2011 Qatar ExxonMobil Open: Top seeds continue title run at the event
Quarterfinal ranks were filled at Doha when second round clashes at the Qatar ExxonMobil wrapped up on Wednesday. Amongst the quarterfinalists were Top 2, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Having been drawn in different halves of
the main draw, fans can very well expect a final clash between the two titans.
Kicking off play for the day was the world number 2 Roger Federer when he met compatriot and friend Marco Chiudinelli for their second round clash. Second seed Federer had moved ahead into the event after a straight, yet not so
simple, set victory against qualifier Thomas Schoorel. Hitting turbulence yet again in his run for the title, Federer met resistance from compatriot Chiudinelli as the latter forced the first set into a tiebreaker. Federer again met with resistance when the
two compatriots locked in an almost-tied battle. Although Federer won the tiebreaker 7-5 and the second set 7-5, it goes without a doubt that his countryman proved to be trouble in what otherwise should have been an easy breezy match for the Fed Express.
In a match that lasted almost 2 hours, Federer served seven aces, committed one double fault and lost only seventeen points to clinch a close straight set victory.
Winning the match, Federer said, “It was really difficult today, under the circumstances. Playing such a good friend is so rare for me. I'm happy the match is in the past and I can look forward."
Federer was joined in the quarterfinal round by third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who defeated Sergei Bubka in straight sets. Tsonga struck ten aces, committed two double faults and lost only eleven points on service to clinch a 6-2,
6-4 victory in 74 minutes.
Fourth seed and defending champion Nikolay Davydenko secured a spot for himself in the quarterfinal round after defeating Italian Fabio Fognini by 6-1, 6-4 and then doing away with Finn Jarkko Nieminen in close straight sets. Although
he faced much resistance from the Finn, Davydenko was able to continue his title defence defeating the former by 6-4, 7-5.
Wrapping up play for the day was top seed Nadal. Nadal had met and defeated Karol Beck to kickoff his title run at Doha on Monday. Nadal moved ahead to meet Beck’s compatriot, Lukas Lacko yesterday. Having secured a close first
set win of 7-6(3), Nadal suffered a bagel loss in the second set. This was his tenth bagel set in all 575 matches of his career. Entering the decider, the world number 1 bounced back to clinch it 6-3.
Talking to the press after the match, Nadal said, “I felt [I had] less power than usual. I feel a little bit tired [at] moments, and that's what happened in the second and in the third... It was an important victory for me for
the situation because Lacko played, I think, very well, and I had to be there and fight all the time to win.”
Other seeds joining these four as a result of their second round clashes on Wednesday are fifth seed Ernests Gulbis, sixth seed Viktor Troicki and seventh seed Guillermo Garcia Lopez. Gulbis meets Nadal; Lopez meets Tsonga while
Troicki is scheduled to play Federer today.
The only unseeded player to make it through was Ivo Karlovic. Karlovic ousted eighth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber after three tiebreakers to secure a spot for himself in the next round. He won the first set 7-6(5), only to lose the
second set 7-6(4). He finally secured a victory for himself winning the decider 7-6(2). Karlovic will play defending champion Davydenko later in the event.
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