PARIS: Milos Raonic secured his maiden win over Roger Federer to book his place in the semifinals of the Paris Masters on Friday.
The seventh-seeded Raonic, who had never beaten Federer in six previous meetings, hit 21 aces and lost only 15 points on his serve to complete a 7-6 (5), 7-5 win, keeping alive his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in London.
Raonic ended Federer's 14-match winning streak but the Swiss has still a chance to overtake top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the race for the year-end No. 1 spot.
Earlier, Tomas Berdych sealed his spot at the ATP finals, where he will be playing for the fifth straight year, after rallying to beat Kevin Anderson.
The fifth-seeded Czech came out on top of a tight match and won 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4 to extend his unbeaten record against the South African to 12-0.
Berdych, who hit 16 aces to Anderson's 12 but struggled with consistency on his first serve, made the decisive break in the ninth game of the third set with a backhand winner down the line.
"It's probably never going to be like a routine thing," Berdych said about his qualification. "I mean, it's always just proof of having a great season."
Two berths are left in the race to London, with Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer in contention with Raonic for the Nov. 9-16 season-ending tournament at the O2 Arena.
