Federer outclasses Murray to end year as top player

There are plenty of special effects inside the O2 Arena for the ATP Tour Finals but nothing could match the sight of Roger Federer in full flow as he beat Andy Murray on Tuesday night to guarantee the year-end no.1 ranking.

Federer did not have to be at his magical best but after a wobbly start he took control midway through the match and treated the 17,500 capacity crowd to some shots that only he can play, reeling off the last six games for a 3-6 6-3 6-1 victory.

His second three-set win in Group A meant that world number two Rafael Nadal can no longer close the points gap in the rankings and Federer will have the honour of finishing the year as the world number one for the fifth time in his career.

Only Pete Sampras, who managed the feat six times in the 1990s, and Jimmy Connors, who did it five times in the 70s, have achieved that since rankings were introduced in 1973.

Federer also becomes the only man other than Ivan Lendl in 1989 to regain the year-end crown after being toppled from the summit by Nadal last year.

"After having a rough 2008, coming back this year and being able to dominate and play at the top when the depth in tennis is so great at the moment, I think it's a wonderful achievement," Federer, whose year began in a shattering defeat by Nadal in the Australian Open final, told reporters.

"It's official. It's a wonderful feeling. I think this is more the night to celebrate number one than celebrate the victory over Andy really."

While Federer is untouchable in the rankings, the intricacies of tournament's unique format mean that his place in the semi-finals here is not yet guaranteed after Juan Martin del Potro's earlier victory over Fernando Verdasco meant that all four players in Group A can still progress.

Federer tops the table with two wins but defeat by Del Potro, the man who stopped him in his tracks in the US Open final, today and victory for Murray against Verdasco would mean calculators are needed to work out the final standings.

Soderling hammers Djokovic

Swede Robin Soderling claimed his second major upset at the ATP World Tour Finals yesterday when he beat world number three Novak Djokovic 7-6 6-1.

Soderling, only competing in the elite year-end showpiece because of the withdrawal of Andy Roddick, backed up his opening Group B victory over Rafael Nadal with another magnificent display to all but seal a semi-final spot.

Djokovic looked disgruntled throughout the one-hour-34-minute contest and offered token resistance after losing the first set.

Soderling, this year's French Open runner-up, had never beaten Djokovic in five previous clashes with the Serb and punched the air with delight after his opponent netted a lame volley on match point.

Djokovic, the defending champion after winning the year-ender in Shanghai last year, will need to re-group quickly for his final round-robin match against Nadal tomorrow.