In a prelude to this month’s Davis Cup final, Andy Murray routed David Goffin 6-1, 6-0 to reach the quarter-finals at the Paris Masters. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic also advanced in straight sets, but Roger Federer lost to John Isner in three.
Isner won 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 for just his second career win over Federer and will play David Ferrer for a semi-final spot after the eighth seed outlasted Grigor Dimitrov 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 in another third-round tie.
Murray lost only eight points on his serve and broke the 16th-seeded Belgian five times.
“It was good for me to get the chance to play him before the Davis Cup and see his game and the speed of his shots and where he maybe makes some mistakes from and things that he likes to do,” Murray said. “Obviously with the result, that’s a positive.”
Murray and Goffin are expected to face each other again in the Davis Cup final between Britain and Belgium in Gent from November 27-29.
“It was difficult for me to do something today,” Goffin said. “I felt tired. My body was on the court, but there was nobody on the inside.”
Thursday’s match was played on an indoor hard court, but the host Belgians opted to play on clay in the Davis Cup.
“Obviously clay is seen as being my worst surface, but I still feel like I play well on that court,” Murray said. “I don’t know what speed the court’s going to be. You know, if it’s quick, then I think that will help my serve a lot. If it’s slow, then I feel like I can track a lot of balls down on the clay, which is positive. I can make it physical that way.”
The second-seeded Murray will next face Richard Gasquet of France, who advanced when Kei Nishikori of Japan retired while trailing 7-6, 4-1. Nishikori received a back massage at the changeover before stopping in the next game.
“After the first set, I started feeling my abs, side abs,” Nishikori said. “I could not hit serves.”
Djokovic booked his spot in the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 7-5 win over 14th-seeded Gilles Simon that extended the Serb’s unbeaten streak to 19 matches and 26 sets in a row.
At Zhuhai, China, Venus Williams rallied to beat Saisai Zheng of China 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 and advance to the semi-finals of the WTA Elite Trophy.
The tournament brought together 11 of the top players who did not qualify for last week’s WTA Finals at Singapore including Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic and Roberta Vinci. The qualifiers compete in a four group, round-robin format, with the winners of each group advancing to the semi-finals.
One player from the field can move into the Top 10 on Monday, and Williams is in a race for that spot with Carla Suarez Navarro, Karolina Pliskova and Vinci.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NatSportUAE
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E640hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%20from%202%2C300-4%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E11.9L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh749%2C800%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
