World number one Novak Djokovic plays a return against Leonardo Mayer of Argentina yesterday.
If he reaches the final tomorrow here in Doha, Djokovic will inch closer to Roger Federer’s mark of 17 straight finals, which the Swiss set from June 2005 to August 2006. The kind of form that he is in at the moment, it’s most likely that Djokovic will do that, as the top-seed Serb beat eighth seed Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 6-3, 7-5 to enter the semi-finals here at the Khalifa Complex.
On the other hand, Nadal has gone 18 hard-court tournaments since winning a title. Last night, it looked like the World No. 5 would have to wait for some more time when he came up against a determined Andrey Kuznetsov, the 79th-ranked Russian.
However, Nadal, the 2014 champion, held on after losing the second set to complete a tough 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Kuznetsov in two hours and eight minutes.
Nadal had breezed past the first set in 37 minutes, but gave away in the second, broken three times by Kuznetsov, despite converting a break himself.
Kuznetsov’s powerful forehands were on fire on the centre court, as he belted some solid winners down the baseline, with the 24-year-old Russian forcing the decider. It was the first time the Russian had taken a set from Nadal, having lost in their only previous match last year at the French Open.
It was a golden chance for Kuznetsov to cause an upset but he faltered. The mental aptitude of Nadal, which has been questioned in recent times, was on test here and the 14-time Grand Slam champion fought through it.
He missed a break point early on but made use of the second chance as he converted the Russian’s serve in the ninth game. He then served out the match to heave a sigh of relief and book his place in the semi-finals against tournament’s surprise package Illya Marchenko of Ukraine.
Nadal paid credit to Kuznetsov for making it tougher for him, but was pleased to eventually come through. “Well, he played amazing, I think, no? He played so crazy with amazing shots. It was so difficult to be under control,” he said.
“It’s true that I missed the serve more times than I wanted. But I played a real bad game only with my serve at 4-3 in the second set. The rest, his return was amazing and he was playing so good. I think the level he played tonight was really amazing. I played a great third set, because if not, I will not be in the semi-final,” he added.
Djokovic, who took the court after Nadal, found himself tested against Mayer in the second set. But unlike the Spaniard, he bailed himself out and saved the trouble of playing three sets.
After wrapping up the first set comfortably, Djokovic was broken early in the second set by Mayer, with the Argentinean playing solid from the baseline. However, Djokovic found the groove just when it mattered as he broke back Mayer when he was 4-5 down. Mayer not only failed to serve out the match but lost the next three games, handing the 10-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic his ‘toughest’ win in Doha.
Djokovic was pleased that he could bring an early end to the match, after being put to some test. “It was not easy out there. He is a tough customer. I expected a tough match from him. He plays very well from the baseline and always makes you play that extra shot. So it was hard for me tonight,” said Djokovic, who will face either third seed Tomas Berdych or qualifier Kylie Edmund in the semi-finals today. Czech Berdych and Britain’s 21-year-old Edmund were locked in a late match last night.
Earlier, the un-fancied Marchenko continued his giant-killing act as he scored a shock 6-3, 7-6(3) win over seventh seeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. The 94th-ranked Ukrainian was in visible discomfort as he suffered from a back problem, but found a way to win after calling for a medical time-out twice in the second set.
Marchenko qualified for the third semifinal of his career, his first since 2010, and a dream date with Nadal, on the back of powerful service game.
RESULTS
Singles (quarter-finals)
Illya Marchenko (UKR) bt 7- Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 7-6(3); 2-Rafael Nadal (ESP) bt Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4; 1-Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt 8- Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 6-3, 7-5.
Doubles (semi-finals)
4- Philipp Petzschner (GER) / Alexander Peya (AUT) bt 1-Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) / Horia Tecau (ROU) 7-6 (5), 6-2.
3-Feliciano Lopez (ESP) / Marc Lopez (ESP) bt 2-Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA) 3-6, 6-3, 10-5.
Doha shares best ATP 250 event award with St Petersburg
Doha, host of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, has joined St Petersburg, Indian Wells and Queen’s as the top four tournaments on the ATP Tour in 2015.
Doha and St Petersburg are the two newcomers to the 250 series list, according to a list announced by the ATP in the 2015 ATP World Tour Awards.
The awards are announced in respective tournament categories.
The Tournament of the Year awards, voted annually by ATP players, recognise the leading standards set across the three tournament categories on the Tour.
Indian Wells repeats at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level, while The Queen’s Club in London wins in its first year as a 500 tournament. In the 250 category, first-time winners Doha and St. Petersburg share honours.
Chris Kermode, ATP executive chairman and president, said: “Many congratulations to these four tournaments for setting the standard in their respective categories in 2015. They are each outstanding events in their own right, and this is a fitting recognition, as voted by the players, for all the hard work and dedication that goes into putting on these world class tournaments.”
For the first time since 2004 and the fourth time overall (since 1986), two events have been named joint winners in the ATP World Tour 250 category.
The Qatar ExxonMobil Open hosts its 24th edition this week, boasting a field that includes Top 10 players, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych.
The St. Petersburg Open, held in September, celebrated its 20th edition in 2015 as it returned to the ATP World Tour calendar following a one-year hiatus.
“Our aim is always to make a great event where players can feel relaxed and at home, where they can perform at their best, where they want to return year after year,” Qatar ExxonMobil Open tournament director Karim Alami said.
“We are always listening to the opinions and feedback from the organisation and from the players and trying to learn from our mistakes and past experiences to keep improving and to keep raising the bar every year.
“To achieve the recognition of the players for these efforts and be selected by them as the best ATP World Tour 250 tournament for the year 2015 makes us all very proud and gives us the strength and motivation to continue improving and making our event better and better,” Alami said.
