Novak Djokovic made it into the final by the skin of his teeth. The world no. 2 again had a slow start. He staved off a charge from Marcos Baghadatis but was ultimately victorious with a 6-7(2) 6-3 6-4 win. The win was not pretty, but it was enough to advance.

The Serb will now defend his title against Mikhail Youzhny tomorrow. The Russian has been playing well but has not been tested this week since his quarterfinal opponent, Janko Tipsaravic sent home Andy Murray in the second round.

It should be an interesting matchup with Djokovic still struggling and Youzhny playing well. Their head-to-head record is 3-3 with the world no. 15 winning their last meeting in the Rotterdam semifinals.

Friday's Results
Singles Semifinals
2 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-7(2) 6-3 6-4
7 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) def. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 7-5 7-6(4)

Doubles Semifinals
2 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/L. Paes (IND) def. C. Kas (GER)/D. Norman (BEL) 2-6 7-6(6) 10-7
S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS) def. F. Lopez (ESP)/T. Robredo (ESP) 6-2 3-6 14-12

Championship Saturday
Singles Final
2 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. 7 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)

Doubles Final
2 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/L. Paes (IND) vs. S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS)
Saturday's Order of Play

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(Image: Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships)

Poor Gilou continues to struggle this year. His knees have been giving him trouble for some time. Gilles Simon already pulled out of the Australian Open and Rotterdam this year.

The 25-year-old Frenchman drew Marcos Baghdatis is his opening-round match in Dubai. Baghdatis has been in good shape of late and has already played spoiler to David Ferrer and Lleyton Hewitt this year. The Cypriot today reprised his role of spoiler and upset Simon 7-6(3) 6-4.

Simon played his first match of the year last week in Marseille and lost in the first round. Today’s loss brings the Frenchman’s record to 0-2 this year. Not playing and then losing in the first rounds is killing his ranking. Thirteen months ago, he was ranked sixth in the world. Now, he is ranked eighteenth after his fell two spots today.

Singles First Round
2 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-4 6-4
3 Andy Murray (GBR) def. Q Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 6-2 6-3
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) def. 8 Gilles Simon (FRA) 7-6(3) 6-4
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-1 7-5
Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. WC Rainer Schuettler (GER) 6-3 6-4
Q Stefan Koubek (AUT) def. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 7-6(4) 6-4
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. LL Jan Hernych (CZE) 6-2 6-7(3) 6-4

Doubles First Round
2 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/L. Paes (IND) def. M. Fyrstenberg (POL)/M. Matkowski (POL) 7-6(7) 6-3
3 M. Bhupathi (IND)/M. Mirnyi (BLR) def. WC M. Al Baloushi (UAE)/A. Magdas (KUW) 7-5 6-0

Tuesday’s Order of Play

(Image: Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships)

Saturday was marked with retirements and walkovers. Qualifier Stefan Koubek retired against Fernando Verdasco. Twentieth-seed Mikhail Youzhny withdrew with a wrist injury that developed during his epic match with Richard Gasquet in the first round. The Russian's withdrawal gave Pole Lukasz Kubot a walkover.

In the States, everyone’s favorite tennis sportscasters hyped the Hewitt-Baghdatis match as the match of the century. With their delusional pronouncements last night, the viewer would have had the impression that Marcos Baghdatis had actually won a grand slam. The reality is Baghdatis has won four career titles, with no grand slams or masters titles among them. After all the hype, the match ended with a whimper with Lleyton Hewitt trouncing Baghdatis and the Cypriots’ subsequent withdrawal in the second set from the match. Assholes.

The rest of the seeded players progressed pretty easily in straight sets with Djokovic and Davydenko moving quickly and quietly through the draw. The match of the day was 10-seed Jo-Wilfred Tsonga versus 18-seed Tommy Haas.

The two players met once before in Halle last year with the German veteran winning that meeting on grass. Tsonga had an easy time progressing through the first rounds this week. Haas, on the other hand, had a much difficult road by drawing Janko Tipsarevic in the second round and getting caught in a five-set match with the Serb.

Tsonga and Haas started evenly with both players staying on serve. In the ninth game of the first set, Tsonga broke Haas and was able to win the opening set. The German returned the favor in the second set. In the third set, errors crept into the 18-seed’s game. Tsonga took advantage by breaking Haas twice and taking control of the match.

In the fourth and final set, the two players traded breaks and were even at 5-5. Haas had a sloppy game eleven, and 10-seed broke the veteran for the final time. The Frenchman held at love for the set and the match. After 2 hours and 28 minutes, Tsonga sealed the deal 6-4 3-6 6-1 7-5.

Tsonga will now meet 26-seed Nicolas Almagro in the round of 16. The two players have never met in ATP competition.

Saturday’s Results
Singles Third Round
1 Roger Federer (SUI) def. 31 Albert Montanes (ESP) 6-3 6-4 6-4
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-1 6-1 6-2
6 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) def. 30 Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-0 6-3 6-4
9 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) def Q Stefan Koubek (AUT) 6-1 ret. (illness)
10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) def. 18 Tommy Haas (GER) 6-4 3-6 6-1 7-5
Lukasz Kubot (POL) def. 20 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) walkover (right wrist)
22 Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) def. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-0 4-2 ret. (right shoulder)
26 Nicolas Almagro (ESP) def. Alejandro Falla (COL) 6-4 6-3 6-4

Doubles Second Round
3 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/L Paes (IND) def. L. Arnold Ker (ARG)/ H. Tecau (ROU) 7-5 6-3
M. Kohlmann (GER)/J. Nieminen (FIN) def. C. Fleming (GBR)/K. Skupski (GBR) 3-6 6-4 6-3
A. Clement (FRA)/J. Erlich (ISR) def. F. Lopez (ESP)/R. Schuettler (GER) 6-3 7-5
F. Gonzalez (CHI)/I. Ljubicic (CRO) def. C. Ball (AUS)/S. Huss (AUS) 5-7 7-6(3) 7-5
I. Karlovic (CRO)/D. Vemic (SRB) def. WC K. Hensel (AUS)/ G. Jones (AUS) 3-6 7-5 7-5
J. Isner (USA)/ S. Querrey (USA) def. J. Benneteau (FRA) /S. Darcis (BEL) 6-4 6-0
L. Mayer (ARG)/H. Zeballos (ARG) def. I. Andreev (RUS)/E. Korolev (KAZ) 6-3 6-2

Sunday’s Matches
Singles Round of 16
2 Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Ivo Karlovic (CRO)
4 Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) vs. 14 Marin Cilic (CRO)
5 Andy Murray (GBR) vs. John Isner (USA)
7 Andy Roddick (USA) vs. 11 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)

Doubles Third Round
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs. 17 J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER)
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) vs. P. Marx (GER)/I. Zelenay (SVK)
J. Brunstrom (SWE)/J.J. Rojer (AHO) vs. Arnaud Clement (FRA)/J. Erlich (ISR)

Sunday’s Order of Play

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(Images: AFP/Getty Images /Paul Crock)

Marcos Bagdatis topped Olivier Rochus 6-1 7-5 for the IF Stockholm title. The Cypriot has struggled for the last couple of years. Unable to advance past the second round this year, he went back to the challenger circuit and managed to win three titles. The world no. 66 was able to take advantage of the opportunities presented this week to win his first title of the year and third-career title.

Championship
Singles Final
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) def. Olivier Rochus (BEL) 6-1 7-5

Doubles Final
1 B. Soares (BRA)/ K. Ullyett (ZIM) def. S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS) 6-4 7-6(4)

Saturday’s Results
Singles Semifinals
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) def. 1 Robin Soderling (SWE) w/o
Olivier Rochus (BEL) def. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-3

Doubles Semifinal
1 B. Soares (BRA)/ K. Ullyett (ZIM) def. 4 J. Coetzee (RSA)/S. Huss (AUS) 6-4 7-5

(Image: Soren Andersson/AFP/Getty Images)

Juan Carlos Ferrero gives the gas face in his 6-4 6-2 loss to Marcos Baghdatis.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Jeremy Chardy packed Marcos Baghdatis’ bags and sent him packing today in straight sets 7-6(7) 7-6(3). Actually, the match was pretty even from a statistical standpoint. It is just the Frenchman served and fought off break points a little bit better.

It looks like Chardy could be breaking through this year and could just become the fifth musketeer. The 22 year old is currently at his highest ranking of his career at number 52. This year, he reached the quarterfinals in Sydney and the finals in Johannesburg. Of the top 30 players, he has beaten David Ferrer and Igor Andreev this year. Now, he is starting to beat the players he should but just needs to start beating the top 30 players. This year, he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Johannesburg, Novak Djokovic in Melbourne, and Richard Gasquet in Sydney.

Now, he is guaranteed, at least, a semifinal finish this week. The Frenchman will advance to the semifinals against Mardy Fish. These players have never played before in an ATP or Grand Slam.

On the other side of the draw, Evgeny Korolev defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in convincing fashion 6-2 6-2. The world no. 101 will play Belgian Christophe Rochus in the other semifinal. The two players have never played in an ATP or Grand Slam event.

Friday’s Results:
Singles Quarterfinals
1 Mardy Fish (USA) def. 6 Florent Serra (FRA) 7-6(2) 7-6(4)
7 Jeremy Chardy (FRA) def. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 7-6(7) 7-6(3)
Christophe Rochus (BEL) def. Stefan Koubek (AUT) 6-3 7-6(6)
Q Evgeny Korolev (RUS) def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-2 6-2

Doubles Quarterfinals
2 M Melo (BRA)/ A Sa (BRA) def. P. Petzschner (GER)/A Peya (AUT) walkover
4 E Butorac (USA)/B Soares (BRA) def. R. Bopanna (IND)/J. Nieminen (FIN) 4-6 6-3 10-8

Saturday’s Matches:
Singles Semifinals
1 Mardy Fish (USA) vs. 7 Jeremy Chardy (FRA)
Q Evgeny Korolev (RUS) vs. Christophe Rochus (BEL)

Doubles Semifinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs 4 E. Butorac (USA)/B. Soares (BRA)
2 M. Melo (BRA)/A. Sa (BRA) vs. R. Ram (USA)/B. Reynolds (USA)

(image: Camerasports)