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Frenchman Gilles Simon kept his Masters Cup hopes alive with a 6-1 6-4 win over Radek Stepanek in Shanghai.

Simon narrowly qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament but had to wait until late in the day when Andy Murray beat world number two and four-time defending champion Roger Federer 4-6 7-6 7-5.

"It is not an easy situation since my qualification does not depend on my match," said Simon.

"I still have to wait a bit, it's frustrating but I'll reach at least a career-high seventh place in the ATP rankings. It's weird because in a couple of hours, I will either prepare for a semi-final match or just pack my things

The Frenchman, who was a last minute replacement for injured world number one Rafael Nadal before the tournament, set the tone for the first set, starting with an ace before breaking to love in the second game when Stepanek dumped a poor drop shot into the net.

Stepanek did manage to get himself on the board in the fourth game but consecutive double faults in the sixth proved costly as Simon secured a second break.

The Frenchman was pushed to deuce when he stepped up to serve out the set but Stepanek was unable to maintain the challenge and Simon wrapped up the 31 minute set with a forehand winner.

Simon continued his dominance into the early stages of the second set and broke in the opening game as Stepanek saw his first serve success rate slump to an alarming 35 per cent.

After the initial break though the second set went with serve as the world number 27, who had beaten Simon on their only other meeting, at the French Open earlier this year, began to enjoy some success with a serve and volley tactic.

But Simon had already done enough to ensure the win and set up three match points in the 10th game with a backhand passing shot that shaved the top the net.

The first went begging as another passing shot from the Simon racquet drifted just long of the baseline, but the Frenchman made no mistake with the second and wrapped up the victory after another unforced error from Stepanek.

"For me it was just an honour to be here, it was a great experience and a great motivation for next year," said Stepanek, who replaced Andy Roddick on Wednesday when the American withdrew with an ankle injury. "Gilles played a great match ... I tried to play my best tennis here this week."

Simon will now play Gold Group winner and world number three Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, while Murray will play Nikolay Davydenko.

Follow LIVE text commentary and scoring of both semi-finals of the Masters Cup in Shanghai from 9am UK time on Saturday!!

Pippa Davis / Eurosport