Dubai: Fernando Verdasco set up a second round clash with six-time defending champion Roger Federer with a 7-5, 6-1 win over countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at the Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open late on Tuesday.
The first set was close but Verdasco made his move against his Davis Cup team-mate in the 12th game to take the opener 7-5. With his resistance broken, Garcia-Lopez found there was very little he could do as Verdasco ran off to a 5-0 lead to finally wrap up set and match 6-1 in 80 minutes of work on court.
Verdasco will now meet defending champion Federer in the last match on centre court on Wednesday night. “If I want to have any chance against Roger [Federer] then I will have to be at my best and play my best tennis,” Verdasco said.
“I had a good workout today and hopefully those seven games will give me the confidence to give my best on court tomorrow,” he added.
At 7 pm, world number one and four-time champion Novak Djokovic will take on Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev, while it will be Great Britain’s Andy Murray getting things under way on centre court as he takes on Portugal’s Joao Sousa at 2 pm. Fourth seed Tomas Berdych will be up against Simone Bolelli of Italy at 4 pm.
Meanwhile, there will be plenty of action on the side courts as well with India’s Leander Paes teaming up with South Africa’s Raven Klaasen as they take on qualifiers Jamie Murray and John Peers on Court 1 possibly by 5 pm, while the legendary doubles American pairing of Bob and Mike Bryan will face Roberto Bautista Agut and Joao Sousa on the same court immediately after.
On Court 3, Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Nenad Zimonjic will face Vasek Pospisil and Edouard Roger-Vasselin for an entry into the doubles quarter-finals.
