Spain's David Ferrer has qualified for the season-ending Masters Cup featuring the world's top eight players.
World number one Rafael Nadal pulled out of the season-ending Masters Cup on Monday because of injury. The Spaniard was forced to retire from his Paris Masters quarter-final against Russian Nikolay Davydenko last week because of a knee problem and said the packed tennis calendar had taken its toll on his body.
The Indo-Czech pair went down in the Tennis Masters Cup semi-finals to third seeds Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Austria's Julian Knowle in straight sets on Saturday.
Chilean Fernando Gonzalez became the seventh player to qualify for this month's Masters Cup despite losing in the second round of this week's Paris Masters.
With twin successes on the Asian swing of the ATP Tour, Novak Djokovic is back in the reckoning in a comparatively less successful year. And with no points to defend in the weeks ahead, the Serb, says Bikash Mohapatra, is the lone challenger to Roger Federer in the race for the year-end No.1 ranking.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy's management team are locked in a battle with Chinese customs officials to release the US Open trophy the Northern Irishman won earlier this year so it can be taken to the season-ending Dubai World Championship next week.
The American secured the eighth and last spot at the season-ending tournament Tommy Haas pulled out of his Paris Masters semi-final against Slovak Dominik Hrbaty.
With five weeks to go before the season-ending Masters Cup, six spots in the eight man field remain up for grabs.
The top-seeded Swiss has lost five times to eighth-seeded Nalbandian but has won their last three matches.
US Open champion Rory McIlroy held his nerve in the closing stages to edge out American Anthony Kim in a sudden death playoff and pocket the $2 million winner's cheque at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday.
Andy Murray beat Spain's David Ferrer 7-5, 6-4 to claim the Shanghai Masters tennis title on Sunday and move ahead of Swiss Roger Federer in the rankings for the first time in his career.
Britain's Andy Murray became overwhelming favourite for an Asian hat-trick as main rival Rafa Nadal was beaten in the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Thursday.
The Australian has withdrawn from the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai due to the impending birth of his first child.
Croatian Ivan Ljubicic grabbed the last ticket to the eight-strong Masters Cup on Friday.
Japan's Kei Nishikori will make a third straight appearance at the ATP Tour finals next month after becoming the fifth player to qualify for the season-ending tournament, organisers said on Wednesday.
World number five Juan Martin del Potro will miss next month's Australian Open as he continues to recover from a kneecap fracture he suffered during a fall at the Shanghai Masters.
The eight-man Masters Cup will be held for the third year at Qi Zhong Stadium from November 11-18.
Indian ace Mahesh Bhupathi and his Bahamian partner Mark Knowles's final appearance at last week's Madrid Masters has booked the duo a berth in the season-ending prestigious Tennis Masters Cup to be held in Shanghai next month. The top seven teams in the ATP doubles race apart from Roland Garros winners Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay and Luis Horna of Peru would compete in the event.
Novak Djokovic on Wednesday said it would be difficult to cut down on tournaments despite the leading men's players complaining that the packed calendar is shortening careers. After being forced to pull out of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, American Andy Roddick said governing body the ATP must give players a proper off-season.
An exasperated Andy Roddick said the ATP men's tour must give players more time to rest during the season or risk shortening their careers.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna clinched the Paris Masters, their second title of the year, after scoring a hard-fought win over Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer, on Sunday.
Leander Paes and his Czech partner Martin Damm secured a berth in the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.
Somdev Devvarman rose a rung to 84 while out of action Sania Mirza was static on number 88 in the latest tennis rankings.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the first three players to qualify for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.
Marat Safin, just a few weeks short of retirement, knocked out top seed Nikolay Davydenko 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a high-profile first-round tie between the two Russians at the Kremlin Cup on Wednesday.
Puerta stood in for Spain's Rafael Nadal, who withdrew from the Shanghai event earlier in the day with an ankle injury.
Top seed Rafa Nadal moved into the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Friday when Ivan Ljubicic became the eighth player to retire from the $3.24 million tournament. The Spanish world number two had just evened the match up at 3-6, 6-3 when 30-year-old Ljubicic, who had already had treatment on his left thigh, decided he could no longer continue.
Tenth seed Fernando Gonzalez reached the second round of the inaugural Shanghai Masters on Monday when German Mischa Zverev retired in the third set of a tight match.
Mario Ancic's defeat left only two players, American James Blake and German Tommy Haas, in contention for the last remaining slot at the season-ending Masters Cup.
The Indo-Serbian pair will meet seeded Michael Llodra and Fabrice Santoro of France in the title match.
The American joins Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko who all have already booked their places at the elite eight-man tournament.
Roger Federer has been drawn with Andy Roddick, Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Gonzalez at the Shanghai Masters Cup.
It was fitting that Nikolay Davydenko should get his biggest win of the year on Sunday at a Shanghai Masters tournament dominated by injury retirements and a debate over the length of the season.
ATP, WTA cancel China events, including Shenzen Finals
American teenage sensation Coco Gauff became the youngest player to win a WTA title in 15 years as she beat former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the Linz Open final on Sunday.
Russia's Mikhail Youzhny kept alive slim hopes of qualifying for the Masters Cup by downing Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4 6-3 in the opening round of the Paris Masters on Monday.
The US Open champions beat Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich 6-4, 7-6(6) at the Shanghai Masters.
A lower back injury forced the American to miss the season-ending eight-man tournament starting in Shanghai on Sunday.
The pair was beaten by Australia's Paul Hanley and Zimbabwe's Kevin Ullyett.
Andy Murray outgunned Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 7-6(2) in the final of the China Open on Sunday to claim his 40th career title.
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