Dubai Duty Free Tennis Tournament Update

Written by: Staff on 4th March 2012

Singles – Final: (2) R Federer def. (3) A Murray 7-5 6-4

It was a high-quality match, with Andy Murray playing fine defense. But he wasn’t doing much to pressure Roger Federer. And Federer was playing his best game.

That’s two titles in a row for Federer, following his Rotterdam title two weeks ago. And they’re both 500 point events — and this one, in particular, was as strong as most Masters. It’s an impressive streak. Sadly, it doesn’t help him; he remains #3 (and Murray #4). But he is happy about it: “It’s great. There is no substitute to confidence. I’ve played great. It’s not just that I’ve taken my chances. I really thought I played a good tournament here. I played a great tournament in Rotterdam. The end of last year was exceptional, so it’s nice to also win a tournament outdoors now. That gives me hope that I can carry it over to Indian Wells and Miami.”

Doubles – Final: (4) Bhupathi/Bopanna def. (3) Fyrstenberg/Matkowski 6-4 3-6 0-5 (Match TB)

Entering this event, 2012 had been a real disappointment for the team of Bhupathi/Bopanna. They had a record of only 6-4. They had two semifinals, but both were at 250 point events. Their 360 Race points made them a mere #14 in that department (tied, ironically, with their opponents here Fyrstenberg/Matkowski). Frankly, it was looking as if the pairing would prove a failure.

Suddenly things are looking a lot better. They are Top Ten in the Race — and that as a result of winning a very good title. Maybe they just needed two months to get into form. Bhupathi wins his first title since Cincinnati 2011; Bopanna had won as recently as Paris, but he picks up only his second title with someone other than Aisam Qureshi.

Editor’s Note: Hope all the tennis fans were just as excited as the 10sBalls.com staff to watch Roger Federer win the tournament!

Topics: Andy Murray, Fyrstenberg, Marcin Matkowski, Roger Federer