Nishikori wins, Federer advances at ATP Finals

LONDON (AP) Roger Federer equaled Ivan Lendl's record of 12 semifinal appearances at the ATP Finals without stepping on court Thursday as Kei Nishikori defeated David Ferrer 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in his final round-robin match.

Nishikori will have to wait for the outcome of the match between Federer and Andy Murray to know if he makes it to the last four, but Ferrer sent Federer through by winning the first set.

Ferrer, who replaced the injured Milos Raonic at the last minute, took advantage of Nishikori's 18 unforced errors in the first set. Nishikori broke at the start of the second set before holding comfortably to even the score at one set apiece.

The fourth-seeded Japanese player left the court briefly but won four consecutive games upon his return.