Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2016: Thursday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Schedule
Rafael Nadal booked his spot in the semi-finals of the 2016 Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday, beating Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Kuznetsov looked overwhelmed in the first set but bounced back to hand the favourite a tough challenge, but Nadal showed his class late, setting up a date with Illya Marchenko.
Novak Djokovic struggled tremendously in his two-set win over Leonardo Mayer, but the Serb did enough to book his spot in the semi-finals.
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In the first match of the day, Marchenko continued his Cinderella run with a straight-set win over Jeremy Chardy. Finally, Tomas Berdych cruised into the semi-finals, easily beating England's Kyle Edmund.
Here's a look at Thursday's results, as well as the schedule for the semi-finals:
| Illya Marchenko | 6-3, 7-6 (3) | Jeremy Chardy |
| Rafael Nadal | 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 | Andrey Kuznetsov |
| Novak Djokovic | 6-3, 7-5 | Leonardo Mayer |
| Tomas Berdych | 6-3, 6-2 | Kyle Edmund |
| Rafael Nadal | vs. | Illya Marchenko |
| Novak Djokovic | vs. | Tomas Berdych |
The 2016 Qatar ExxonMobil Open schedule can be seen in full on the official ATP World Tour website.
Recap
Nadal has made a strong impression early in the season, and he came out firing against Kuznetsov, dominating the early exchanges to grab a 3-0 lead in the first set. His forehand looked as solid as ever, and he was stepping into the lane to fire his returns with confidence.
The Russian took a lot of chances with his serve, knowing he couldn't keep up with Nadal in the rallies, and while he managed to find some success, it was clear Kuznetsov was overmatched in the first set.
Rolling Stone's Juan Jose Vallejo was impressed with the 14-time Grand Slam winner:
As the first set wore on, Kuznetsov started finding his groove a little more, and he came close to grabbing a break in the final game. Down 5-3, he took a quick 30-0 lead before Nadal pulled himself together and served out the set.
The game set the tone for the start of the second set, as Kuznetsov started playing with more confidence and putting his foot next to Nadal's in the rallies. The Spaniard's first set had been virtually mistake-free, but he suffered a bit of a dip early in the second and suffered a break for love in the fourth game.
The next game saw a bit of controversy, as Kuznetsov showed his lack of experience at the highest level by not challenging a poor call during the first point, and another close call went Nadal's way during the third exchange. Vallejo thought the Russian got "robbed:"
Instead, Nadal found the all-important break and tied things up at 3-3 in the next game.
Nadal followed that up with a break of the Russian's serve and seemed ready to finish the match in style, but Kuznetsov wouldn't go away quietly. For the second time in the set, the the 24-year-old grabbed a quick break to love to tie things up, and Nadal looked a little worried heading into the ninth game.
He was proved right, as his opponent easily held serve and suddenly held a 5-4 lead. But in keeping with his strong early-season form, Nadal kept his composure and tied things up in the 10th game.
Meanwhile, tennis blogger Ricky Dimon noticed this interesting statistic:
Kuznetsov and Nadal served up an epic 11th game that went back and forth, but the Russian eventually grabbed the win and pushed his momentum to grab the set and force a decider.
The Russian continued to impress in the third set, keeping things close with a series of impressive winners and never allowing Nadal to build a comfortable lead.
Per Dimon, his ability to hit winners stood out:
When Nadal got Kuznetsov moving, he dominated the exchanges, but when the latter was able to set his feet, he severely tested Nadal's defence every time. The Spaniard was pushed to the very limit in the final set, and while one key break made the difference, he was tested much harder than anyone would have predicted.
Djokovic didn't look at all convincing against Mayer, but the top-ranked player did just enough to qualify for the semi-finals, where he'll have to rediscover his form.
The Argentinian immediately jumped out to a shock 2-0 lead, as the Djoker seemed to be struggling with his serve and made a number of uncharacteristic mistakes. His footwork looked a little sloppy at times, and he had difficulty placing his forehands close to the outside lines.
A double fault immediately allowed Djokovic to break back and the Serb controlled the first set from that point onward, although he had to save another break point. ATPWorldTour.com's Josh Meiseles noted this statistic:
The Serb looked solid enough in the return game, which allowed him to put enough pressure on Mayer to force him into making mistakes, but there was little creativity to be found in the rallies. The world No. 1 simply didn't look himself, although he did enough to take care of Mayer.
He won the first set 6-3 before suffering another break in the opening game, and this time, Mayer powered through to take a 2-0 lead. Dimon didn't understand what was wrong with Djokovic:
Mayer was able to hold on to his lead throughout the second set until 5-4, when he served to tie things up. Djokovic picked that moment to step on the gas, although his opponent didn't make things particularly hard, with four unforced errors.
The 28-year-old was suddenly reeling and found himself serving to stay in the match just minutes later, and that didn't end well for Mayer, whose bid to upset Djokovic came to an end after just two sets.
Edmund's great run through the tournament came to an end against the third-seeded Berdych, who used his powerful serve game to devastating effects on Thursday. The Czech needed just over 80 minutes to book a date with Djokovic and looks to be in position to pull off an upset.
In the first match of the day, the dream week continued for Marchenko, who powered his way past Chardy in two sets.
The Ukrainian has been playing some impressive tennis all week long and has racked up wins against some impressive opponents, including defending champion David Ferrer.
Tennis journalist Chris Goldsmith thought the 28-year-old really showed what he's capable of:
Per Dimon, he's already looking forward to the opportunity of facing Nadal:
Marchenko has limited experience on the highest level, with all of his titles coming on the Challenger circuit, but regardless of what he does in the semi-finals, he can look back on this tournament as a huge positive experience.
That lack of pressure should play to his advantage against Nadal, who has looked very solid so far but is not invincible.
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