Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic booked their semi-final tickets for the 2018 Shanghai Rolex Masters on Friday, as each needed just two sets to beat their respective opponents.

The former played some of his best tennis of the tournament against Kei Nishikori, who gave him a tough challenge in the second set.

Djokovic survived a first-set tiebreak against Anderson to continue his excellent run against top-10 opponents:

Alexander Zverev impressed in his win over Kyle Edmund, and Borna Coric disposed of Matthew Ebden.

Here are the full results:

Roger Federer bt. Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-6 (4)

Novak Djokovic bt. Kevin Anderson 7-6 (1), 6-3

Alexander Zverev bt. Kyle Edmund 6-4, 6-4

Borna Coric bt. Matthew Ebden 7-5, 6-4

Coric will face Federer in the semi-finals on Saturday, while Djokovic takes on Zverev.

Recap

Federer entered his match against Nishikori in inconsistent form but started the contest with an instant break after some sensational tennis:

The Swiss veteran controlled the opening set the rest of the way, although Nishikori came close to making inroads on his serve on a few occasions. The Japanese defensive wizard was never able to bridge the gap, however.

Tennis writer Jose Morgado was impressed:

The 37-year-old found another break early in the second set, but Nishikori battled back to tie things up in the sixth game. The match ended in a tiebreak, which Federer narrowly won.

Any question marks that surrounded Federer entering the match have been thoroughly erased following a vintage display, and the Swiss star will like his chances against Coric in the semi-finals.

Anderson kept pace with Djokovic to force a tiebreak in the first set, but the Serbian star switched gears in the decider and dropped just a single point to take the advantage.

He carried his momentum well in the second set, using clever serves and returns into the feet of Anderson to keep the powerful baseline hitter off balance.

As shared by pundit Steve Weissman, Djokovic has a phenomenal record on Chinese soil:

He'll be matched with rising star Zverev in what should be an epic battle. Both men stand out for their great backhand play and ability to come up with winners out of nowhere, so neutral fans can expect plenty of exciting rallies.

Zverev was in typically good form against Edmund, wowing the crowd with shots like this one:

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a fine 2018 campaign but hasn't been at his best so far during the East Asian campaign, highlighted by a loss to Malek Jaziri in Beijing.

Coric has put together a nice stretch of form to qualify for the semi-finals, but Ebden made him work late in their contest, keeping the Croat on the court with some resilient play. The 21-year-old will now face Federer for a spot in the final.