Dubai: Croatian teenager Borna Coric will next test himself against defending champion Roger Federer, while top seed and former four-time champion Novak Djokovic will face third seed Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open on Friday.
Coric caused the biggest upset of the quarter-finals when he blew away Andy Murray 6-1, 6-3 in 79 minutes, while the other top seeds kept on course for the last four stage of the competition.
Berdych took his usual time for a three-setter 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky in an hour and 41 minutes, while Federer barely managed to break a sweat while taking the opening set 6-1 in 20 minutes against Richard Gasquet when the Frenchman retired with a back injury.
Four-time Dubai champion Djokovic was very business-like on centre court in the last match as he sent off Turkish qualifier Marsel Ilhan packing 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour.
Another big upset occurred on Court 1 as the legendary Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob were beaten 6-7 (6), 6-2, 0-1 (8) by the unseeded pair of Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea.
In the first doubles semi-finals, fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Daniel Nestor will take on Jean-Julien Rojer at 2.30 pm, while Inglot and Mergea will be up against Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Nena Zimonjic in the last match of the evening.
ORDER OF PLAY (Friday)
Centre Court (Start at 2.30 pm) Doubles semi-finals: Rohan Bopanna/Daniel Nestor vs Jean-Julien Rojer vs Horia Tecau; (5 pm) Borna Coric vs Roger Federer; (7 pm) Novak Djokovic vs Tomas Berdych; Dominic Inglot/Florin Mergea vs Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi/Nenad Zimonjic.
RESULTS
(Singles quarter-finals) Roger Federer bt Richard Gasquet 6-1 (retd.); Borna Coric bt Andy Murray 6-1, 6-3; Tomas Berdych bt Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Novak Djokovic bt Marsel Ilhan 6-1, 6-1.
(Doubles quarter-finals) Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau bt Robert Lindstedt/Marcin Matkowski 4-6, 7-5 1-0 (7); Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi/Nenad Zimonjic bt Jeremy Chardy/Lukas Rosol 6-1, 6-2; Rohan Bopanna/Daniel Nestor bt Jamie Murray/John Peers 6-4, 7-5; Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan bt Dominic Inglot/Florin Mergea 7-6 (6), 6-2, 1-0 (8).
-Ends
