Roger Federer advances to the semi-finals of the Qatar Open
Qatar is in the news these days whether it is for hosting the FIFA World Cup or the hearing for the spot-fixing case against the Pakistani players. However, there is also a tennis event going on in Qatar with both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Semi-finals
of the Qatar Open.
Nadal had a relatively tough outing in his match against Ernests Gulbis but he won the match eventually. The current world number two Roger Federer had no nervous moments during his match against Serbia’s Viktor Troicki.
The Swiss player won the match easily with a score line of 6-2, 6-2 in straight sets. Federer broke four out of the 16 break-point opportunities he got in the match. He won 80% points in his first serve and ended the match in just 65 minutes.
Viktor was the hero for his country during the Davis Cup as he contributed a great deal to their victory. Federer knew that his opponent was confident and focused before the match and didn’t take his opponent lightly.
Commenting on the match against Viktor, Federer said,
“I thought it was very concentrated performance. I really thought I saw the ball a bit better. From my side, I'm really happy the way I was able to keep Troicki on the back foot, make him feel like he didn't know what was coming his way.”
The former world number one will be facing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-final. Tsonga was making his comeback after he had a knee injury but he overcame his opponent in the quarter-final and will be geared up to face Federer.
Federer said on his match with Tsonga,
“First of all, it's nice to see him back. It's never nice to miss those guys because of injuries. I think it's exciting playing him again. I think he's a very explosive player with good character, good for the game. Looking forward to the match, it's going
to be difficult.”
Tsonga won his match against Garcia Lopez on tie-breakers in both the sets to make it to the final four. He stated,
“I served unbelievable on some good points and I did it with depth, so I'm happy to win today. I didn't play my best level maybe on my baseline and during the point, but I served well, and this is the most important.”
Federer has a very good record in Qatar. He won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 and has a 21-3 mark in Doha.
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