Andy Murray is the only man in the Masters Cup field who can win the $1,340,000 (about £920,000) prize on offer for anyone who takes the title undefeated after Novak Djokovic’s 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 defeat by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga yesterday.

As well as delivering good news for the British No 1, the match redefined the thought of apparently meaningless round-robin encounters. Djokovic was secure in the last four before he played Tsonga, whereas the 23-year-old from France had lost his opening two matches and could not qualify.

The gold group ended with Djokovic topping the table, with Nikolay Davydenko for semi-final company, the Russian defeating Juan Martín Del Potro, of Argentina, 6-3, 6-2.

Murray will hope that facing Davydenko is his semi-final task, for that means he will have defeated Roger Federer at the Qi Zhong stadium today. If Federer is to be the one to tackle Davydenko — over whom he has a 12-0 lifetime record — it will mean that he has beaten Murray.