Shock defeat hands Roger Federer an unwanted first

For the first time in his long career at the top, Roger Federer has suffered a straight-sets defeat in the round-round stage of the ATP Finals in London.

Kei Nishikori defeated the Swiss world No.3 6-4 (7-4) 6-3 in one hour and 27 minutes.

Federer’s previous worst defeat in the Tour Finals’ round-robin stage was a 4-6 6-4 6-3 loss to Gilles Simon in 2008.

The win also turned the match-up on its head after the Swiss had defeated his Japanese rival twice in the last six weeks.

“I had to change some things for sure,” Nishikori said.

“I think I played good tennis, using my forehand a little more, play aggressive and things started working in the second set.”

Federer hit 34 unforced errors – including 12 off his forehand and 18 off his backhand – as his quest for a 100th career title began poorly.

Normally cool, he was warned by the umpire for ball abuse in the 12th game after Nishikori produced a staggering backhand winner down the line.

Federer had beaten Nishikori in straight sets in the Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters quarter-finals.

The defeat ensures the Swiss cannot overhaul Rafael Nadal to finish the year as world No.2.

Anderson begins with a win

Earlier, Kevin Anderson made an impressive ATP Finals debut in the same Lleyton Hewitt group, beating Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-6 (12/10).

South African giant Anderson came into the match with a healthy 6-2 lead over Thiem in head-to-heads but had lost their two most recent meetings, including a straight-sets defeat at the US Open.

The Wimbledon finalist, who stands at 2.03 metres (six feet eight inches) tall, established an early grip, dominating the early exchanges and securing the crucial break in the fourth game.

The 32-year-old, making his debut at the season finale, won 84 percent of his points on serve in the first set, compared with just 58 percent for his ragged Austrian opponent.

Thiem tightened up his game in the second set and looked far more aggressive, with his serving numbers rocketing higher but Anderson held firm to take the set into a tie-break.

In a see-saw tie-break, 25-year-old Thiem had two chances to level the match but Anderson kept his cool to seal the victory with an ace on his fourth match point.

“I definitely felt a little bit nervous,” said Anderson.

“But I was able to settle very quickly and find a really good rhythm, taking care of my serve games nicely, created quite a few opportunities on his serve.

“He wasn’t serving at, you know, well, a very high first serve percentage… I think overall just getting off to a good start helped me a lot today.”

World No.1 Novak Djokovic, who heads the Guga Kuerten group, will be in action on Monday against John Isner while Alexander Zverev takes on Marin Cilic.

with AFP