Djokovic Ahead Before Desert Rain Halts Dubai Final; Gulbis a Game From First Final
Talk about a tough week in Dubai! First the tennis tournament loses its top players like Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro. Then the seeds start dropping highlighter by Andy Murray’s controversial if not half-hearted effort. Now, the final gets delayed mid-match because of rain. Rain in the Dubai? Isn’t it a desert? ADHEREL
Not to make light of it – I know it rains in Dubai – but crazy how the tournaments gets precipitation during the finale. As I said, the event must feel snakebit! And in that now-postponed final Novak Djokovic was in complete command of Mikhail Youhzny up 7-5, 2-0, and I expect the Serb to finish the job of defending his title come tomorrow when the match resumes.
Dubai (and on a far, far, far larger scale, Chile which hosts Davis Cup next weekend vs. Israel) wasn’t the only place feeling the wrath of Mother Nature. Delray Beach also was hit by rain. Ernests Gulbis actually was leading Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 5-4 in the semifinals when the skies opened up. According to the ATP they are expecting a few more hours of rain before clearing.
After failing to reach a semifinal in 65 straight tournaments, Gulbis has now advanced to two straight after Memphis last week. Mardy Fish and Ivo Karlovic will play the second semifinal later tonight.
In the Acapulco final later today it’s the second straight week David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero will meet in a final. Ferrero has won 14 straight matches including back-to-back titles in Brazil and Buenos Aires the last two weeks. That match begins at 9pm local or 10pm ET.
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