Federer bows to Nishikori in Sony Open quarters

KEY BISCAYNE, Florida — Roger Federer squandered a big lead and lost to No. 20-seeded Kei Nishikori 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open.

Federer was up a service break twice in the second set but couldn't close out the victory. He lost serve five times and committed 39 unforced errors.

Nishikori's opponent Friday will be three-time champion Novak Djokovic, who benefited from an erroneous call in the pivotal game to beat Andy Murray 7-5, 6-3. The semifinal berth is Nishikori's second in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, and his first in 2½ years.