Injury setback for Fish

Basel -The chances for Mardy Fish to play in his first ATP season finale may have been badly compromised as the American suffered a hamstring injury in his first round match at the Swiss Indoors here on Tuesday.

Fish was leading Jeams Blake 1-0 in the opening set when he was forced to retire.

The retirement, after just 11 minutes on court, could mean the end of Fish's hopes of winning a place in the World Tour Finals in London from November 20.

The 29-year-old stands provisional eighth in the race for the eight-man field, with three places still open.

The definitive line-up will be determined this week and next as the ATP regular season draws to a close.

Fish, the No 1 American after replacing Andy Roddick, had been on a tear, winning 20 of 26 matches since July.

He still has 500 points of breathing space in the race between himself and provisional ninth-placed Spaniard Nicolas Almagro.

Blake has been on an indoor roll for the last few weeks, winning five of seven matches and reaching the Stockholm semi-finals.

The one-time world No 4, now ranked 60th, has climbed back from 173rd this season but had to qualify into Basel, the first time he's played the qualifiers since the 2005 French Open.

The pair of American friends and practise partners were meeting for the first time outside the US, with the series now level at three wins each.

Blake will next play Russian Mikhail Kukushkin, who got into the field after Austrian Jurgen Melzer pulled out with a back injury.