Qatar ExxonMobil Open—Doha, Qatar
No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic dismissed top seed Andy Murray 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 on Saturday to defend his Qatar Open title in Doha. Needing every bit of two hours and 54 minutes to claim the crown, Djokovic required four match points to seal the victory after Murray saved three championship points late in the second set before forcing a third set. Striking two aces while surviving eight from Murray, Djokovic won 68 percent of his first serve points and 61 percent of his second serve points. Breaking serve on three occasions, Djokovic won his first title since claiming the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, and in the process stopped Murray’s tremendous winning streak of 26 matches.
Improving to 25-11 in head-to-head matches vs. Murray, Djokovic will now head to the Australian Open as the second seed in search of his seventh title. Murray, who lost in last year’s final to Djokovic in Melbourne, will be the top seed at the year’s first Grand Slam as he attempts to capture his first-ever title.
