Roger Federer wins Qatar Open to claim 67th tour title
World number two Roger Federer reclaimed his title at the Qatar Open in Doha. He defeated the defending champion Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets by 6-3, 6-4.
Federer was quick out of the blocks, as he raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set early to pressurise Davydenko. Although Federer missed out on many opportunities afterwards in the set, the early break was enough for him to win the opening set.
Davydenko tried hard in the second set and gave Federer fewer opportunities to break his serve. His resistance only lasted until the ninth game though. The former world number one broke Davydenko’s serve and took the second set with ease.
This was Federer’s third Qatar Open title. He won two back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. Federer also bettered his record in Doha to 23-3.
Federer praised the tough competition from Davydenko and said, “When he's on, he's easily Top 10 if not Top 5 potentially, and that's why this is obviously a huge win, because I thought he was playing well.”
The Swiss was also happy with his form, and said that he would like to continue in the same fashion for the rest of the season. He stated, “I was very happy with, from my side, I was almost flawless, and I was able to play offensive when I needed to, and
when I wanted to it all worked out. So I'm really pleased with such a great final.”
Federer also said that the win in Qatar was very important considering the first Grand Slam of the year – the Australian Open – is nearing. Federer will be defending his title at the Australian Open this year.
Davydenko was disappointed with the result but said that Federer played really well in the match. Last year, Davydenko defeated Federer and Rafael Nadal in the semi-final and final of the Qatar Open, and he hoped to repeat the feat again this year. Unfortunately
for him, Federer was too good this year.
Commenting on the match, Davydenko stated, “Today he was tough, really played fast. He gave me no chance on the return, and also he was returning good. His first serve was very good. My tennis is OK, really. I don't want to say I played bad today.”
The Russian may be disappointed after the loss to Federer, but he must be happy to regain his confidence and form. He was out of action following a wrist injury and wasn’t able to play his best tennis after his comeback.
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