Murray sends Federer packing

Tennis : Roger Federer failed to reach the semi-finals of the Masters Cup for the first time after losing an extraordinary final…

Tennis: Roger Federer failed to reach the semi-finals of the Masters Cup for the first time after losing an extraordinary final group match 4-6 7-6 7-5 to Andy Murray. Federer finally succumbed to the Scot's eighth match point after an enthralling three-hour contest.

The 27-year-old Swiss, who was chasing a record-equalling fifth title, needed to win his final round-robin match to progress.

In-form world number four Murray had already qualified for the last four and will meet Russian Nikolay Davydenko tomorrow for a place in the final.

France's Gilles Simon earlier beat Czech Radek Stepanek 6-1 6-4 but faced an anxious wait before being confirmed as the fourth semi-finallist. He will play Serbia's Novak Djokovic.