Tennis News

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is living up to his billing as the top seed at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, as he breezed into the quarter-final stage of the tournament without so much as breaking a sweat. He will now Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan, whom he has never faced previously on the professional tour.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Djokovic v Ilhan Live Stream

It took Djokovic barely over an hour of court time to secure his place in the quarter-final stage of the tournament. Up against Andrey Golubev, Djokovic hit 17 winners and faced no break points en route to a 6-1, 6-2 victory. It was his 11th match win of the season and extends the streak he began at the Australian Open this year.

Article Continues Below Ad

“Having one match under my belt before today’s encounter helped me to feel a bit more comfortable to move around on the court quicker, and I tried to take away the time from my opponent today,” admitted Djokovic. “It was just a much better performance than yesterday. Hopefully I can improve as the tournament progresses.”

According to the ATP World Tour, Djokovic has held the No. 1 ranking spot for 135 weeks, six weeks shy of tying Nadal’s record of 141 weeks.

Turkish wildcard entrant Masel Ilhan overcame two-time runner-up Feliciano Lopez in three sets to find his way into the quarter-final stage of the ATP 500 level event in Dubai. He rallied from a set down to defeat the 2004 and 2008 finalist 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in 1 hour and 57 minutes.

This is set to be the first career meeting between Novak Djokovic and Ilhan. Once again, Djokovic will find his way into the final four with relative ease. He may come up against some early resistance from the Turk, given that he has never encountered him on the tour; however, it is unlikely to faze Djokovic en route to a Friday semi-final showing.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

Ever since their first encounter on the professional circuit back in 2013 at the Davis Cup playoff, Andy Murray and rising star Borna Coric have not crossed paths. That is about to change, as the two are set to meet in the quarter-final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Thursday afternoon. Murray leads the head-to-head series 1-0 with a straightforward victory on clay.

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

Seeded third at the event, Murray barely broke a sweat in his third round match-up against Portugal’s Joao Sousa. The Scot dropped a mere two games during the encounter, and closed out the match 6-0, 6-2 in 58 minutes. It was Murray’s 10th win on the tour this season.

Article Continues Below Ad

“Today I thought I just picked the right shots and played the right way when he was struggling,” said Murray. “I didn’t give him any free points. I didn’t make sort of needless errors. He was getting more frustrated because he couldn’t get any free points and then was going for more and more shots and obviously making more errors because of it.”

Up next for Murray is a quarter-final berth against lucky loser Borna Coric, who was faced with a tough three-setter against Marcos Baghdatis before he won the match after the Cypriot retired in the final set tiebreak with a cramp. Coric recovered from a 1-4 deficit in the match and showed impressive determination en route to victory.

This is just the second time that Murray and Coric will meet on the professional tour, with Murray leading the series 1-0. While that win took place almost a year-and-a-half ago, and was also on clay, Murray will still be the overwhelming favourite to advance to the quarter-final stage of the event. Coric may one day posses the skill set to challenge Murray, but that will not happen in the immediate future.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Straight Sets

For the second time in two months, Agnieszka Radwanska and Venus Williams will cross paths on the WTA Tour. The American leads the head-to-head series 6-4, including a win in their most recent encounter back at the Aussie Open. It will be interesting to see if the American can maintain that momentum given her grueling encounters so far in Doha.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Radwanska vs Williams Live Stream

Up against resurgent Italian Flavia Pennetta in the second round, Radwanska was able to earn the victory with relative ease, as she dropped just two games in the entire match. The Polish No. 1 won the contest 6-1, 6-1, where she struck 3 aces, won 77% of her first service points, and faced no break points en route to the victory in 49 minutes. It virtually the opposite to what her upcoming opponent faced en route to the final eight in Doha.

Article Continues Below Ad

Not only did former world No. 1 Venus Williams edge Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in an all out battle on Centre Court in Doha, she saved a match point in the process and completed the contest well past midnight in the Gulf. The pairing split the first two sets 10 minutes shy of two hours on court, after which they embarked on a enthralling decider. Eventually, Venus found one final reserve of energy, and pushed past her opponent 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(5).

This marks the eleventh time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Williams leading the series 6-4. Up until their most recent meeting at the Australian Open, Radwanska has won the last three consecutive meetings, dating back to the 2012 Miami Masters. She has also not lost a set to Venus in that entire period of time, but was then handed a 6-3 2-6 6-1 loss in the fourth round of the Aussie Open. She will look to avenge that loss this time around.

Prediction: Agnieszka Radwanska in Three Sets

Serbian star Novak Djokovic began his week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in impressive fashion, and will now look to further his campaign in his upcoming second round match-up against Andrey Golubev. This marks the fourth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the ATP World Tour, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head series 3-0.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Djokovic v Golubev Live Stream

The top seed earned his third straight victory over Canadian No. 2 Vasek Pospisil in his opening round match in Dubai, and did so with a straightforward 6-4, 6-4 score. The Serb converted 3 break points and withstood a late comeback from Pospisil to seal the match in 1 hour and 18 minutes.

Article Continues Below Ad

“I’m still looking for that rhythm on the court,” said Djokovic. “But I managed to stay mentally tough. I was patient in rallies, I thought. As soon as we get through the rally, I have a better chance of winning. He’s a very flashy player, aggressive, goes after his shots.So hopefully the next match can be better.”

For just the second time this season, Andrey Golubev is through to the second round of an ATP World Tour event. He is 2-5 in main draw matches, and is currently in his sixth tournament of the season. He defeated Fabrice Martin 7-5 6-4 to set up a second round meeting with the world No. 1 and recent Grand Slam winner. Unfortunately, he is unlikely to break the cycle of early losses this time around.

This is the third time that Djokovic and Golubev will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Serbian star remaining undefeated at 3-0. His most recent win was at last year’s Wimbledon Championships, and prior to that was back in 2012 in a pair of hard court encounters. Djokovic will have a significant advantage over his opponent and will likely impose his will with relative ease.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets