There have been six singles matches played in the Masters Cup and all have been tremendously arduous slogs at the climax of a tremendously arduous season. The knees are buckling, the sweat is pouring from the players' brows and the finishing line is within sight, but the race to the end is not attractive viewing.

Novak Djokovic is the first of the eight “survivors” in the 2008 field to have guaranteed a place in the semifinals, his 7-6, 0-6, 7-5 victory over Nikolay Davydenko, of Russia, in the gold group yesterday taking 2hr 18min. At times it was painful to watch, as two men whose game is based largely on relentless attrition from the baseline tried - and failed miserably - to bring much more than that to the table. Tennis wanted more, needed more, and yet the match failed to provide it, courtesy of a surface too slow to allow for anything other than gruelling rallies, which were usually ended by an exhausted error.

It is not the fault of Djokovic or Davydenko and neither Juan Martín Del Potro nor Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could be said to suffer from negative tendencies. The flourishes here have been that few and far between as to give rise to the suspicion that this will be the longest Masters Cup ever, even though the organisers have done away with the five-set final.

Quite how long Gilles Simon and Andy Murray will take to complete their reunion today, a month after they ground out the final of the Madrid Masters, troubles the soul. We want to see the pair think their way around the court and play intricate, subtle sport of variety, but we also want adventure rewarded.

The organisers of the London spectacular that takes up the reins from Shanghai next year - and they are here in numbers - had better lay a quicker carpet than this, otherwise seats at the 02 Arena may empty rapidly. This event, replete with enormous talent, is not giving that talent enough of an opportunity to flourish. There has been the odd 6-0 and 6-1 set, but, by and large, they have taken about an hour to complete and everyone's patience is wearing thin.

Djokovic had a meltdown in the second set against Davydenko - his head was spinning quicker than the rackets he sent flying. Come the definitive crunch, though, and the Serb, who keeps hearing how his No 3 ranking is in peril from Murray, played his strokes with a more judicious touch; a quick, quick, slow approach that lured Davydenko into a spate of late errors that cost him dear.

The Chinese crowd were sad to see Tsonga beaten 7-6, 7-6 by Del Potro, because with his departure, after completing his group obligations with a match against Djokovic, goes the most prominent of the showmen. He will hope never again to come across a court that so negates his enthusiasm.