Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2015: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
The first Grand Slam of the season is on the horizon, and the world’s top players will descend on Doha for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open to get their preparations underway in earnest.
Novak Djokovic pulled out of the final of the Mubadala Exhibition tournament recently with a fever, and he’ll be looking to bounce back in style as the top seed here. The world No. 1 will be desperate to preserve the stunning momentum he showcased at the back end of last year and get into his groove ahead of the Australian Open.
The Serbian star claims he’s excited about the upcoming season and insists he will be looking to add to his current haul of seven Grand Slam titles, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"I still want to continue on doing what I have done so far, because I have enough reason to believe that this is something that is going to, I think, allow me to have a big opportunity to stay at the top of the men's game.
If you want to fight for World No. 1, you need to kind of be able to play most of the big events, especially Grand Slams, and you need to be able to win at least one or two of them if you want to be No. 1.
"
The tournament in Doha will be an excellent chance for Djokovic to get into his rhythm, but with the vast majority of the world’s top players choosing to begin their 2015 season in Qatar, he’ll certainly have a fight on his hands if he’s to win the title.
Indeed, Rafael Nadal will be appearing at his first ATP event since having his appendix removed. A long run here will be vital for him if he’s to be in top condition at the first Slam of the year. The Spaniard won this title last year, and although victory may be beyond him so soon after returning, his progress will be intriguing to watch.
Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer and Philipp Kohlschreiber complete what looks like a very strong top five. With a host of players desperate to start their year in style, expect shocks aplenty in the early rounds.
Be sure to check back here for all the latest updates from what should be a fascinating tournament in Qatar.
Seedings, Draw and Schedule
1 of 7
| Seeding | Player |
| 1. | Novak Djokovic |
| 2. | Rafael Nadal |
| 3. | Tomas Berdych |
| 4. | David Ferrer |
| 5. | Philipp Kohlschreiber |
| 6. | Richard Gasquet |
| 7. | Ivo Karlovic |
| 8. | Leonardo Mayer |
Seedings courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com.
Full singles draw can be found here.
Full doubles draw can be found here.
Daily schedule can be found here.
Day 6 Recap
2 of 7
Men's Singles
(4) David Ferrer (ESP) defeats (3) Tomas Berdych (CZE): 6-4, 7-5
Recap
David Ferrer got his 2015 off to the perfect start as he toppled Tomas Berdych in two sets in the final of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open to claim his maiden title in the Doha tournament.
Having come through a hard-fought semi-final on Friday against Ivo Karlovic—who had beaten Novak Djokovic in the last eight—the Spaniard showed his quality to win 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday and claim the title.
It is the 22nd ATP tournament win of Ferrer's career and the world No. 10 highlighted his victory as a terrific way to start the new season, per the ATP World Tour:
"I'm very happy. I put in hard work this preseason. It's special winning this tournament. I was ready to play tonight's match against Berdych - a Top 10 player.
"
It was always likely to be a close final with two quality players facing up to each other, but Ferrer claimed the initiative with an early double break in the first set.
However, Berdych looked to haul his way back into the contest as he claimed a break back for 4-2 and almost regained parity as Ferrer was serving for the set at 5-4.
The Spaniard saved two break points, though, and eventually won a crucial first set which gave him the upper hand early on.
The serve of both players seemed vulnerable and they exchanged breaks at the beginning of the second set before swapping holds deep into proceedings.
Berdych had three set points as he looked to claim a crucial break at 5-4 up, but Ferrer again held on at a vital stage and then went on to break himself to go 6-5 up.
Ferrer then closed out the match to love and picked up the title after a hard-fought encounter which could so easily have swung the other way.
The victory gives the 32-year-old fine momentum ahead of the opening Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, which begins in on Jan. 19.
Day 5 Recap
3 of 7
Men's Singles
(4) David Ferrer (ESP) defeated (7) Ivo Karlovic (CRO): 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(4)
(3) Tomas Berdych (CZE) defeated Andreas Seppi (ITA): 6-2, 6-3
Men's Doubles
Juan Monaco (ARG)/Rafael Nadal (ESP) defeat Julian Knowle (AUS)/Philipp Oswald (AUS): 6-3, 6-4
Recap
David Ferrer emerged atop an almighty collision against Croatia's Ivo Karlovic on Friday, winning two of the three tiebreakers to claim his place in the final of this year's Qatar Open.
Having beaten tournament favourite and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic a day previous, seventh-seeded Karlovic was in strong form, hitting no fewer than 30 aces in their two-and-a-half-hour session.
This is Ferrer's fifth campaign at the Qatar Open and the first time he's managed to make the final. Unsurprisingly, the Spaniard told the official ATP World Tour website he just wanted to relax in wake of a draining contest:
"This preseason I worked hard. I had one month of work with my new coach (Francisco Fogues), and I think we improved some details in my tennis, like the slice and my serve. Now I want to rest and to have a massage with my physio and be ready for tomorrow.
"
The third set was a special delight for fans, where neither Ferrer nor Karlovic could find the mini-break needed to end the action, until Ferrer's accurate backhand slice eventually brought him the win.
A key aspect of the tie was Ferrer's ability to hold his own serve. Given that Karlovic's strength in that area put him at an advantage, it was pivotal the Spaniard continuously managed to stay on terms in order to outlast his foe.
After losing the opening set by close margins, it would have been easy for Ferrer's head to dip, but the No. 4 seed showed trademark determination to take his place in the final.
There, he'll come up against Tomas Berdych, who may well be the more fresher of the two after taking just an hour-and-a-quarter to beat Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-3 in his semi-final.
In a far more one-sided meeting, Seppi was made to look ordinary and if Berdych's dismantling of Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals wasn't evidence of his candidacy for the Qatar title, Friday's result was.
Seppi's greatest obstacle was failing to make use of the few break opportunities that came his way, while Berdych made good on three of his nine break chances.
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Day 4 Recap
4 of 7
Men's Singles
David Ferrer (ESP) defeated Dustin Brown (GER): 6-2, 6-2
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) defeated Novak Djokovic (SER): 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-4
Tomas Berdych (CZE) defeated Richard Gasquet (FRA): 6-2, 6-1
Andreas Seppi (ITA) defeated Ivan Dodig (CRO): 7-5, 6-4
Men's Doubles
Julian Knowle (AUS)/Philipp Oswald (AUS) defeated David Marrero (ESP)/Fernando Verdasco (ESP): 7-6(4), 7-5
Juan Monaco (ARG)/Rafael Nadal (ESP) defeated Novak Djokovic (SER)/Filip Krajinovic (SER): 7-6(3), 6-1
Recap
Novak Djokovic was stunned by Ivo Karlovic in his Qatar Open quarter-final match. Karlovic sent Djokovic packing despite the concession of the opening set.
Djokovic had taken the first stanza on a tiebreaker, per ATPWorldTour.com. But Karlovic returned the favour in the next set, before making easier work of the decider.
It was Karlovic's serving power that really gave Djokovic trouble. The ATP official site noted that Karlovic hit 21 aces during the match. That Djokovic earned just 11 points from 73 first serves indicates how he struggled to cope.
A powerful service game has always been a trademark for Karlovic. He recently became one of only three male players, along with fellow countryman Goran Ivanisevic, to hit 9,000 aces in his career, per ESPN.co.uk.
Of course, this isn't the first time Karlovic has bested his more illustrious opponent. The Croatian has twice beaten Djokovic at the Madrid Masters, both in 2005 and 2008.
Now Karlovic must turn his focus to Spaniard David Ferrer in the first semi-final. It's the Spaniard's second trip to the final four in Qatar in as many years.
Meanwhile, Djokovic, the world No. 1 and the top seed in Qatar, is left to recover from a humbling defeat to a tricky opponent who appears to have his number.
Elsewhere, Tomas Berdych thrashed Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets. The Czech Republic player put a lot of pressure on Gasquet's service game.
Gasquet collected only three points from 10 second serves. He was also guilty of 17 unforced errors. Those gaffes were a sure sign of the pressure applied by Berdych, who is now the highest-rated seed (No. 3) left at the tournament.
He'll face unseeded opposition in the semi-final after Andreas Seppi saw off fellow unseeded player Ivan Dodig. The key to Seppi's win was the 32 points won from 38 first serves as the Italian bids to win a title for the first time since 2012.
Like the rest of the final four though, Seppi will be surprised and relieved not to see Djokovic's name still in the tournament.
Day 3 Recap
5 of 7
Men's Singles
Ivo Karlovic (7) def. Nikoloz Basilashvili: 7-6(3), 6-3
Dustin Brown def. Jan-Lennard Struff: 7-6(9), 6-4
Andreas Seppi def. Joao Souza: 7-5, 6-2
David Ferrer (4) def. Fernando Verdasco: 6-3, 6-2
Novak Djokovic (1) def. Sergiy Stakhovsky: 6-2, 6-1
Ivan Dodig def. Michael Berrer: 7-6(1), 6-2
Tomas Berdych (3) def. Blaz Kavcic: 6-1, 6-2
Richard Gasquet (6) def. Simone Bolelli: 6-3, 6-2
Men's Doubles
Juan Monaco/Rafael Nadal def. Benjamin Becker/Artem Sitak: 2-6, 6-3, 10-6
Fernando Verdasco/David Marrero def. Dominic Inglot/Florin Mergea: 3-6, 6-3, 10-5
Julian Knowle/Philipp Oswald def. Lukas Rosol/Sergiy Stakhovsky: 6-3, 7-5
Novak Djokovic/Filip Krajinovic def. Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah (3): 6-3, 7-5
Recap
After conceding just three games in his Qatar opener against Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday, Novak Djokovic strolled past Sergiy Stakhovsky on Wednesday, again losing just three games en route to the quarter-finals.
And again, it took the Serbian only around an hour to thump his foe in straight sets and set up a last-eight encounter opposite Ivo Karlovic, whom he hailed as a tough opponent, per the Associated Press:
"I'm definitely going to try to get some good sleep so my reaction tomorrow is quick, because I'm going to need that, definitely. Honestly, I'm still to meet a player who enjoys playing him (Karlovic).
"
Richard Gasquet is another top contender with a tough quarter-final on his hands after both he and Tomas Berdych proceeded to the last eight with wins over Simone Bolelli and Blaz Kavcic, respectively.
Bolelli might have been expected to put up a fiercer fight against No. 6 seed Gasquet, but the Italian was clearly off the pace despite having had an extra day's rest from singles action.
If Bolelli's defence was poor, Kavcic's was markedly more so as Berdych replicated Djokovic in losing just three games, including a 6-1 domination of their first set.
With Rafael Nadal suffering a shock defeat at the first hurdle, David Ferrer became the only Spaniard to make the quarters on Wednesday, getting the better of compatriot Fernando Verdasco in under 80 minutes.
In the next stage, he'll face off against Dustin Brown, who was one of three unseeded victors to progress on Wednesday, though through more difficult circumstances.
He and Ivan Dodig each needed tiebreakers to win their opening sets against respective opponents Jan-Lennard Struff and Michael Berrer, with Andreas Seppi also staging a close tie against Joao Souza.
Nevertheless, all three advanced with straight-sets wins and will hold onto their Qatar dreams as long as they remain intact, although the three will now be seen as some of the major underdogs remaining.
Day 2 Recap
6 of 7
Men's Singles
Tomas Berdych (3) def. Denis Istomin: 6-1, 6-4
Andreas Seppi def. Leonardo Mayer (8): 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-6(4)
Blaz Kavcic def. Juan Monaco: 7-6(3), 6-4
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Jabor Mohammed Ali Mutawa: 6-1, 6-1
Nikoloz Basilashvili def. Mikhail Youzhny: 7-5, 6-2
Novak Djokovic (1) def. Dusan Lajovic: 6-2, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff def. Philipp Kohlschreiber: 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1
Michael Berrer def. Rafael Nadal (2): 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Joao Souza def. Malek Jaziri: 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
David Ferrer def. Thiemo de Bakker: 6(4)-7, 6-4, 6-3
Men's Doubles
Benjamin Becker/Artem Sitak def. Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares (1): 5-3, Retired
Fernando Verdasco/David Marrero def. Ivan Dodig/Max Mirnyl (4): 6-2, 7-6(2)
Lukas Rosol/Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Pablo Andujar/Andreas Seppi: 6-2, 6-4
Julian Knowle/Philipp Oswald def. Alsam-Ul-Haq Qureshi/Nenad Zimonjic (2): 5-7, 7-6(5), 10-3
Recap
Rafael Nadal made a shock exit from the Qatar Open on Tuesday, stumbling at the very first hurdle as late qualifier Michael Berrer sealed a magnificent comeback win over the world No. 3.
Second-seed Nadal went a set up in rudimentary fashion, blitzing his German opponent 6-1, but it was all downhill from there as the Spaniard showed his injury comeback is far from complete.
Berrer, ranked 127th in the world, was by far the more match-ready of the two, having played through three qualification round before taking his place in the first round, but even then Nadal would have been thought to have sufficient quality.
It wasn't to be, though, as the defending Qatar champion fell to his humble opponent in three sets, Berrer managing to break his opponent in each of the latter two.
Novak Djokovic also made his tournament bow on Tuesday and had a far easier time of things, laying waste to compatriot Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.
It took the world No. 1 less than an hour to do away with Lajovic, indicating that he has no signs of slowing in 2015.
Among the other seeds upset on Day 2 was Leonardo Mayer, who dropped to Andreas Seppi in a 38-game thriller that lasted almost three hours in Doha.
Mayer, like Nadal, began his day positively, but proved to be the inferior player on the day as Seppi won back-to-back tiebreak sets, taking a deserved place in the tournament's second round.
Unlike Mayer and Nadal, Tomas Berdych managed to live up to the favourite tag placed upon him and get the better of Denis Istomin in his opener.
Following the exit of Nadal, Berdych will certainly feel upbeat regarding his chances of making it far in Doha. His 6-1 win over Istomin in the first set of their collision was particularly strong, but the third overall seed now has a test in consistency as he looks to contend for the title Nadal is now set to relinquish.
Day 1 Recap
7 of 7
Men's Singles
Simone Bolelli def. Benjamin Becker: 6-3, 7-6
Ivan Dodig def. Mohamed Safwat: 6-3, 6-1
Richard Gasquet def. Pablo Andujar: 6-3, 7-5
Dustin Brown def. Paolo Lorenzi: 7-6, 6-3
Fernando Verdasco def. Teymuraz Gabashvili: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6
Ivo Karlovic def. Lukas Rosol: 7-6, 6-3
Men's Singles Qualifiers
Thiemo De Bakker def. Farrukh Dustov: 7-5, 6-4
Nikoloz Basilashvili def. Filip Krajinovic: 6-3, 6-3
Michael Berrer def. Matthias Bachinger: 6-7, 6-0, 6-3
Blaz Kavcic def. Rajeev Ram: 6-3, 6-4
Men's Doubles
Dominic Inglot/Florin Mergea def. Denis Istomin/Mikhail Youzhny: 6-4, 7-6, 10-6
Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah def. Scott Lipsky/Rajeev Ram: 6-2, 6-0
Juan Monaco/Rafael Nadal def. Simone Bolelli/Leonardo Mayer: 6-3, 6-3
Novak Djokovic/Filip Krajinovic def. Jabor Mohammed Ali Mutawa/Malek Jaziri: 6-1, 6-4
Recap
Monday's action kicked off the 2015 Qatar Open, where the early singles victors had an easy job in blazing their way through to the second round of the competition. Ivan Dodig, Richard Gasquet, Simone Bolelli and Dustin Brown each claimed straight-sets victories in the first four matches of the day.
Of all those, Croatian Dodig faced the weakest opposition in claiming a 6-3, 6-1 win over Egypt's Mohamed Safwat and is likely to face Rafael Nadal in the next phase of his tournament.
Dodig was dominant in his opening encounter, losing only four of his 36 total service points, per the official ATP World Tour website, and managing to win all 10 of his first-service points in the second-set mauling.
Bolelli, Gasquet and Brown came up against stiffer tasks against Benjamin Becker, Pablo Andujar and Paolo Lorenzi, respectively, each pushed to sets comprised of 12 games or more.
Andujar's fight to revive his match against Gasquet was a particular concern for the sixth seed, who didn't help his own case with four double-faults, three of which came in the second set.
However, Gasquet edged his Spanish opponent in the clutch points, winning 40 percent of his return points compared to Andujar's 33 percent to edge the match.
Teymuraz Gabashvili and Fernando Verdasco gave fans in Doha their first three-set singles encounter of the day, and what a tense clash it was as the latter emerged victorious after falling a set behind.
Verdasco lost the battle of initiative, but stamina proved in his favour as the Spaniard launched an assault to overturn his deficit, setting up a potential second-round encounter with countryman David Ferrer.
Ivo Karlovic triumphed in Monday's last matchup, defeating Lukas Rosol in straight sets and hitting no less than 27 aces to showcase his serving mastery and book a place in the second round.
It took seventh-seed Karlovic almost an hour to take the first set on a tiebreaker in Doha, but the second set was a far simpler matter and Rosol was laid to waste as his opponent's return rate came to the fore.
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