an off-target Ferrer return and Nishikori then takes the game with a drop shot of sheer genius. What a game! Surely it's all over now!
    11/13/2014 4:14:45 PM
    K NISHIKORI 4-6 6-4 5-1 D FERRER*
    Ferrer does not know when he is beaten and chunters at himself after an error. He then puts a forehand wide though and Nishikori sets up match point with a fine forehand ...
    11/13/2014 4:17:05 PM
    It's all over, Nishikori prevails![game-set-match]
    11/13/2014 4:17:34 PM
    K NISHIKORI 4-6 6-4 6-1 D FERRER
    A Ferrer shot floats long and he is beaten after a game effort. Great display from Nishikori, who now has to wait and see whether he has done enough to reach the semis. He wins in four minutes short of two hours.
    11/13/2014 4:19:31 PM

    11/13/2014 4:19:51 PM
    K NISHIKORI 4-6 6-4 6-1 D FERRER
    Reserve or no reserve, that was the best match of the week so far in terms of overall quality. Great credit to Ferrer for playing so well after being called into duty at short notice but he did not have the attacking armoury of Nishikori.

    The fourth seed was on top for most of the match and only ceded the first set when he lost his way somewhat, having been a break up. He finishes the group stage with two wins from three matches and it will take an inspired Murray display tonight to deny him a semi-final place.
    11/13/2014 4:25:25 PM
    GREAT WAY TO SPEND A THURSDAY AFTERNOON!






    11/13/2014 4:30:07 PM
    HOW ABOUT STAT?
    Nishikori was the aggressor in that one and he finished with a sterling tally of 41 winners. OK, there were 37 unforced errors too, but that is a ratio far better than most have managed this week so far. Ferrer had 14 winners and 19 unforced errors.

    Nishikori led the ace count 4-2 but also the double-fault count 6-3.
    11/13/2014 4:32:02 PM

    11/13/2014 4:35:04 PM
    QUALIFICATION SCENARIOS:
    So, Roger Federer is through to the semis and Andy Murray has to win in straight sets tonight to join him ... and he is playing Federer! Tall order, can't wait to see how he gets on! Kei Nishikori goes through if Murray loses or wins in three.
    11/13/2014 4:38:38 PM
    [betting]WORLD TOUR FINALS WINNER?
    Can anyone stand in Novak Djokovic's path? The bookies don't seem to think so, check out those odds.
    11/13/2014 6:22:11 PM
    RESTAURANT REVIEW:
    It's been a busy week testing out the different meals available around the O2, er, I mean covering this fantastic top-level tennis tournament.

    Tonight it was the turn of the Noodle place around the corner from the media centre and my tentatively ordered vegetable chow mein turned out to be a winner. As you can see, it was not the most prepossessing dish ever served up, but appearances proved deceptive. Normally I find such meals a bit bland and have to slaver them in chilli sauce but this little beauty was so tasty it needed no condiment help whatsoever.

    It was complemented perfectly by a cold pint of lager or, if you are my boss, fizzy pint of orangeade with a top (!) and secures a very solid mark of 8.5/10.

    However, competition is stiff this week and that mark is only good enough for third place behind Tuesday's Spicy Beanburger and Stringy Fries (9/10) and yesterday's Base Pizzeria jaunt (9.5/10). Check back tomorrow for the final standings!
    11/13/2014 6:24:25 PM

    Another great dinner - but 8.5/10 is only good enough for third in the standings!

    11/13/2014 6:26:18 PM
    DOUBLES UPDATE
    Tonight's eagerly-awaited night of tennis is underway and Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo have made a good start. They lead Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-1 in the first set.
    11/13/2014 6:30:23 PM
    FEDERER-MURRAY HEAD2HEAD
    Tonight's main attraction in these parts is the clash between two chaps called Roger Federer and Andy Murray. These two first met on the ATP Tour in the 2005 Bangkok final, Federer winning 6-3 7-5, and the Swiss great won by the exact same scoreline in Cincinnati earlier this year to level their series at 11-11.

    In between, the pair have locked horns in three Grand Slam finals (all won by Federer) an Olympic final (won convincingly by Murray) and three times at the O2 (all won by Federer). Someone is going to have a 12-11 head2head lead by the end of tonight!


    11/13/2014 6:37:16 PM

    11/13/2014 6:37:45 PM
    DOUBLES UPDATE
    Seventh seeds Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Marcelo Melo (Brz) are bidding for their third win from as many matches this week and are on course to stay unbeaten. They have won the first set 6-4 against the French fourth seeds Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
    11/13/2014 6:53:00 PM
    FEDERER v MURRAY
    Barry Millns will be commentating tonight for Sky Sports and kindly took the time to give us his take on the match:
    Federer starts as favourite. He has won all three of their previous meetings at the O2 and both of their meetings this year. Some of the pressure is off him as well, having now qualified for the semi-finals, but he starts any match wanting to win it, and he needs to, if he is to keep alive his slim hopes of finishing the year as World No 1 - although, if Djokovic wins tomorrow, that race is over. Federer will also want to win the group in order to avoid Djokovic in the semi-finals (assuming the Serb wins Group A). As for Murray, knowing he has to win in straight sets now, to reach the semi-finals, should encourage him to be aggressive from the outset. A good start for him is vital.

    11/13/2014 6:59:24 PM
    FEDERER V MURRAY
    Leif Shiras of Sky Sports has also stopped by to give his verdict on tonight's big one:

    I think there is a strong feeling that, if Andy lets Roger do what he wants, he is in for a long night. Andy needs to flex his muscles, be aggressive on forehand, use his backhand down the line, and defend well. Federer will come forward today and, the way he is playing, I don't think Andy can win unless he plays his best tennis. Maybe he can win in straight sets and start a great run but, if not, a vacation is pretty nice too! Either one is not too bad for Andy.

    11/13/2014 7:22:06 PM
    IT'S GOING THE DISTANCE!
    Meanwhile, Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin have romped through the second set 6-2 and forced a match tie-break in this evening's doubles encounter.[tie-break]
    11/13/2014 7:23:32 PM
    Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin are bidding to join Dodig/Melo in the last four and they have a 5-3 lead in the match tie-break.
    11/13/2014 7:28:40 PM
    7-5 to the French pair in an entertaining match tie-break. First to 10 wins it!
    11/13/2014 7:32:07 PM
    9-7 and it is match point ...
    11/13/2014 7:34:11 PM
    It's all over! Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin prevail.[game-set-match]
    11/13/2014 7:35:39 PM
    DOUBLES DELIGHT
    Raucous celebrations from Julien Benneateau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, and why not? It has been another entertaining doubles match and they have defeated Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 4-6 6-2 10-8, a result which means both teams qualify for the semis, with the French duo winning the group.
    11/13/2014 7:38:04 PM
    TOP DOGS
    Bob and Mike Bryan will finish the year as the top-rated doubles team once again and they were around to pick up a trophy marking the feat earlier today.



    11/13/2014 7:40:09 PM
    FEDERER V MURRAY
    So, Andy Murray faces a tall order here at the World Tour Finals tonight, needing a straight sets win to reach the last four. It's a good job he does not have to play some guy with 17 Grand Slam titles and who is regarded by many as the greatest tennis player to ever walk the planet. Ah, hang on a minute ... !

    Yep, it could not get much tougher for Andy but he has risen to the challenge many times in his career. Keep it here for full coverage of this one!


    11/13/2014 7:47:16 PM
    [betting]PRICE BOOSTS
    As ever, Sky Bet have a handful of Price Boosts available. Either of these take your fancy?
    11/13/2014 7:52:00 PM
    [barrycowan]BARRY'S TIP

    11/13/2014 7:59:00 PM
    [mobile]BET IN-PLAY HERE
    Keep up with all the in-play odds via Sky Bet's mobile app.
    11/13/2014 8:45:00 PM
    'TIME TO MOVE FORWARD'
    Sky Sports expert Leif Shiras has given us his verdict on what Andy Murray might do ahead of the 2015 campaign:
    He needs to take a long hard look at himself and his team, evaluate and re-evaluate. Is he in the right place tactically, technically? Does he have the right people around him? I thing all those things will be discussed, so he can make a good push next year. Andy got off to a poor start last night and it just seemed to get worse. I thought Andy would make more of an impact on return but Roger is at his best right now, and that is also part of the story. The good thing for Andy is that it was the last match of the year, so he can put it behind him. When some thing like that happens, you just need to lick your wounds and move forward!

    11/14/2014 12:54:52 PM
    DOUBLES UPDATE:
    Kubot and Lindstedt are on course for a third win of the week after taking the first set 6-4 against Rojer and Tecau.[set]
    11/14/2014 12:56:04 PM
    WHO WILL BE NUMBER ONE?
    Short answer .... probably Novak Djokovic! The top seed is one win away from clinching the year-end No 1 ranking and victory today over Tomas Berdych will assure him of finishing as top dog for the third time in four years (he also accomplished the feat in 2011 and 2012). He is also on a 29-match winning run indoors and victory today would give him 30 in a row, stretching across three seasons.

    Were Djokovic to be defeated today and then loses in the semis (he would be likely to qualify anyway), Roger Federer could finish the season at No 1 if he wins this tournament and then wins a live singles rubber at the Davis Cup final next week.



    11/14/2014 1:12:25 PM
    GROUP A PERMUTATIONS:
    Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori are through to the semi-finals already. Who will join them? Novak Djokovic is almost certain to get through but, if  he gets hammered in two sets by Tomas Berdych and Stan Wawrinka romps past Marin Cilic in two, he could get edged out.

    If Djokovic and Wawrinka both win, they both advance. If Berdych and Cilic win, Berdych and Djokovic go through, If Djokovic and Cilic win, or Berdych and Wawrinka, we will need the abacus!


    11/14/2014 1:29:13 PM
    DOUBLES UPDATE
    The second set has gone to a tie-break between Kubot/Lindstedt and Rojer/Tecau. The former duo took the opener.
    11/14/2014 1:38:17 PM
    IT'S ALL OVER!
    Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt beat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 6-4 7-6 (7-4) and advance into the semis with a perfect record, while the unlucky Rojer is now 0-9 in Tour finals play. Next year my man!

    The outcome was irrelevant in terms of the Group A standings. Kubot/Lindstedt had already won the group and will be joined in the semis by the winners of tonight's Bryan/Bryan Peya/Soares clash.[game-set-match]
    11/14/2014 1:46:03 PM

    11/14/2014 1:46:23 PM
    MURRAY FALL-OUT:
    Sky Sports pundit Barry Cowan has told us what he would like to see from Andy Murray in the future:

    After such an encouraging period, when he won three titles, Andy will be disappointed with how his tennis matched up against Kei Nishikori and Roger Federer. There is no doubt he has shown he still has the fighting and physical qualities needed moving forward but, what is abundantly clear, is that players have to attack and show utter belief in their convictions, as demonstrated by Federer, Djokovic and Nishikori. Federer's demolition of Murray can act as a wake-up call for Andy, and in 2015 it is a must that he believes in his ability to attack and play aggressive tennis against the very best, like he did against Djokovic in the first two sets at the US Open. That should become the norm rather than the exception.
    [barrycowan]
    11/14/2014 1:56:59 PM
    DJOKOVIC v BERDYCH HEAD2HEAD
    Our first singles match of the day is about to get underway, and Novak Djokovic will be a hot favourite, having compiled a 16-2 head2head record against Tomas Berdych since winning their first meeting in 2008 in Bangkok.

    One of Berdych's wins came on the big stage of a Wimbledon semi-final though (6-3 7-6 6-3 in 2010) and he also won in Rome last year (2-6 7-5 6-4). Djokovic romped to a 6-0 6-2 victory in their sole 2014 meeting, which came in the final in Beijing.



    11/14/2014 2:03:36 PM

    11/14/2014 2:07:44 PM

    11/14/2014 2:07:57 PM
    N DJOKOVIC 0-0 T BERDYCH*
    This one is just about to get underway and Berdych will serve first. Let's get it on!
    11/14/2014 2:09:40 PM
    N DJOKOVIC* 1-0 T BERDYCH
    Djokovic takes a while to ease into things and the first rally lasts a good four shots before he sends a point-winning backhand into the corner. A weak backhand into the net from Berdych follows and Djokovic is soon up three break points. He converts at the first attempt when Berdych fails to retrieve a stinging backhand return. Here we go![break]
    11/14/2014 2:17:09 PM
    WITH A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND A LITTLE BIT OF STAT ...
    Djokovic had 18 winners and just 8 unforced errors in another outstanding performance, and he has lost nine games in three matches so far. That is ridiculous! Berdych finished with 8 winners and 19 unforced errors. Djokovic led 4-2 on the ace count and had one double-fault, while Berdych had a pair.



    11/14/2014 3:34:40 PM
Powered by Platform for Live Reporting, Events, and Social Engagement

LIVE and exclusive on Sky Sports

Most Popular

  1. 'Hamilton did nothing wrong'
  2. Rosberg reignites Hamilton feud
  3. WATCH: Fiery press conference
  4. Sterling dreams of Kop chant
  5. Five things we learnt in China

Matches

The Ashes

The Ashes

Rection to England's 5-0 series whitewash in Australia

Interactive 92live map

Interactive 92live map

Follow Sky Sports News as we report live from all 92 English league clubs

Features

Souness: Mark of champions

Souness: Mark of champions

Graeme Souness hailed Chelsea after their win over QPR, describing their dogged display as "the mark of champions".

Supplement podcast

Supplement podcast

Download to hear the panel discuss the demise of Man City and the futures of van Persie, Cech and Wilshere.

Sky Cricket Podcast

Sky Cricket Podcast

Shane Warne, Ian Botham, Nasser Hussain and David Lloyd pay tribute to the legend, Richie Benaud.