Roger Federer moved closer to reaching the semifinals of the 2014 ATP World Tour Final after scoring a 6-3, 6-2 win against Kei Nishikori in their group stage match on Tuesday at O2 Arena in London, England.

Federer was on target against Nishikori as he served well and showed aggressiveness throughout the match, while Nishikori failed to get into his rhythm. Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open finalist, committed 30 unforced errors, which was simply too much for an opponent of Federer's caliber.

"I was expecting a very difficult match," Federer said after the match via ESPN. "I've known him since he was 17 years old and always thought he was a great talent and he's going to have a great future."

Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open finalist, was bothered by a hurting wrist during the match, but the Japanese tennis ace pointed out that his inconsistencies led to the costly defeat.

With the win, Federer will play in the semifinals of the year-end spectacle, unless he absorbs a lopsided defeat in his next match and Nishikori wins by a big margin against Raonic on Thursday.

Federer, who is aiming to finish the year on top of the world rankings, will face Andy Murray in his next match on Thursday, where the Briton will look to keep his chances of advancing to the semis alive.

Murray, who lost to Nishikori in straight sets on Sunday, scored a hard-earned 6-3, 7-5 win against Raonic to stay in contention.

In order to advance, Murray should win against Federer coupled by a victory by Raonic against Nishikori. If Nishikori wins, Murray will have to defeat Federer via a big margin to have a chance of advancing to the next round.

"If Kei wins, then I need to beat Roger, it depends on the scoreline of that match with Kei and Raonic," Murray said via The Guardian. "If Raonic wins, then I know that all I need to do is win the match against Roger and I'll be through. I'm not going to know that until I get ready for the match because I can't predict the future."

Highlights of the Federer-Nishikori and Murray-Raonic matches are available on this link.

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