Djokovic, Nadal cruise into Doha quarterfinals

Novak Djokovic coasted through round two of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday afternoon, as he defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and nine minutes. Djokovic saved both of the break points he faced while earning four scalps of the Spaniard’s serve.

It has been an easy start to the 2016 campaign for the world No. 1, who dominated last season to the tune of three major titles. His first-round match in Doha ended after a mere 51 minutes, as Dustin Brown also bowed out via a 6-2, 6-2 scoreline.

“Both of the matches went very well,” Djokovic said of rounds one and two. “You never know how you’re gonna start a season, but you’re hoping for the best. Tonight I had a tough opponent. Obviously he’s a very powerful opponent; if he has time he can be very dangerous. So I tried to take away that time from him and it was a very solid performance.”

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-BthOhLnlc

Rafael Nadal joined his rival in the quarterfinals by trouncing Robin Haase  6-3, 6-2 in one hour and five minutes. Nadal also fought off both of the break points he faced to take care of all nine of his service games. The second-seeded Spaniard served at 74 percent for a second consecutive match.

Match point and on-court interview:

“Very nice feeling; no wind, perfect temperature,” Nadal said of the conditions. “(I’m) very happy to be through. It was a great match; I think I played a very solid match. I played so well against a very difficult opponent.”

Haase came up with some outstanding stuff of his own midway through the second set:

“He killed me on that one,” Nadal joked. “He’s an aggressive player. I think he played well at the end of the first and in the second. He played so aggressive, but I think I played a great match. It was an opponent I respect so much, so I’m very happy to be through.”

The 14-time Grand Slam champion will go up against Andrey Kuznetsov on Thursday, while a semifinal spot will also be at stake when Djokovic battles Leonardo Mayer.

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