Live: Murray vs. Djokovic in Doha
Live: Murray vs. Djokovic in Doha
What a way to start the 2017 season. World No. 1 Andy Murray and World No. 2 Novak Djokovic are facing off for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title in Doha.
The Saturday evening final is the 36th time the two have met during their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. Djokovic leads the series 24-11, including a 19-8 record on hard courts, but he lost the last time they played – the ATP Finals title match in November. That match decided the year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking. No matter what happens on Saturday, though, Murray will stay No. 1.
Djokovic, the defending Doha champion, advanced to the final by delivering one of his career-best escape acts. The Serbian saved five match points against Fernando Verdasco in the semi-finals to win 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-3.
Murray, the top seed and two-time champion in Doha (2008, ’09), dismissed third seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-4 on Friday. The Scot hasn’t dropped a set all week.