TENNIS ATP DUBAI – Andy Murray got through to the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Tournament with his 6-4 7-5 win over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller. Novak Djokovic beat Vasek Pospisil 6-4 6-4. Diego Sampaolo
Muller saved four break point chances in a 19-minute third game with his serve but Murray got the break on the next opportunity in the fifth game. Muller brought up two break-back point chances but Murray saved them to go up 5-3. Murray won a hard-fought tenth game to clinch the first set.
Murray broke serve in the third game of the second set and looked in control of the match until the 10th game when Muller broke back to draw level to 5-all with the help of a net cord s Murray was serving for the match. Murray broke for the third time in the match for 6-5 before clinching the win on the second match point. Murray will take on Joao Sousa from Portugal. Murray player beat Sousa three weeks ago at the Australian Open
Novak Djokovic, four-time Dubai champion in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013, started his Dubai campaign with a 6-4 6-4 win over Vasek Pospisil improving his winning record to 3-0 in his head-to-head matches against Pospisil. Djokovic converted on three of his four break point chances.
The opening set went on serve until 4-4 when Djokovic broke serve. Djokovic served out for the match in the next game. Djokovic broke serve in the third game but Pospisil broke straight back in the next game. Pospisil raised the level of his game put Djokovic under pressure. The Canadian player earned two break point chances in the sixth game but Djokovic saved them with his serve. Djokovic broke serve again to pull away to 5-3 before closing out the match with a double 6-4
“I am still looking for that rhythm on the court but I managed to stay mentally tough on the court. As soon as we get through the rally, I have a better chance to win. He is a very aggressive player who goes after his shots”, said Djokovic
Feliciano Lopez beat James Ward 6-4 6-4. The 28-year-old British player could not convert on any of his six break point chances in the first set but dropped serve on Lopez’s only break point chance. The Spanish player opened up a 2-0 lead in the second set Ward saved four match points on serve in the ninth game but he could not break back and lost the match in straight sets. Lopez converted on two of his nine break point chances and fended off eight of the break point chances he faced during the match.
Marcos Baghdatis beat David Goffin for the second time this year with 6-2 7-5 one month after his previous victory at the Australian Open. Both players traded breaks in the first set before Baghdatis won with 6-2. The player from Cyprus won the most decisive points of the match and prevailed after a tight second set. Baghdatis’ next rival will be Borna Coric who fought back from a set down to edge Malek Jaziri from Tunisia with 5-7 6-3 6-3.
Tomas Berdych beat Jeremy Chardy 7-6 6-4 to set up a second round against Italian Simone Bolelli who beat Lukas Pouille 6-3 6-3 in just 57 minutes. Bolelli played a solid match in which he dropped just 11 points on serve and faced one break point.
Berdych and Chardy played a tight match in the first set where both players broke twice apiece. Berdych won the tie-break easily. Berdych broke in the third game and held his serve until the end to wrap up the second set with 6-4.
Berdych leads 3-2 in his previous head-to-head matches against Bolelli
Bolelli confirmed his good period of form one week after his first top-10 win over Milos Raonic in Marseille. It’s the second time that Bolelli has reached the second round at Dubai six years after losing to Richard Gasquet at this stage of the tournament.
Czech Republic’s Lukas Rosol broke serve en route to winning the first set against Sergiy Shostakovich with 6-4 but the Ukrainian player fought back dominating the second set with 6-1. The third set went on serve until the ninth game when Stakhovsky got the decisive break to win the third set with 6-4.
Roberto Bautista Agut dropped just five games in his 6-3 6-2 win over Austrian rising star Dominic Thiem.
The second day in Dubai ended with the all-Spamish derby between Fernando Verdasco and Guillermo Garcia Lopez. The first set went on serve until 5-5 when Verdasco got the decisive break before wrapping up the first set with 7-5. Verdasco cruised past to 6-1 in the second set.
