Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2016 kicked off at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex yesterday in the presence of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani. The tournament is organised by the Qatar Tennis Federation and is attended by a strong line-up of players from around the world. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic cruised past qualifier Dustin Brown of Germany 6-2, 6-2 yesterday. In other matches, Jeremy Chardy of France defeated Qatar’s Mubarak Shannan Zayid 6-1, 6-1, while Kyle Edmund of Britain beat Martin Klizan of Slovakia 6-2, 6-3. Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina defeated Marco Cecchinato of Italy 6-4, 6-2. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil