Djokovic reaches Dubai Open quarters as Murray crashes out

Amir Naqvi, Sports Editor

Top seed Novak Djokovic reached the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after beating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 in the second clash on Wednesday.

Chasing a sixth Dubai title, the World No.1 took one hour and 38 minutes to overcome Khachanov at the packed Centre Court.

He will meet Czech qualifier Jiri Vesely, who knocked out Spanish eighth seed and last week’s Doha champion Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4.

 “I was feeling excited and motivated,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “But also at the same time, I was feeling stressed. Particularly at the moments when I was facing break points. I thought the atmosphere in the stadium was terrific.

“It was equally good support for both Karen and me and for us as tennis players travelling around the world, this is what we play for, this kind of atmosphere, this kind of passion from the people that come to watch us, so I want to thank you from my heart,” added the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“I missed it (competing) obviously, this is my life, this is what I’ve known to do and I still keep on doing for the last 20 years almost. Professional tennis is my love first of all. I enjoy travelling, I enjoy playing, I enjoy hopefully bringing some positive emotions and memories to the people that come to watch.”

Playing in his first tournament after being deported from Australia last month because of his COVID-19 vaccination status, the Serbian dominated the opening set after breaking serve in the fourth game with a winner.

The Russian World No.26 tried to make a comeback in the match as he battled from an early break of serve to level the set at 4-4.

Djokovic was unable to take two break points in the next game as both players held serve to take the set into a tie-break.

Faced with a difficult match against a difficult opponent, Djokovic fired on all cylinders and won with a stunning return of the Khachanov serve.

Second seed Andrey Rublev recovered from a set down to beat Soonwoo Kwon 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 to advance into the quarter-finals while former World No.1 Andy Murray crashed out after suffering a straight-sets defeat to fourth seed Jannik Sinner.

The World No.7 from Russia, who captured a Marseille Open double on Sunday as he lifted the doubles trophy with Ukrainian Denys Molchanov just hours after winning the singles title, was broken by his South Korean rival in the opening game of the first set.

Kwon not only held on to his advantage but also held a set point on Rublev’s serve at 5-3 before serving out the set himself.

The Russian shifted gears and went up 4-0 after three straight breaks and later levelled the match.

Rublev required only one break in the deciding set to seal the win on his first match point.

He will face Mackenzie McDonald in the quarter-finals after the American defeated Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 7-6. McDonald stunned the defending champion Aslan Karatsev, in the first round on Tuesday.

Earlier, fourth seed Sinner ended 2107 champion Murray’s bid for his 700th career victory.

The Brit was unable to create a single breakpoint chance throughout his second-round contest and fell to a 7-5, 6-2 loss against Sinner.

It took Sinner, who became the youngest Italian to crack the top 10 in the ATP rankings, one hour and 31 minutes to avenge his Stockholm Open defeat.

The World No.10 from Italy broke the two-time Wimbledon and Olympics winner in the 11th game to take the close first set.

Dominating the second set from the beginning, Sinner raced to a 4-1 lead after breaking Murray twice and won the match without facing any break points.

“It is a special feeling [to share the court with Murray],” Sinner said in his on-court interview.

“He is a legend. Winning three Grand Slams, many, many tournaments, and he has had some unfortunate moments with surgeries. His fighting spirit is incredible.

“I lost the last match to him, so I tried to stay focused on my game,” Sinner said. “I think I played well, especially in the first set and during some difficult moments, so I’m very happy.”

Murray has been unable to go beyond the second round at his past four tournaments, dating back to the Australian Open in January.

He was left frustrated by a number of missed opportunities in his defeat to the Sinner.

The Italian will face Hubert Hurkacz in Thursday’s quarter-finals after the fifth seed brushed aside Slovakian qualifier Alex Moclan 6-3, 6-2.

“Again, I didn’t feel like I played a good match,” said Murray, who had struggled to overcome qualifier Christopher O’Connell in the first round.

 I had some chances at the end of the first set, then I got broken at 5-All in the game, and I think I missed all four first serves in that game.