Roger Federer looks to continue his superlative form at the ATP World Tour Finals when he takes on Mardy Fish on Thursday afternoon.
Federer handed out an absolute masterclass in the art of indoor tennis on Tuesday, sending shockwaves through the field with his 6-3, 6-0 demolition of Rafael Nadal. If Federer maintains that level it's hard to see anyone living with him and he'll be looking to seal his place at the top of Group B by beating Fish.
The American has enjoyed the best season of his career but he's run out of steam since the US Open and has looked well short of his best this week. He pushed Rafa Nadal close on Sunday but missed numerous chances to pull off the upset and was outplayed by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday.
It's been a frustrating week for Fish and he no longer has any chance of reaching the knockout stages but he's still hopeful of ending the tournament on a high with victory over Federer.
"I feel like I can win," he told the press. "I felt like I could win both the matches I already played, and I didn't. But, I mean, you're going to have to pry me off the court to not be able to compete in an event like this. I worked very hard this past year, these past two years [and] made a lot of sacrifices. These are the rewards, playing in an event like this. That's why I say, it's very disappointing, to not be able to play at the level that I would like to play at."
Federer leads 6-1 on the head-to-head but their matches have been progressively closer in recent years. They met in the Cincinnati final last year with Federer edging through 6-7(5), 7-6(1), 6-4.
Prediction: Federer in two.