Two days after beating good friend Rafael Nadal , David Ferrer gave him a gift: a spot in the Masters Cup semifinals.

Ferrer, a Spaniard ranked No. 6, overwhelmed No. 8 Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-1 Thursday to win the Gold Group and clinch a semifinal berth. Gasquet was eliminated from the season-ending tournament, and the result allowed No. 2 Nadal to advance as well. Earlier, Nadal defeated No. 3 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4.

"We are happy for that because he's Spanish," said Ferrer, a U.S. Open semifinalist who is guaranteed his biggest paycheck.

Ferrer is the hottest player along with Andy Roddick , who has clinched the Red Group and faces top-ranked Roger Federer on Friday. Also in that group that day, No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko plays No. 7 Fernando Gonzalez .

Nadal played his best match in Shanghai in what he said was one of his best of the indoor season. With both knees taped and tired after a long year, he persevered against Djokovic.