Updates from Day 1 of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Spaniard David Ferrer has set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash with compatriot Rafael Nadal after crushing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the opening round of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
Ferrer, the world No 7, needed only 54 minutes to beat the erratic Frenchman 6-1, 6-1 in the opening match of the championship at the Zayed Sports City’s International Tennis Centre and will meet Nadal in Friday’s first semi-final, starting 5.30pm UAE time.
Ferrer, who has a 3-1 career record against Tsonga, cruised through the first set in 24 minutes, breaking his opponent three times — including a three-ace fifth game.
In the second game of the second set, Tsonga was up 40-0, but still managed to drop his serve. He had a chance to get even in the next game, up 0-40, but Ferrer fought back, then breaking for 4-0 before wrapping up the match with two more service holds.
RAONIC WINS BATTLE OF THE SERVE
Milos Raonic will meet French Open champion Stan Wawrinka in the semi-final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship at Zayed Sports City on Friday after edging Kevin Anderson in the battle of the big servers.
The Canadian, ranked No 14 in the world after an injury-plagued 2015 season, broke Anderson once in each set to wrap up the match 6-3, 6-4 in 65 minutes.
A double fault in the sixth game of the first set proved costly for Anderson, who finished 2015 with 1,074 aces, the third best tally for the season behind the undisputed ace king Ivo Karlovic (1,447) of Croatia and American John Isner (1,260).
Raonic took advantage of that slip to break for 4-2 and then wrapped up the first set in 26 minutes with a booming ace.
He should have started the second set with a break, but allowed Anderson to escape from 0-40. Raonic, however, did manage to get that crucial break on second attempt in the fifth game and then clinched his place in the semis with two solid service games.
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