( CNN ) -- Local favorite Andy Murray was a man under pressure but it seldom showed as he kept his ATP World Tour Finals bid alive on Tuesday . The Scot knew that anything other than victory against Canadian Milos Raonic would have eliminated him from the prestigious season-ending event in London . After losing his opening match to Japan 's Kei Nishikori on Sunday , Murray raised his game as he won 6-3 7-5 while Raonic , who suffered his second straight defeat , hit 33 unforced errors . `` On Sunday , there was n't much magic , '' Murray said on court after victory . `` Today , I came up with some good shots at the right moments . Milos did n't serve as well as he can . `` I played a solid match . '' The Scot now needs to beat an in-form Roger Federer in both players ' final Group B game on Thursday to be sure of reaching the semifinals . Federer tops the group with a 100 % record , while both Murray and Nishikori have won one and lost one . `` It 's always a pleasure to play against Roger , '' Murray added . `` He 's one of the greatest players that 's ever played the game so to get the opportunity to play him in an atmosphere like this is excellent . '' Murray may well find that he does n't receive all the support at the O2 Arena given the sizable Swiss contingent that greeted their favorite 's 6-3 6-2 victory over Nishikori earlier on Tuesday . With two wins out of two in Group B , following a straight sets win over Raonic on Sunday , Federer is on course to continue his dependable displays at the tournament . 993 and counting ... The 33-year-old , who needs just one set to go through , has reached the semifinals on all but one of his 12 previous appearances at the World Tour Finals . Should he reach the last four , he will match the record of Ivan Lendl -- who reached the semis on 12 occasions . A masterly display against Nishikori , the first Asian man to qualify for the World Tour singles , also took Federer to within seven wins of 1,000 career victories . Currently boasting 993 triumphs from 1,219 matches , only Jimmy Connors ( 1,253 wins ) and Lendl ( 1,071 ) have previously broken a barrier that is testament to both longevity and class . `` It would obviously be cool to get there -- I think it 's a great number , '' said the 17-time grand slam champion , to cheers and the sound of cowbells from a vocal Swiss contingent . He also has the chance to finish the year as No . 1 for a record-equalling sixth time , although any possibility of doing so will be dashed should Djokovic , who beat U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in his opener on Monday , win all three of his Group A games . Nishikori , who lacked the poise he showed when beating Murray on Sunday , showered praise on the evergreen Federer afterwards . `` I never feel that he 's 33 , '' said the 24-year-old , who finished runner-up at this year 's U.S. Open . `` He still looks young and plays amazing tennis . '' On Wednesday , Group A hosts its second round of matches as Djokovic meets Stan Wawrinka while Cilic and Tomas Berdych both go in search of their first wins .
Roger Federer maintains Group B bid with straight sets victory over Stan Wawrinka . Defeat for the Scot would have spelled early elimination . Andy Murray rolls back Thursday with vintage display against Kei Nishikori . All four players in Group B can still qualify for semifinals .