Thursday 16 November 2017 19:36, UK
Roger Federer made it three wins from three matches at the ATP Finals after battling back to beat Marin Cilic on Thursday.
Cilic was already eliminated from the tournament after successive defeats and he could not finish on a positive note as he was beaten 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1.
Despite victory, though, Federer will be hoping for an improved display when he meets Dominic Thiem or David Goffin in the semi-finals on Saturday.
The world No 2 was not at his fluent best and looked frustrated at times, but did enough to improve his head-to-head record against Cilic to 8-1 as he continues his quest for a seventh ATP Finals title.
Having opted to receive first, Federer missed three break points in the opening game. The Swiss looked comfortable on his own serve but Cilic got into his groove and only saved one more break point before a tie-breaker.
A double fault from Federer handed Cilic the early advantage in the tie-break and stayed in front before closing it out with a clever volley and then a forehand winner.
Federer looked frustrated in the second set as he regularly missed backhands and also saw his own serve come under pressure for the first time.
However, Federer stayed in the contest and a poor game from Cilic at 5-4 gifted the world No 2 the first break of the match and the second set.
And Federer raised his level in the third set as he broke twice and eased clear to win the match.
"It was a tough match. Lot of chances in the first set but Marin served well and was a bit better in the breaker, I was a bit undecided on a few occasions in some important moments and then I was in trouble at a set and a break point down, so I am happy I found a way out of it and at the end I played very well. Really happy to be playing this level right now."
Towards the end of the first set and at the start of the second set Federer looked very cranky...but he just dealt with it, and from that moment on he played great.
It would have been interesting to see if Cilic at 5-4 could have pushed him on in the second set but Federer showed why he is the best in the world and was very classy in the final set.
Federer faces either Dominic Thiem or David Goffin in the semi-finals on Saturday. You can watch both semi-finals live on Sky Sports, with the action getting underway from midday.
The season-ending extravaganza ATP Finals ends another memorable year which will be covered via our website www.skysports.com/tennis with live blogs, reports, reaction and expert analysis as the season reaches its climax.
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