LONDON – Nikolay Davydenko grabbed the last semifinal spot at the ATP World Tour Finals by beating Robin Soderling, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3, Friday, knocking defending champion Novak Djokovic out of the tournament.
Davydenko, Djokovic and Soderling all finished with two wins in the round-robin phase, but the third-ranked Serb was eliminated on sets. Soderling had already secured advancement and finished at the top of Group B.
Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal, 7-6 (5), 6-3, earlier Friday, handing the Spaniard his third straight loss at the tournament.
Davydenko will face top-ranked Roger Federer in Saturday’s first semifinal match. Soderling, who entered the tournament as an alternate after Andy Roddick pulled out, will take on US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in a matchup of big hitters.
“He’s probably very confident now, beating Roger yesterday,” Soderling said of the Argentine. “So I have to step it up at least one level from today’s match. But I think I can do it. I played good this whole week.”
Davydenko, who reached the final of the lucrative season-ending tournament last year, broke Soderling for the first time to take a 4-2 lead in the decider and converted his second match point when the Swede missed an easy forehand at the net with a wide-open court.
The Russian, who double-faulted on the first match point, reacted with a stunned look of disbelief before letting out a celebratory yell. (AP)