Djokovic, Nadal advance to quarterfinals at Qatar Open
Spain’s Rafael Nadal returns the ball during a match against Robin Haase of Netherland at Qatar Open Tennis tournament Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alexandra Panagiotidou)
DOHA, Qatar — Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal advanced to the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open on Wednesday.
Djokovic captured a 6-2, 6-2 second-round win against Fernando Verdasco, marking his 17th straight victory against a Spanish opponent, dating to 2014.
“I’m very pleased with the way I have started this season, two matches, straight sets,” Djokovic said. “You know, Verdasco was a former top-10 player, somebody that has a lot of weapons in his game.”
Nadal looked confident during his 6-3, 6-2 win against Robin Haase, which improved his record against the Dutchman to 7-0.
“I played at a very high level against a player that I think played well for a lot of moments,” Nadal said.
Top-seeded Djokovic and second-seeded Nadal saved two break points each on serve.
Djokovic will meet eighth-seeded Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in the quarters. Mayer defeated Pable Andujar of Spain 6-2, 6-4.
“He’s very intelligent tennis player,” Djokovic said of Mayer. “He knows how to anticipate well on the court and serves very well.”
Nadal will next play Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia, who earned his quarterfinal spot with a 7-6 (6), 6-1 win against Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania.
“He plays fast, and he will be a very tough opponent,” Nadal said. “I know I have to keep playing the same way, and I hope that I can keep doing it.”
Third-seeded Tomas Berdych beat Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-0, 6-4.
Berdych will play British qualifier Kyle Edmund, who outlasted Daniel Munoz De La Nava 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy of France defeated countryman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 6-4, and lined up Ilya Marchenko of Ukraine, who defeated Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-4, 6-2.
