Doha, Qatar (SportsNetwork.com) – Former Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych
and former French Open finalist David Ferrer will be the combatants in
Saturday’s championship match at the season-opening $1.22 million Qatar Open
tennis event.
The third-seeded Czech Berdych cruised past unseeded Italian Andreas Seppi
6-2, 6-3, while the fourth-seeded Spaniard Ferrer edged out seventh-seeded 6-
foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic in a three-tiebreak affair, 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-5),
7-6 (7-4), on the hardcourts at Khalifa International Tennis Complex.
Berdych improved to 7-2 lifetime against Seppi, including wins in six
straight, while Ferrer is now 4-1 all-time against Karlovic, who stunned world
No. 1 star Novak Djokovic on Thursday. Karlovic clubbed 30 aces past Ferrer in
a match where there were no breaks of serve.
Berdych and Ferrer will meet for a 13th time at the ATP level, with the
Spaniard holding a 7-5 lifetime advantage. The big Czech, however, has won
their last two meetings.
The 29-year-old Berdych is 10-14 in his career finals, including a 2-3 mark
last year, while the 32-year-old Ferrer will appear in his 47th career final,
seeking a 22nd title. The gritty Spaniard was 1-3 in his 2014 finals.
Doha serves as a tune-up for the Australian Open.
