World number two Novak Djokovic is still in the running to finish the year as world number one after he defeated Swiss star Roger Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday to advance to the final of the Paris Masters 2013 tournament.
Nadal would have guaranteed a year-end number one ranking if he won the other semifinal match but in a stunning upset, the Spaniard was derailed by compatriot David Ferrer in straight sets.
The victory means that Djokovic has narrowed down their head to head series gap at 14-16. This was their first meeting since the ATP World Tour Finals championship match last year with the Serbian also prevailing. They are slated to meet during the round robin stage of the year-end event next week as they are both in Group B.
Despite the loss, Federer said that he’s happy with how he played the match against the higher ranked Serbian. The Swiss maestro’s inclusion for the ATP World Tour Finals was in doubt a few weeks ago but a runner-up finish in Basel and a semifinal run in Paris have guaranteed his place in the elite eight-man event in London.
“I was pretty happy with my level of play,” said Federer. “I wish I could have kept it up for a bit longer and put him under pressure, but Novak battled well to stay in the match in the second set and the third set. I had my chances in the second and third sets. Disappointed right now, but overall it was a good week for me.”
