DUBAI — Roger Federer rolled back the years to beat Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Dubai Championship Friday, his first victory in four meetings with the world No. 2. Federer, 32, rarely troubled the Serb in the first set and the pivotal moment came at 2-2 in the second when the Swiss saved a break point with a delicious backhand pass. The 17-time Grand Slam champion went on to hold serve and then broke in a rain-interrupted game — the players leaving the court for only a few minutes — with a backhand bullet from the baseline. Federer clinched the set with an ace before Djokovic, 26, double-faulted in the first game of the decider to gift his opponent a crucial early break. The five-time champion next meets Czech Tomas Berdych who subdued German Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 7-5 to record his 11th straight win and reach a second successive Dubai final. Murray escapes to win Andy Murray rallied from a set and a break down against Gilles Simon to advance to his first semifinal since he won last year's Wimbledon title while top seed David Ferrer retired with a thigh strain at the Acapulco International Thursday. Second seed Murray twice fell behind in the second set but recovered both breaks immediately to eke out a 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory and stretch a winning streak against his French opponent to 12 matches. Murray's semifinals opponent will be Grigor Dimitrov, who needed two hours and 40 minutes to battle past Ernests Gulbis 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5. Third-ranked Ferrer was leading South African fifth seed Kevin Anderson 6-4, 2-2 when he suffered an inner thigh strain in his left leg. After seeking treatment in the locker room, the Spaniard returned to the court but lost the next two points before retiring. Anderson moves faces Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov, who defeated Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, 6-4, 7-6 (4). On the women's side of the tournament, top-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated New Zealand's Marina Erakovic 6-4, 7-5 to set up semifinal against China's Shuai Zhang. Zhang, the eighth seed, ousted Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. Canada's Eugenie Bouchard suffered a surprise 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 loss to France's Caroline Garcia. Garcia, 89th in the WTA rankings, will play in the semifinals against American Christina McHale, who defeated third-seeded Kai Kanepi from Estonia 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. Nadal, Djokovic in ITPL draft Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as well as former stars Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, lead the names saying they are prepared to take part in the planned International Tennis Premier League (ITPL). However, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova are the most notable absentees from the list of players released Friday to participate in a ‘draft' of 70 male and female players in Dubai Sunday. The players, put into different categories according to their status and market values, will go up for auction, with the five venues — expected to be Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur — competing against each other to bring the players to their city. Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray are listed as ‘Icon Players' along with Stanislas Wawrinka, Agassi and Sampras, as well as women's world No. 1 Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki. There is also a ‘Past Champions' category, featuring eight former tour stars, including Pat Rafter, the former US Open champion. In addition, there are four more categories of current tour players, while a handful of doubles players will also feature in the draft for the tournament, which is likely to be staged in the traditional off-season between late November and late December. — Agencies
