Stanislas Wawrinka and David Ferrer
Wawrinka and Ferrer met in 2013 at the O2 Arena, with the Swiss prevailing in three sets. Getty Images

Stanislas Wawrinka and David Ferrer face a straight shoot-out to retain their interest in the ATP World Tour Finals.

Where to watch

Wawrinka vs Ferrer is live on Sky Sports 1HD and BBC Radio Five Live sports extra at 2pm.

Preview

Stanislas Wawrinka's hopes of reaching a third successive semi-final at the ATP World Tour Finals hinge on beating David Ferrer as day four at the O2 Arena comes to a close. The Swiss has reached the last four in his two appearances at the season-ending tour finals but his continued participation is under threat after he was thumped by Rafael Nadal.

Ferrer suffered a similarly harrowing loss at the hands of Andy Murray in his opening match and is also in a perilous position, needing to win his second match so to avoid a fifth round robin exit. The Spaniard produced a dogged showing before being convincingly beaten by Murray but he will need to turn back the clock to reignite his challenge.

Three straight wins in meetings between the pair means Wawrinka is close to restoring parity in the head-to-head record, with Ferrer having gone 33 months since last overcoming the French Open champion. The Swiss' most recent success on a hard court against Ferrer also came at the ATP Finals in 2013; an ominous sign for Ferrer.

What the players say

Stanislas Wawrinka: "You know, it's last tournament of the year, so I don't want to leave this week. I want to stay as much as possible. For sure I will have to play better. But you never know. That's why it's interesting here: you can lose the first match, still qualify.

"I will have to play some better tennis. I will have to be back on my top form for the next one against David Ferrer. We'll see. So far I just lost. Going to see what I'm going to do tomorrow and get ready for the next one."

David Ferrer: "The court is slower. The court is slower, sure. Is different than clay. The movements are different. For me is easy change clay court to hard court. For me is more difficult change hard court to clay court. In clay court you have to have more power in the shots."

Betting odds (source William Hill):

Stanislas Wawrinka 8/13 vs 13/10 David Ferrer

Head-to-head record: Wawrinka 6-7 Ferrer. Last match Monte Carlo Masters (clay) Wawrinka bt Ferrer 6-1 7-6

Previous meetings at the ATP World Tour Finals: Wawrinka 0-1 Ferrer. Last match Wawrinka bt Ferrer 6-7 6-4 6-1

More about ATP World Tour Finals