Federer Halts Murray in Dubai Final

World number three Roger Federer continued his impressive run of form with victory over Andy Murray in the final of the Dubai Championships.

The 30-year-old, with 16 Grand Slam titles to his name, triumphed 7-5 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes to claim his fifth Dubai title and 72nd in all.

“It was always going to be a tough battle tonight against Roger but he played the better match and deserved the win”Andy Murray

Federer dropped serve for the only time all week as Murray fought back in the second set, but the Swiss held firm.

"Winning is the best, it solves everything," said Federer.

After taking his winning streak to 10 matches on the back of titles in Rotterdam and now Dubai, he added: "I'm really happy, it went so well."

Federer had looked impregnable on serve all week, coming through a tight semi-final in two tie-breaks against Juan Martin del Potro on Friday after Murray's defeat of world number Novak Djokovic had grabbed the headlines.

The Briton, who had served impressively himself in defeating Djokovic, fashioned the first opportunity in the final when he earned two break points in game six.

However, a loose backhand error followed by a netted forehand under pressure saw the moment pass, and Murray would regret that fleeting opportunity when Federer made the breakthrough at 5-5.

The 24-year-old Scot fought back valiantly from 0-40 and saw Federer blaze a forehand wide on his fourth break point, but the Swiss made no mistake when presented with a fifth chance as a heavy backhand proved too much for Murray at the net.

Murray looked flat in comparison with Friday's semi-final and was not helping himself with a first-serve percentage that rarely moved above 50%, allowing Federer to attack his second serve.

That was the case when the second seed broke at 2-1 in the second set and, still to lose his serve in Dubai this year, Federer looked well set to close out the match.

It was not that straightforward in reality, with a double-fault not helping his cause before Murray sent up a winning lob to finally get the break and level at 3-3.

Murray urged himself on as he grabbed a foothold in the match but his usually reliable backhand was starting to break down too regularly, and when he clattered one into the net on break point at 4-4 he handed the advantage back to his opponent.

Federer needed two bites at the cherry but converted his second match point with a blistering forehand winner into the corner that aptly illustrated his dominance at the key moments.

Murray said: "It was a good week, I had a couple of good wins against Berdych and Novak. It was always going to be a tough battle tonight against Roger but he played the better match and deserved the win."

Murray Beats World No.1 in Dubai

Andy Murray became the first man to beat world number one Novak Djokovic in 2012 with a straight-sets win in the semi-finals of Dubai Championships.

Murray, seeded third, broke twice in each set to come through 6-2 7-5 in one hour and 22 minutes.

The result saw the Briton avenge January's epic Australian Open semi-final defeat by Djokovic.

Four-time Dubai champion Roger Federer faces Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in Friday's second semi-final.

"It's obviously great any time you beat the world number one," said Murray. "I just tried to do some of the same things I did in Australia.

"I was very close there against one of the greatest players ever, and today I did what I needed to - even though it nearly got away from me at the end."

Djokovic, the three-time defending champion on an 18-match winning streak in Dubai, started the match strongly and held his first two service games to love.

But Murray kept pace with the five-time Grand Slam winner before an incredible passage of play that saw the Scot reel off seven games in a row from 2-2.

The British number one was serving superbly, dropping just one point behind his first serve on his way to taking the opening set after Djokovic blazed a forehand long to give up the break in game six.

Some characteristically impressive retrieving from Murray brought more errors as Djokovic failed to find his best rhythm, and a second break in game eight wrapped up the set before the Scot raced 3-0 up in the second.

An unexpectedly regulation victory looked on the cards when Murray served for the match, but a double-fault helped Djokovic back into the contest at 5-5.

The large Serbian contingent in the crowd was now in fine voice and a full-blown comeback from the world number one seemed likely, but Murray gathered himself impressively for a final assault.

A quick-fire service game put him back in front before the under-pressure Djokovic finally succumbed, three loose errors handing over his service game for the fourth and final time.

Djokovic said afterwards that he had simply lost to the better player on the day, adding: "Generally I feel good, physically, mentally.

"It's just the start of the season. There are some 1,000 events (Indian Wells and Miami) coming up which are really important, and I need to get ready."

Murray Meets Djokovic Next

British number one Andy Murray beat fifth seed Tomas Berdych at the Dubai Championships and will face Novak Djokovic in Friday's semi-finals.

Murray, 24, came through a dramatic final game to convert his seventh match point and beat Berdych 6-3 7-5 in one hour and 51 minutes.

The Scot now faces a repeat of January's Australian Open semi-final against Djokovic in the last-four.

World number one Djokovic beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-1 7-6.

Four-time champion Roger Federer beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 6-4 in the other half of the draw and will now face Juan Martin del Potro.

The 2009 US Open champion from Argentina caused an upset by beating fourth-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7-1) 6-2.

Murray will head into the closing stages in confident mood after ending a three-match losing streak against the powerful Berdych, with the Scot's only previous win having come back in 2005.

An immediate break set third seed Murray off on the right footing, and he saw off four break points for Berdych on his way to closing out the set in 42 minutes.

The second set was an altogether less predictable contest, with Murray twice moving a break ahead in the early stages only to be pegged back straight way each time.

Berdych saved a break point with a big serve at 4-4 and was within two points of levelling the match in the following game, but it was Murray who made the crucial breakthrough with some superb scrambling to force the error at 5-5.

Murray, who by now was regularly clutching at his knee in apparent pain, looked all set to see out the match with no fuss at 40-0, but his first serve then went missing and Berdych came fighting back.

Four match points went begging before Berdych had an angry exchange with the umpire over an overrule, and the fired-up Czech escaped defeat twice more before firing a backhand long on match point number seven.

Asked afterwards about his knee, Murray said: "I had a problem with it since Brisbane and it's come and gone. It was a bit sore right before the tournament. I didn't feel it at all in the first couple of matches, and then right at the beginning of the second set I felt it.

"It's not something that stops me sort of running around. I want to try and get rid of it, because there are a lot of the big events coming up."

Murray said of Djokovic before the Serbian's victory: "I would like to get the chance to play him again.

"I had a great match with him in Australia, and hopefully can reverse the result.

"Any time you get a win against the number one player in the world it's important, because you don't get a chance to play them that often."

Federer has beaten Del Potro nine times in their 11 matches but one of those losses was in the 2009 US Open final.

"I always think about that final," said Del Potro. "After the final in Rotterdam (last month), he (Federer) told me 'You have the big one, so don't be sad'.

"But tomorrow ... all the matches are different, all tournaments are different, and I'm trying to find a way to beat him again. It's really difficult for me, his game. He plays slices, drop shots, and he's one of the best in history. So I just want to be ready for a fight.

Murray Makes to Final Eight

Andy Murray stepped up a gear from his first-round match to reach the Dubai Championships quarter-final by beating Swiss qualifier Marco Chiudinelli.

The British number one needed one hour and 23 minutes to win 6-3 6-4 against the world number 185.

He will play Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals after the fifth seed beat Lukas Lacko 6-1 6-2.

World number one Novak Djokovic progressed with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win over Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky.

Second seed Roger Federer is also through after beating Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 7-5 6-3.

“Conditions in Miami are hotter than this. I find the conditions here almost perfect”Andy Murray

Murray had laboured to overcome German qualifier Michael Berrer in the first round on Tuesday, his first match since losing to Djokovic at the Australian Open.

The Scot, 24, has struggled in the last two years to get over defeats in Australia, but there were encouraging signs in his routine dismissal of 30-year-old Chiudinelli.

Murray broke serve for the first time in game four with a sharp backhand to Chiudinelli's feet and saw out the set comfortably, winning over 80% of the points behind both first and second serves.

There was a slight dip in that area of his game early in the second set but he maintained the pressure on Chiudinelli's serve, going close to a break in the first and seventh games before making the decisive move at 4-4.

Forehand and backhand winners helped Murray to the break and he closed out victory with little fuss to become the first man through to the last eight.

"I played well throughout," said Murray. "I played a little bit better, so that's progress. Now I just need to keep that going."

Asked about the rising temperature in Dubai, the Briton said that training in Florida with coach Ivan Lendl had helped him in that regard.

"Conditions in Miami are hotter than this," he said. "I find the conditions here almost perfect.

"I'd been practising my serve quite a lot there and I think that went well today."

Federer remains on course to win the title for a fifth time after making short work of left-hander Lopez.

He broke the 15th seed in the final game to settle a tight opening set before breaking the Spaniard again to lead 5-3 in the second set, closing out the match with a winning volley from the net.

"It was difficult," said Federer.

"I've obviously played Feliciano many, many times way back and now on tour as well, but I've never played him when he was ranked so high and potentially so confident.

"Those are the kind of matches you need early on in a tournament to feel good about how you're handling those tough moments."

The former world number one, who now faces Mikhail Youzhny after the Russian beat out-of-form American Mardy Fish 6-2 7-6 (7-0), was beaten in the Dubai final last year by Djokovic.

Number one seed Djokovic will now face Janko Tipsarevic, who battled past Italy's Flavio Cipolla 6-7 6-1 6-1.

"Janko's very solid from the baseline," said the Serb.

"When he has time and he steps into the court, he's very dangerous. I need to try to be aggressive.

"I need to try to stay close to the line. That's all. He doesn't have many weaknesses in his game."