ATP World Tour Finals 2014: Roger Federer makes it two wins from two with victory over Kei Nishikori

The Swiss won 6-3 6-2

Switzerland's Rodger Federer and Japan's Kei Nishikori during their match at the O2 (GETTY IMAGES)

Roger Federer made it two wins from two group matches at the ATP World Tour Finals with a comfortable victory over Andy Murray's conqueror Kei Nishikori.

The Japanese player was the only debutant to win his opening match and was looking to maintain his good record against Federer.

However, this was a real contest only in the early stages as Federer breezed to a 6-3 6-2 win to add to his straight-sets victory over Milos Raonic on Sunday.

Federer will qualify for the semi-finals if Raonic defeats Murray later on Tuesday or Murray wins in three sets, with victory for the Scot now imperative to keep his chances alive.

Nishikori admitted the first time he played his idol he had too much respect for him to offer a challenge, but he had won two of their previous three meetings.

The 24-year-old had begun nervously against Murray but this time he looked sharp from the start and things might have been different had he converted one of two break points in the third game.

But Federer saved both and made Nishikori pay by breaking in the next game with two bullet forehands.

That seemed to deflate the fourth seed, whose usually reliable backhand began to let him down.

It looked like the O2 Arena might witness its fifth consecutive 6-1 set after Monday's blow-out wins for Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic when Federer had a point for 5-1.

This time Nishikori saved the break point but he could make no headway on Federer's serve and the world number two easily wrapped up the opening set.

Nishikori then took a medical time-out for treatment to his right wrist, and things showed no sign of improving as Federer broke again early in the second set.

Nishikori could not find the right balance between attack and defence and more errors handed Federer a 5-2 lead.

He had to save a third break point serving for the match but that proved a minor inconvenience as he wrapped up victory in an hour and nine minutes.