2011 Qatar Open: Rafael Nadal eliminated by Nikolay Davydenko as Federer makes it through to final
Presently ranked no. 1 in the world, Rafael Nadal of Spain faced defeat at the hands of defending champion, Russia's Nikolay Davydenko in the semifinals of the 2011 Qatar Open, which is currently underway in Doha. Meanwhile, Swiss man Roger Federer annihilated no. 3 seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the semifinal match played between the two to make a place for himself in the championship final.
Davydenko got off to a good start, instantly exercising his authority to take the first set 6-3. Furthermore, Nadal did not seem to have much to offer, as he was beaten 2-6 in the deciding second set of the match. Next, Nikolay will be facing Federer in the championship final.
As much of a shock as Nadal's loss came to be, in his defence, the professional had been tackling a fever all week in Doha and also required court side treatment during the match.
On the other hand, improving his record to 22-3, Federer has yet to drop a set in the tournament so far. Opposing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roger initiated the match with a 6-3 win in the first set and followed it up with a 7-6 (2) win in the second set to make it through to the Men's singles final of the 2011 Qatar Open.
"I have played good tennis this week so I am sure it will be a good match. It was a crucial service break for me. That set me up nicely for the remainder of the match. The second set was more competitive as I was serving really well. It became a high quality match in the second set and it was right that it went to a tie-break because Tsonga played well too," said the sixteen-time grand slam champion.
Federer further added, "The early break I got in the first set was crucial. It gave me a cushion and put him under pressure, but he was serving hard and controlling the outcome of a lot of the points. It made for an exciting match, with some defence but mostly attacking rallies."
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