Tennis News

Following a month-long absence from the ATP World Tour, Roger Federer resumed professional competition on Monday afternoon at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and found his way into the second round of the tournament following a straightforward victory. He will now come up against Fernando Verdasco, whom he holds an undefeated 5-0 head to head record against in the head-to-head series.

You will be able to watch the match live here: Federer vs Verdasco Live Stream

The world No. 2 had been absent since a surprise premature exit in the third round of the Australian Open last month. Federer lost to Andres Seppi, whom he held a 13-0 record against prior to their most recent meeting in Melbourne. However, on Monday in Dubai, it was business as usual for the Swiss star, as he overcame a determined Mikhail Youzhny to push his undefeated head-to-head series against the Russian to 16-0.

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“The last thing I want to do is lose back-to-back matches playing careful,” said the six-time Dubai champion. “I know I can play careful tennis, but then you cannot leave it up to the other guys sometimes if you are going to win or lose. I feel over the years I have won my biggest matches in most tournaments by playing on my terms, and you can’t always do it. It’s difficult to come out and dominate every match, every point, and it’s also hard work always playing aggressive.”

Up next for Federer is a match-up against Fernando Verdasco, who began his campaign in Dubai with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Guillermo Garcia Lopez on Tuesday. The Spaniard hit 7 aces, won 78% of his first service points and saved 4 of 5 break points to close out the match in exactly 80 minutes.

This marks the sixth time that Federer and Verdasco will step across the net from each other on the professional tour, and the Spaniard is yet to earn his first victory against the Grand Slam Great. While he is capable of giving Federer a run for his money, he will be hard pressed to find a way to close out the match.

Prediction: Roger Federer in Straight Sets

Following a premature end to his run in Rotterdam, Andy Murray returned to professional competition with a straight sets victory over a tough opponent. The British No. 1 will next face Portugal’s Joao Sousa, whom he has encountered on four previous occasions. The British No. 1 leads the head-to-head series 4-0.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Murray v Sousa Live Stream

Seeded third at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Murray opened his campaign against surging competitor Gilles Muller, whom he defeated 6-5, 7-5 in a close, competitive battle. The former finalist at the event withstood 11 aces from Muller, hit 80% of his first service points, and saved 3 of 4 break points to find his way into the following round.

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“I think the end of both sets I didn’t serve so well,” said Murray. “But apart from that, I didn’t give him any opportunities really. I feel like I got a little bit unlucky at the end of the second set. He got a couple of net cords in that last game, the 5-4 game where I got broken, and did very well to respond straightaway and get the break right back. I thought I played a fairly high quality match.”

Murray’s next opponent will be Joao Sousa, who defeated Ireland’s James McGee 6-1, 6-2 to reach the second round. Sousa won 66% of his first service points and converted five aces against the wildcard to close out the match in 64 minutes. He will now look to overturn his record against the Scot on Wednesday afternoon in Dubai.

This marks the fifth time that Murray and Sousa will meet on the professional tour. Murray leads the head-to-head series 4-0, which include a recent win at the Australian Open, as well as two straight sets victories in 2014. All of those wins took place on hard courts, which only adds to the expectation that the Briton will ease into the next round of the tournament.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Straight Sets