Sara Errani of Italy advanced to her second Dubai Tennis Championships final with a 6-4, 6-4 win over 21st-ranked Elina Svitolina of Ukraine Friday. The 22nd-ranked Errani was a 2013 finalist, losing to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic. The match was a 1 hour, 51 minute battle of long rallies and games, featuring eight service breaks. Errani prevailed with a final break in the ninth game of the first set and seventh game of the second set. "It was really tough," said Errani, who will seek her ninth WTA title. "Every point, every game was really long. It's unbelievable for me to be playing in another final." Errani will play the winner of the semifinal between 38th-ranked Caroline Garcia of France and 47th-ranked Barbora Strycova of Czech Republic. Strycova outlasted former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 7-6 (5), 6-3 Thursday. Nadal, Ferrer in quarters Even the King of Clay Rafael Nadal needs victories to boost his confidence, which has waned recently as his dominance has slipped on the slippery red surface. "Winning is the important thing, which gives you confidence and lets you relax," Nadal said after joining fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the quarterfinals of the Rio Open, the third clay-court tournament in the month-long swing around Latin America. Nadal and Ferrer — the top two seeded players — both beat countrymen Thursday to reach the last eight. Nadal beat Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 7-5 and Ferrer defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Nadal has won 14 of 15 matches against Almagro. "I'm feeling better physically," Nadal said. "Last week I had a little problem with my stomach during the whole week, and with the humidity — it was unbelievable. I felt so bad physically. Here I'm feeling much better because the stomach is much better. " Nadal will face Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, while Ferrer meets young Austrian Dominic Thiem in the last eight, a matchup of one of the most consistent players on clay against a 22-year-old viewed as a star of the next generation. Constant downpours the first three days forced schedulers to compress the schedule Thursday and put Ferrer in action during the afternoon with suffocating humidity and temperatures around 35C (95F). In other key men's matches in the combined ATP-WTA event, Federico Delbonis defeated Paolo Lorenzio 6-3, 6-0 and Dolgopolov won over Inigo Cervantes 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. On the women's side, second-seeded Johanna Larsson was upset 6-4, 6-4 by Brazilian qualifier Paula Goncalves. No. 3 Danka Kovinic defeated Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-2, 6-3 and No. 6 Lara Arruabarrena beat Ana Bogdan 7-5, 5-7, 6-3. Del Potro advances In Florida, injury-nagged 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro advanced Thursday to the quarterfinals of the ATP Delray Beach Open by defeating Australian qualifier John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 6-4. In only the second match of his comeback after sitting out for nearly a year, the 27-year-old Argentine wildcard entrant booked a last-eight date with French fifth seed Jeremy Chardy, who ousted American wildcard Noah Rubin 6-4, 6-2 in another second-round match. Del Potro, ranked 1,042nd in the world after missing most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons with a left wrist injury, underwent surgery last June and had not played an ATP match since last March until this week. US wildcard Tim Smyczek rallied to upset US seventh seed Donald Young 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, setting up a quarterfinal matchup against another compatriot, Sam Querrey. Querrey went down a break early in each set but fought back both times for a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over American left-hander Austin Krajicek. Friday's other quarterfinals will see French eighth seed Adrian Mannarino face Bulgarian fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov while American Rajeev Ram plays Germany's Benjamin Becker. — Agencies
