The 2 superstars are advancing in Doha with mixed paths. Nadal had an easy win over the Russian displaying a very good tennis (6-4 6-4).
‘I think I played really well,’ Nadal said. ‘At the end of the match, it was a little bit nervous, which is normal for the start of the season.
‘I was moving fast and I went to the net a lot of times. That’s what I need to do if I want to compete with the really top players.’
He will play Monfils in the semifinal.
Federer had a very tricky victory over Seppi. The Swiss Maestro strarted really in style getting 3-0 in only 6 minutes. It looked as the 2 players were 2/3 categories apart. Than Federer started to became too confident on his formidable shots so as to lose his concentration. Eventually the first set ended 6-3 for the Swiss that started to show signs of distraction. In fact Seppi, that was completely outplayed in the opener, managed to get a 5-1 lead with a very solid tennis. Then Federer managed to get 4 games in a row so as to tie 5-5 to lose his focus again. The second set went to Seppi 7-5.
The third set did not start well for the world nr.3 that couldn’t break the Italian and lost the first game in no time. Then the experience helped Roger. The Swiss stopped to play sloppy shots and managed to get more consistency. This allowed him to win the decider by 6-4.
Federe will play Tsonga in the semifinal.
‘I’m looking forward to playing him,’ said Federer in a court-side interview. ‘I hope we can live up to expectations.’
