rogerfederer.com - Roger in the semis in Shanghai

Roger in the semis in Shanghai

Roger won his second match today and secured his semifinal spot at the Tennis Masters Cup.

Roger, the two-time defending champion, is the only top-five player left in the event. He held on for a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (4) victory over sixth-seeded Ivan Ljubicic to extend his winning streak to 33 matches.

Roger is playing with a heavy black brace on his right ankle and said he was more concerned about his stamina than his aching joint after a six-week layoff. He had some treatment from a physiotherapist at a change of ends in the third set, but it was only a precaution.

"I never doubted I was going to finish the match," he said. "`I'm not 100 percent — that's obvious — it's been six weeks without a match and only one week being able to run properly. I came here not knowing if I'd be able to play — I thought I was the worst injured. I can play a normal tournament without having to do crazy things like take injections."

Roger secured a semifinal spot at the season-ending event when Guillermo Coria, who at No. 6 has the next-highest ranking in the tournament, lost 7-5, 6-4 to fellow Argentine David Nalbandian in Tuesday's later Red Group match. Roger and Coria, 0-2 at Shanghai, will play Thursday.

Ljubicic said "he's not struggling — he's just not in top shape," and thought he was outplayed in the first set but not in the remainder. "Today I felt like, for the first time I was the best player on the court. I feel really upset because I thought I deserved this one."

Expectations on Roger are usually high, but the scale took on a new dimension after second-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 5 Andre Agassi withdrew within an hour of each other Monday with injuries.