Just when it looked as if there may be no British presence in the latter stages of the Volvo World Match Play Championship, Ross Fisher came through yesterday to book himself a place in today’s 36-hole semi-finals at the splendid Finca Cortesin Golf Club, along the coast from Málaga.

The unassuming Englishman, who had been beaten by Lee Westwood in the second of his three round-robin matches, sealed his place with a victory by one hole over Jeev Milkha Singh, of India, and will now play Ángel Cabrera, the Masters champion, from Argentina. The other semi-final promises to be a touch spicy and will pit Anthony Kim, of the United States, against Robert Allenby, of Australia. Fisher came into the championship lying seventh in the Race to Dubai and noted with some satisfaction that all of those ranked above him who played here — Westwood (No 1), Martin Kaymer (2), Rory McIlroy (3), Paul Casey (4) and Oliver Wilson (6) — fell at the first hurdle. He has his sights on finishing the season as No 1 in Europe and would help his challenge considerably with victory this weekend.

Cabrera, who thrashed Simon Dyson by seven holes in his final match, has found a course that suits his long-hitting game. But in Fisher, he will come up against a tenacious player who can hit the ball just as far. The former Wentworth “scholar” has yet to win this season, but proved himself adept at this format of the game when he reached the semi-finals of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, in Arizona, in February.

“I have 36 holes against the Masters champion, a very tough, gritty competitor,” he said. “So I need to be on form.” One thing that had not escaped his attention, he admitted, had been the presence of Colin Montgomerie, the Europe Ryder Cup captain.

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Kim left the best until last. Needing to win the final hole against Scott Strange — the Australian led him by four holes coming to the 18th tee and had to maintain that gap to go through on “hole difference” — he struck a spectacular three-wood 274 yards to within five feet of the hole for a certain eagle.

It set up a match with Allenby, who criticised Kim at the Presidents Cup this month. “It’s all over. It’s done,” he said when asked about the matter. Kim concurred, but the handshake on the 1st tee will be something to see.

Group A: R Goosen (SA) bt P Casey (GB) 1 hole; S Strange (Aus) bt A Kim (US) 3 holes; Strange bt Casey 1 hole; Kim bt Goosen 4 holes.

Group B: R Allenby (Aus) bt O Wilson (GB) 2 holes; S García (Sp) bt M Kaymer (Ger) 4 holes; Wilson bt García 1 hole; Allenby bt Kaymer 1 hole.

Group C: H Stenson (Swe) bt Á Cabrera (Arg) 2 holes; R McIlroy (GB) bt S Dyson (GB) 2 holes; Cabrera bt Dyson 7 holes; McIlroy bt Stenson 4 holes.

Group D: L Westwood (GB) bt R Fisher (GB) 2 holes; C Villegas (Col) bt J M Singh (India) 3 holes; Westwood halved with Villegas; Fisher bt Singh 1 hole.