Dubai Tennis 2012: Federer beats Murray, wins 5th Dubai Title

03/03 Update: World #3 Roger Federer won a record 5th Dubai title by beating #4 Andy Murray in straight sets 75 64. The win is Federer's second title this month and his 72nd ATP tournament title. He earlier claimed the Rotterdam crown for his first title 2 weeks ago. Federer takes home $409,170 in prize money for winning Dubai 2012 but more importantly, he brings a 10-match win streak and into March where two of the biggest tournaments in the ATP calendar will be played in Indian Wells and Miami. In doubles, the #4 seeded pair of Bhupathi and Bopanna beat #3 seed Matkowski and Fyrstenberg to win the Dubai 2012 doubles tournament.

03/02 Update: In an exciting development at the Dubai 2012 tennis tournament, world #4 Andy Murray turned the tables on world #1 Novak Djokovic by upsetting the top seed in straight sets 62 75. Murray now advances to the Dubai 2012 finals where he'll be going against world #3 and 4-time Dubai champion Roger Federer. Federer needed two tiebreak sets against in-form Juan Martin del Potro 76(5) 76(6) to advance to the finals where he's going for a record 5th Dubai championship. The Dubai 2012 final will be the 15th meeting between the two players with Murray holding a rare 8-6 advantage over the 16-time grand slam champion. The two haven't played for more than a year with their last meeting occurring during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in 2010. Federer beat Murray at a round robin match in straight sets. A win by Murray will push his career prize earnings to more than $20 million while if Federer wins, his record career prize money earnings will near the $70 million milestone. The doubles final will be between the 3rd seeded pair of Matkowski and Fyrstenberg vs the 4th seeded pair of Bhupathi and Bopanna.

Dubai Tennis 2012: Results - FRIDAY, 02 MARCH, 2012

(2) R Federer defeats (8) J Del Potro 76(5) 76(6)
(3) A Murray defeats (1) N Djokovic 62 75

(4) M Bhupathi / R Bopanna defeats J Knowle / A Peya 76(2) 76(7)
(3) M Fyrstenberg / M Matkowski defeats J Erlich / A Ram 64 36 10-4

Dubai Tennis 2012: Schedule - SATURDAY, 03 MARCH, 2012

CENTRE COURT start 5:00 pm
[4] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs [3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) - ATP

Not before 7:00 pm
[3] Andy Murray (GBR) vs [2] R Federer (SUI)

03/01 Update: Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray set-up a semifinal showdown in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2012 in Dubai, U.A.E by beating top 10 opponents in straight sets. Murray beat Tomas Berdych 63 75 while Djokovic trounced fellow Serb Janko Tipsaveric 61 76(6). Djokovic and Murray last met in the semifinals of the Australian Open which Djokovic won in five sets. In the other semifinal, Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro both advanced for another re-match after Federer beat del Potro in the Rotterdam finals two weeks ago. Federer beat Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets 63 64 while Del Potro downed fourth seeded Jo-Wifried Tsonga 76(1) 62. Del Potro is aiming to become the first player this year to advance to three straight finals in three consecutive weeks after his Rotterdam runner-up finish and his Marseilles title last week. In the doubles tournament, the top-seeded doubles pair of LLodra and Zimonjic lost to the unseeded pair of Knowle and Peya.

Dubai Tennis 2012: Results - THURSDAY, 01 MARCH, 2012

Singles

(1) N Djokovic defeats (7) J Tipsarevic 61 76(6)
(2) R Federer defeats M Youzhny 63 64
(3) A Murray defeats (5) T Berdych 63 75
(8) J Del Potro defeats (4) J Tsonga 76(1) 62

Doubles
J Knowle / A Peya defeats (1) M Llodra / N Zimonjic 76(3) 76(2)
(3) M Fyrstenberg / M Matkowski defeats M Kohlmann / S Stakhovsky 76(4) 63
(4) M Bhupathi / R Bopanna defeats P Hanley / J Murray 63 63
J Erlich / A Ram defeats (2) R Lindstedt / H Tecau 61 62

Dubai Tennis 2012: Schedule - FRIDAY, 02 MARCH, 2012

CENTRE COURT start 2:00 pm
J Knowle (AUT) / A Peya (AUT) vs [4] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) or P Hanley (AUS) / J Murray (GBR) - ATP

Not Before 5:00 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [3] A Murray (GBR) - ATP

Not Before 7:00 PM
[8] J Del Potro (ARG) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) - ATP

COURT 1 start 2:00 pm
[3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) vs J Erlich (ISR) / A Ram (ISR) - ATP

02/29 Update: Seven of the eight seeds at the Dubai 2012 ATP tournament all advanced to the quarterfinals led by world #1 Novak Djokovic and 16-time grand slam champion Roger Federer. Djokovic and Federer enjoyed straight set wins to advance, and so did #3-seed Andy Murray, #4-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, #5-seed Tomas Berdych, and #8-seed Juan Martin del Potro. #7-seed Janko Tipsaveric also advanced but had to come from behind after losing a first set tiebreak. The only seeded casualty was top American player and #6-seed Mardy Fish who lost to former top-10 player Mikhail Youzhny.

The quarterfinal matches will feature several intriguing match-ups including three matches that will feature all top 10 players: an all-Serbian affair between Djokovic and Tipsaveric, Murray vs Berdych, Del Potro vs Tsonga. The only non top 10 affair is the quarterfinal between Federer and Youzhny. The winner of the Dubai 2012 ATP tournament will take home $409,170.

Dubai Tennis 2012: Results - WEDNESDAY, 29 FEBRUARY, 2012

Singles

(1) N Djokovic defeats S Stakhovsky 76(5) 63
(2) R Federer defeats F Lopez 75 63
(3) A Murray defeats M Chiudinelli 63 64
(4) J Tsonga defeats L Rosol 63 64
(8) J Del Potro defeats A Golubev 64 62
(5) T Berdych defeats L Lacko 61 62
(7) J Tipsarevic defeats F Cipolla 67(2) 61 61
M Youzhny defeats (6) M Fish 62 76(0)

Doubles
(4) M Bhupathi / R Bopanna defeats L Dlouhy / A Dolgopolov 64 75
(1) M Llodra / N Zimonjic defeats M Ilhan / M Jaziri 61 63
P Hanley / J Murray defeats A Qureshi / J Rojer 46 76(12) 10-6
(2) R Lindstedt / H Tecau defeats L Paes / J Tipsarevic 64 75

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
ATP World Tour 500
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
27 February-3 March 2012

Dubai Tennis 2012: Schedule - WEDNESDAY, 29 FEBRUARY, 2012

THURSDAY, 1 MARCH, 2012

CENTRE COURT start 2:00 pm
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs [5] T Berdych (CZE) - ATP

Not Before 5:00 PM
M Youzhny (RUS) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) - ATP

Not Before 7:00 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [7] J Tipsarevic (SRB) - ATP
[8] J Del Potro (ARG) vs [4] J Tsonga (FRA) - ATP

COURT 1 start 2:00 pm
J Erlich (ISR) / A Ram (ISR) vs [2] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) - ATP
M Kohlmann (GER) / S Stakhovsky (UKR) vs [3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) - ATP
[1] M Llodra (FRA) / N Zimonjic (SRB) vs J Knowle (AUT) / A Peya (AUT) - ATP
[4] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs P Hanley (AUS) / J Murray (GBR) - ATP

02/28 Update: #2-seed Roger Federer and #3-seed Andy Murray won in contrasting fashions to lead the advance of the remaining six seeds into the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2012 in Dubai, U.A.E. Federer beat Michael Llodra in straight sets 60 76(6) while Murray needed 3 sets to outlast Germany’s Michael Berrer. Other winners for the day included #4-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, #5-seedTomas Berdych, #7-seed Janko Tipsaveric and #8-seed Juan Martin del Potro. Top seeded Novak Djokovic and #6-seed Mardy Fish advanced to the second round on Monday, the first day of action at the Dubai 2012 ATP tennis tournament.

Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine eliminated the last of the wildcards when he beat Omar Awadhy of the UAE. Awadhy is a 30-year old unranked local tennis player who reached the top 850 of the world rankings for his career best in 2006. He joins two other wildcard players who lost in the first round – Marko Djokovic, the brother of Novak Djokovic and Sergei Bubka, the boyfriend of WTA’s #1 ranked Victoria Azarenka.

Dubai Tennis 2012 Results - TUESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY, 2012

Singles
(2) R Federer defeats M Llodra 60 76(6) Match Stats H2H
(3) A Murray defeats M Berrer 63 46 64 Match Stats H2H
(4) J Tsonga defeats M Baghdatis 76(2) 64 Match Stats H2H
(5) T Berdych defeats B Becker 62 62 Match Stats H2H
(7) J Tipsarevic defeats I Kunitsyn 62 62 Match Stats H2H
(8) J Del Potro defeats A Dolgopolov 63 76(5) Match Stats H2H
M Chiudinelli defeats N Davydenko 64 57 64 Match Stats H2H
M Youzhny defeats R Gasquet 63 00 Match Stats H2H
F Cipolla defeats I Ljubicic 62 75 Match Stats H2H
S Stakhovsky defeats O Awadhy 61 62 Match Stats H2H
F Lopez defeats N Mahut 64 64 Match Stats H2H

Doubles
J Erlich / A Ram defeats S Lipsky / R Ram 63 75 Match Stats
J Knowle / A Peya defeats M Ghareeb / A Maqdas 64 61 Match Stats

Dubai Tennis 2012 Schedule - WEDNESDAY, 29 FEBRUARY, 2012

CENTRE COURT start 2:00 pm
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs [Q] M Chiudinelli (SUI) - ATP

Not Before 4:00 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs S Stakhovsky (UKR) - ATP

Not Before 7:00 PM
F Lopez (ESP) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) - ATP
L Rosol (CZE) vs [4] J Tsonga (FRA) - ATP

COURT 1 start 2:00 pm
F Cipolla (ITA) vs [7] J Tipsarevic (SRB) - ATP
[Q] L Lacko (SVK) vs [5] T Berdych (CZE) - ATP

Not Before 4:30 PM
[8] J Del Potro (ARG) vs [Q] A Golubev (KAZ) - ATP
[4] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs L Dlouhy (CZE) / A Dolgopolov (UKR) - ATP

COURT 3 start 2:00 pm
A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) vs P Hanley (AUS) / J Murray (GBR) - ATP
[6] M Fish (USA) vs M Youzhny (RUS) - ATP
L Paes (IND) / J Tipsarevic (SRB) vs [2] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) - ATP
[1] M Llodra (FRA) / N Zimonjic (SRB) vs [WC] M Ilhan (TUR) / M Jaziri (TUN) - ATP

02/27 Update: World #1 Novak Djokovic won his 16th straight match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships by eliminating Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in straights sets 64 62 at the start of the Dubai 2012 ATP tennis tournament. Djokovic now advances to the second round as he is attempting to become the first ever player to win the Dubai tournament in four consecutive years. He will be heavily favored to win his next match where he will meet the winner of Ukraine’s Sergiy STAKHOVSKY and UAE’s Omar AWADHY. Stakhovsky is ranked #74 in the world while Awadhy is a 30-year old local wildcard who is currently listed as unranked in the ATP tour website.

Joining Djokovic in the second round is American 6th seed Mardy Fish. Fish beat Andreas Beck 61 61 and will advance against the winner of the first round match between the Mikhail YOUZHNY of Russia and Richard GASQUET of France. World #3 and second seeded Roger Federer is scheduled to play his first match on Tuesday against Michael LLODRA of France. Llodra was a finalist in last week’s Marseilles Open. Besides Djokovic, Federer was the only other player to have won the Dubai ATP tennis tournament for 3 consecutive years. He achieved the feat in 2003 to 2005 and also won the 2007 tournament. Federer is going for his 5th Dubai title this year – a record for the tournament.

Two interesting wildcard players with strong athletic connections didn’t win in the first day of action. Marko Djokovic, the younger brother of Novak lost in straight sets to Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev. Marko who is currently ranked #869 gained entry into the tournament via a wildcard and he was beaten 63 62 by Golubev who is ranked #143 in the world. The other wildcard, Sergei Bubka, the 25-year old ranked #190 lost a closely fought match to #76 Lukas Lacko of Slovakia. Lacko emerged the winner after a third set contest that featured 30 points in the final tiebreak and where Bubka held multiple match points in a 26 62 76(14) loss. Like Marko Djokovic, Sergei Bubka is also connected to a tennis player #1 being world #1 Victoria Azarenka’s boyfriend. Bubka is also the son of Olympic pole vault champion Sergey Bubka.

Dubai 2012 Tennis Results: MONDAY, 27 FEBRUARY, 2012

Singles
(1) N Djokovic defeats C Stebe 64 62 Match Stats H2H
L Lacko defeats S Bubka 26 62 76(14) Match Stats H2H
A Golubev defeats M Djokovic 63 62 Match Stats H2H
(6) M Fish defeats A Beck 61 61 Match Stats H2H
L Rosol defeats A Mannarino 62 62 Match Stats H2H

Doubles
M Kohlmann / S Stakhovsky defeats J Cerretani / I Ljubicic 75 64 Match Stats
(3) M Fyrstenberg / M Matkowski defeats M Baghdatis / M Youzhny 62 75 Match Stats

Dubai 2012 Tennis Schedule: TUESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY, 2012

CENTRE COURT start 2:00 pm
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs [Q] M Berrer (GER) - ATP

Not Before 4:00 PM
M Baghdatis (CYP) vs [4] J Tsonga (FRA) - ATP

Not Before 7:00 PM
M Llodra (FRA) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) - ATP
[8] J Del Potro (ARG) vs A Dolgopolov (UKR) - ATP
COURT 1 start 12:00 noon
J Erlich (ISR) / A Ram (ISR) vs S Lipsky (USA) / R Ram (USA) - ATP

Not Before 2:00 PM
N Davydenko (RUS) vs [Q] M Chiudinelli (SUI) - ATP
I Kunitsyn (RUS) vs [7] J Tipsarevic (SRB) - ATP

Not Before 4:00 PM
B Becker (GER) vs [5] T Berdych (CZE) - ATP
N Mahut (FRA) vs F Lopez (ESP) - ATP