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SHANGHAI, Nov 13: Roger Federer made hard work of the start of his Masters Cup defence on Sunday before recovering to squeeze past Argentine David Nalbandian 6-3 2-6 6-4.
The runaway world number one is chasing a third consecutive finale title — a feat last achieved by Ivan Lendl in 1985-87.
In Sunday’s second Red Group match, Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic beat another Argentine, Guillermo Coria, 6-2 6-3.
Monday’s Gold Group matches will pit Andre Agassi against Nikolay Davydenko and Rafael Nadal against Gaston Gaudio.
Federer was playing his first match since being sidelined by an ankle injury after winning his 11th title of the season on Oct. 2 and appeared rusty at stages.
He made an unusually high number of unforced errors against last-minute qualifier Nalbandian and found himself 3-1 down in the final set after a break of serve.
However, a crunch backhand volley gave the Swiss a chance to claw his way back in the fifth game of the set at the state-of-the-art Qizhong Stadium and he never looked back.
Nalbandian — who now leads Federer 5-4 in matches played having won the pair’s first five meetings — was less thrilled with his performance.
Croatia’s Davis Cup hero Ljubicic saw his fine run of form continue as he beat Coria.
The 1.93-metre Ljubicic, who was one of the last to qualify for the tournament, used his height advantage to punch his way to an emphatic victory.
He recorded six aces to the Argentine’s one and frequently left his opponent standing as he executed lightning-quick volleys and smashes.
Results: Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt Guillermo Coria (Argentina) 6-2 6-3; Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt David Nalbandian (Argentina) 6-3 2-6 6-4
LOS ANGELES: Mary Pierce beat world number one Lindsay Davenport, and Amelie Maresmo ousted defending champion Maria Sharapova on Saturday to set up an all-French final at the WTA Tour Championships.
Pierce, the only player to emerge from round-robin play with a perfect 3-0 record, did just that on Saturday as she remained unbeaten with an impressive 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6) victory over Davenport.
Pierce blasted 40 winners — including 10 aces in a superb service effort — and had just 10 unforced errors.
Mauresmo defeated 18-year-old Sharapova 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 to book her second meeting with Pierce in three days.
Pierce saved the only three break points of the second set, all in the second game, as the two big-hitters took their battle to another tiebreaker.
Having given herself a second match point with a deep forehand that Davenport could only blast into the net, Pierce took the match when Davenport sailed a forehand long in a rare miscue.
Results (semifinals): Mary Pierce (FRA) bt Lindsay Davenport (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6); Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) bt Maria Sharapova (RUS) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3. —Agencies
