Treatment on leg refreshes Federer

He beat Ivan Ljubicic to secure a spot in the semifinals of the Masters Cup.
SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Roger Federer asked for treatment at the start of his third set against Ivan Ljubicic, and a collective groan echoed around the Qi Zhong Stadium.
The injury-marred Tennis Masters Cup couldn't withstand the loss of another of its top players.
Top-ranked Federer, the two-time defending champion, got a quick rub on his right leg from a physiotherapist, then held off Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (4) Tuesday to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Never in doubt
"I was never in doubt I was going to finish that match -- maybe people in the stadium were," said Federer, laughing as he explained that he asked for treatment as a precaution "for my well being."
Playing with a heavy, black brace on his right ankle, Federer extended his winning streak to 33 matches and improved to 79-3 this year. That's three shy of John McEnroe's Open era record (82-3) for winning percentage in a season.
Federer beat David Nalbandian Sunday in his first match back since injuring his ankle in practice in early October.
With a third consecutive unbeaten run at the Masters Cup, the 24-year-old Federer can equal McEnroe's mark here.
Federer is the only player ranked from among the top six still in contention in the season-ending event, which is supposed to feature the ATP Tour's top eight players.
Multiple withdrawals
Second-ranked Rafael Nadal, the French Open champion, and No. 5 Andre Agassi withdrew within an hour of each other Monday with foot and ankle injuries.
No. 3 Andy Roddick (back) and Australian Open champion Marat Safin (knee) withdrew because of injuries, and No. 4 Lleyton Hewitt -- the Masters Cup winner at Sydney in 2001 and here in 2002 -- stayed in Australia pending the birth of his first child.
Sixth-ranked Guillermo Coria was out of contention after slumping to 0-2 in round-robin play with a 7-5, 6-4 loss to David Nalbandian Tuesday.
Federer had tough moments against Ljubicic -- he was two points from defeat in the 12th game of the third set.
He'd swept through the first set and had break points in Ljubicic's opening serve in the second. But Ljubicic saved his serve and converted his first breakpoint chance in the next game, then leveled at a set apiece.
Regains command
Federer regained command in the third set, having two match points on Ljubicic's serve in the ninth game and one on his own in the 10th. But again, the eighth-ranked Croat rallied, winning three straight games and forcing Federer to hold serve to stay in the match.
Federer did that and then took to a 3-0 lead in the tiebreaker on consecutive aces.
After giving the mini break back at 4-3, he had another powerful serve to set up match point, his fourth, and then ended it with a backhand winner down the line.
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