Serbia’s world number three Novak Djokovic beat Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-1 7-5 to win the Masters Cup in Shanghai. The Australian Open champion, who lost all of his matches without winning a set on his debut at the season finale last year, played his best tennis of the week in the final at the Qi Zhong Stadium. The 21-year-old Djokovic celebrated by kissing the court and tossing his racket and shirt into the crowd after seeing off Davydenko in one hour and 42 minutes.

Nikolay Davydenko reached the final of the Masters Cup in Shanghai with a straightforward 7-5 6-2 victory over world number four Andy Murray. Russian Davydenko will face world number three Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final, after the Serb beat Gilles Simon 4-6 6-3 7-5.

World number three Novak Djokovic overcame injury and Gilles Simon to book his place in the Masters Cup final with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 victory in Shanghai. Djokovic, who lost all three of his group stage matches last year, will face either Nikolay Davydenko in Sunday’s final after the Russian downed world number four Andy Murray 7-5 6-2 in the day’s other semi-final.

Andy Murray sent Roger Federer crashing out of the Masters Cup in Shanghai when he fought back from a set down to beat the world number two 4-6 7-6 7-5. Federer’s loss means Frenchman Gilles Simon joins Murray in qualifying from the Red Group for the semi-finals. World number three Novak Djokovic and Russian Nikolay Davydenko complete the last four line-up having qualified from the Gold Group.

Frenchman Gilles Simon kept his Masters Cup hopes alive with a 6-1 6-4 win over Radek Stepanek in Shanghai. Simon narrowly qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament but had to wait until late in the day when Andy Murray beat world number two and four-time defending champion Roger Federer 4-6 7-6 7-5.

Nikolay Davydenko booked his place in the semi-finals of the Masters Cup in Shanghai with a 6-3 6-2 win over Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro. With world number three Novak Djokovic already qualified from the Gold Group, the clash was a straight winner-takes-all scenario, with Davydenko comfortably coming out on top. Davydenko, bidding to finish in the world’s top five for the fourth consecutive year, immediately exploited Del Potro’s tiredness by taking him to deuce in the Argentine’s opening service game.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat world number three Novak Djokovic 1-6 7-5 6-1 to leave the Masters Cup in Shanghai with a consolation victory. Qualification for the semi-finals of the tournament was already impossible for Tsonga, who lost his opening two matches to Nikolay Davydenko and Juan Martin Del Potro. But the loss also did nothing to dent Djokovic’s progress to the last four, as the Serb had already secured top spot in the Gold Group with two early wins under his belt.

Roger Federer kept his Masters Cup hopes alive with a 7-6 6-4 win over stand-in Radek Stepanek in Shanghai. World number 27 Stepanek, who had to borrow kit from other players after his was held up at customs, only stepped in as the first alternate earlier in the day when American Andy Roddick withdrew with an ankle injury. Stepanek made a poor start to the match, slapping down a double fault to gift his Swiss opponent a break in the opening game, a break Federer quickly cemented by firing his first ace of the match.

World number four Andy Murray reached the semi-finals of the Masters Cup in Shanghai with a 6-4 6-2 win over Frenchman Gilles Simon. With two wins now under his belt, 21-year-old Murray is assured of a place in the semi-finals whatever the outcome of his final Red Group clash with Roger Federer on Friday.

Juan Martin del Potro won a tense encounter with French livewire Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) to breathe life into his Masters Cup campaign on Tuesday. The 20-year-old Argentine showed steely determination as he won two gripping tie-breaks to revitalise his semi-final hopes and leave Tsonga’s hanging by a thread.