Tennis News

Ever since their first encounter on the professional circuit back in 2013 at the Davis Cup playoff, Andy Murray and rising star Borna Coric have not crossed paths. That is about to change, as the two are set to meet in the quarter-final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Thursday afternoon. Murray leads the head-to-head series 1-0 with a straightforward victory on clay.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Murray v Coric Live Stream

Seeded third at the event, Murray barely broke a sweat in his third round match-up against Portugal’s Joao Sousa. The Scot dropped a mere two games during the encounter, and closed out the match 6-0, 6-2 in 58 minutes. It was Murray’s 10th win on the tour this season.

Article Continues Below Ad

“Today I thought I just picked the right shots and played the right way when he was struggling,” said Murray. “I didn’t give him any free points. I didn’t make sort of needless errors. He was getting more frustrated because he couldn’t get any free points and then was going for more and more shots and obviously making more errors because of it.”

Up next for Murray is a quarter-final berth against lucky loser Borna Coric, who was faced with a tough three-setter against Marcos Baghdatis before he won the match after the Cypriot retired in the final set tiebreak with a cramp. Coric recovered from a 1-4 deficit in the match and showed impressive determination en route to victory.

This is just the second time that Murray and Coric will meet on the professional tour, with Murray leading the series 1-0. While that win took place almost a year-and-a-half ago, and was also on clay, Murray will still be the overwhelming favourite to advance to the quarter-final stage of the event. Coric may one day posses the skill set to challenge Murray, but that will not happen in the immediate future.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Straight Sets

For the second time in two months, Agnieszka Radwanska and Venus Williams will cross paths on the WTA Tour. The American leads the head-to-head series 6-4, including a win in their most recent encounter back at the Aussie Open. It will be interesting to see if the American can maintain that momentum given her grueling encounters so far in Doha.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Radwanska vs Williams Live Stream

Up against resurgent Italian Flavia Pennetta in the second round, Radwanska was able to earn the victory with relative ease, as she dropped just two games in the entire match. The Polish No. 1 won the contest 6-1, 6-1, where she struck 3 aces, won 77% of her first service points, and faced no break points en route to the victory in 49 minutes. It virtually the opposite to what her upcoming opponent faced en route to the final eight in Doha.

Article Continues Below Ad

Not only did former world No. 1 Venus Williams edge Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in an all out battle on Centre Court in Doha, she saved a match point in the process and completed the contest well past midnight in the Gulf. The pairing split the first two sets 10 minutes shy of two hours on court, after which they embarked on a enthralling decider. Eventually, Venus found one final reserve of energy, and pushed past her opponent 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(5).

This marks the eleventh time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Williams leading the series 6-4. Up until their most recent meeting at the Australian Open, Radwanska has won the last three consecutive meetings, dating back to the 2012 Miami Masters. She has also not lost a set to Venus in that entire period of time, but was then handed a 6-3 2-6 6-1 loss in the fourth round of the Aussie Open. She will look to avenge that loss this time around.

Prediction: Agnieszka Radwanska in Three Sets

Serbian star Novak Djokovic began his week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in impressive fashion, and will now look to further his campaign in his upcoming second round match-up against Andrey Golubev. This marks the fourth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the ATP World Tour, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head series 3-0.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Djokovic v Golubev Live Stream

The top seed earned his third straight victory over Canadian No. 2 Vasek Pospisil in his opening round match in Dubai, and did so with a straightforward 6-4, 6-4 score. The Serb converted 3 break points and withstood a late comeback from Pospisil to seal the match in 1 hour and 18 minutes.

Article Continues Below Ad

“I’m still looking for that rhythm on the court,” said Djokovic. “But I managed to stay mentally tough. I was patient in rallies, I thought. As soon as we get through the rally, I have a better chance of winning. He’s a very flashy player, aggressive, goes after his shots.So hopefully the next match can be better.”

For just the second time this season, Andrey Golubev is through to the second round of an ATP World Tour event. He is 2-5 in main draw matches, and is currently in his sixth tournament of the season. He defeated Fabrice Martin 7-5 6-4 to set up a second round meeting with the world No. 1 and recent Grand Slam winner. Unfortunately, he is unlikely to break the cycle of early losses this time around.

This is the third time that Djokovic and Golubev will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Serbian star remaining undefeated at 3-0. His most recent win was at last year’s Wimbledon Championships, and prior to that was back in 2012 in a pair of hard court encounters. Djokovic will have a significant advantage over his opponent and will likely impose his will with relative ease.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

Following a month-long absence from the ATP World Tour, Roger Federer resumed professional competition on Monday afternoon at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and found his way into the second round of the tournament following a straightforward victory. He will now come up against Fernando Verdasco, whom he holds an undefeated 5-0 head to head record against in the head-to-head series.

You will be able to watch the match live here: Federer vs Verdasco Live Stream

The world No. 2 had been absent since a surprise premature exit in the third round of the Australian Open last month. Federer lost to Andres Seppi, whom he held a 13-0 record against prior to their most recent meeting in Melbourne. However, on Monday in Dubai, it was business as usual for the Swiss star, as he overcame a determined Mikhail Youzhny to push his undefeated head-to-head series against the Russian to 16-0.

Article Continues Below Ad

“The last thing I want to do is lose back-to-back matches playing careful,” said the six-time Dubai champion. “I know I can play careful tennis, but then you cannot leave it up to the other guys sometimes if you are going to win or lose. I feel over the years I have won my biggest matches in most tournaments by playing on my terms, and you can’t always do it. It’s difficult to come out and dominate every match, every point, and it’s also hard work always playing aggressive.”

Up next for Federer is a match-up against Fernando Verdasco, who began his campaign in Dubai with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Guillermo Garcia Lopez on Tuesday. The Spaniard hit 7 aces, won 78% of his first service points and saved 4 of 5 break points to close out the match in exactly 80 minutes.

This marks the sixth time that Federer and Verdasco will step across the net from each other on the professional tour, and the Spaniard is yet to earn his first victory against the Grand Slam Great. While he is capable of giving Federer a run for his money, he will be hard pressed to find a way to close out the match.

Prediction: Roger Federer in Straight Sets

Following a premature end to his run in Rotterdam, Andy Murray returned to professional competition with a straight sets victory over a tough opponent. The British No. 1 will next face Portugal’s Joao Sousa, whom he has encountered on four previous occasions. The British No. 1 leads the head-to-head series 4-0.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Murray v Sousa Live Stream

Seeded third at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Murray opened his campaign against surging competitor Gilles Muller, whom he defeated 6-5, 7-5 in a close, competitive battle. The former finalist at the event withstood 11 aces from Muller, hit 80% of his first service points, and saved 3 of 4 break points to find his way into the following round.

Article Continues Below Ad

“I think the end of both sets I didn’t serve so well,” said Murray. “But apart from that, I didn’t give him any opportunities really. I feel like I got a little bit unlucky at the end of the second set. He got a couple of net cords in that last game, the 5-4 game where I got broken, and did very well to respond straightaway and get the break right back. I thought I played a fairly high quality match.”

Murray’s next opponent will be Joao Sousa, who defeated Ireland’s James McGee 6-1, 6-2 to reach the second round. Sousa won 66% of his first service points and converted five aces against the wildcard to close out the match in 64 minutes. He will now look to overturn his record against the Scot on Wednesday afternoon in Dubai.

This marks the fifth time that Murray and Sousa will meet on the professional tour. Murray leads the head-to-head series 4-0, which include a recent win at the Australian Open, as well as two straight sets victories in 2014. All of those wins took place on hard courts, which only adds to the expectation that the Briton will ease into the next round of the tournament.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Straight Sets

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will look to return to his winning ways on Tuesday afternoon at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships when he contests an intriguing opening round battle against Canadian No. 2 Vasek Pospisil. This marks the third time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head series 2-0.

Watch the match live here: Djokovic v Pospisil Live Stream

Back in 2011, and 2013, Novak Djokovic was able to follow up his Aussie Open title wins with championship wins in Dubai. Given that he won the title in Melbourne this season, Djokovic will be looking to maintain that remarkable trend in 2015.

Article Continues Below Ad

“I believe there is a connection between the Australian Open and Dubai,” said Djokovic. “Every time I win there I probably win here. The reason I’m so successful here is building on the confidence and that it’s the beginning of the season and I’m motivated, fresh and eager to compete.”

The former four-time champion is riding a seven-match win streak and only lost once this season – a three-set defeat to Delray Beach champion Ivo Karlovic – and will now look to build on his newfound momentum ahead of the Indian Wells Masters event next season.

Canadian No. 2 Vasek Pospisil has managed to compile five wins on the ATP World Tour so far this season, although they are all scattered over four tournaments. His best performance was at the Aussie Open, where he reached the third round of the tournament following wins over Sam Querrey and Paolo Lorenzi. Since then, he has only picked up one win in Rotterdam, and one in Marseille.

This marks the third time that Djokovic and Pospisil will cross paths on the ATP World Tour, with the Serb leading the series 2-0 with a Davis Cup victory on clay last season, and then a win in the second round in Beijing. The world No. 1 is coming off an extended break following his Major title win, which is why he will likely be fresh and ready to impose his dominance over an inconsistent BC native.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets