DUBAI — Top-seeded Novak Djokovic will face defending champion Roger Federer in the final of the Dubai Championships after a three-set win over Tomas Berdych Friday. Djokovic beat the fourth-seeded Berdych 6-0, 5-7, 6-4. Federer secured his passage to Saturday's final with a 6-2, 6-1 win over lucky loser Borna Coric. Berdych had reached the final in the last two years, losing out to Djokovic in 2013 and Federer in 2014. Djokovic took control of the 2 hour, 4 minute match when Berdych, serving at 0-40, hit a backhand long in the fifth game of the third set. Meanwhile, second-seeded Federer needed just 56 minutes to reach his ninth Dubai final. The 33-year-old Swiss star has won the Dubai title six times, while Djokovic is looking for his fifth title. Safarova-Azarenka final Wimbledon semifinalist Lucie Safarova breezed through to her first ever Qatar Open final, comprehensively beating Carla Suarez Navarro in straight sets Friday. Left-hander Safarova won 6-3, 6-2 in a semifinal which she totally dominated and lasted little over an hour. The Czech, who reached the Wimbledon singles semifinals in 2014, will play Victoria Azarenka, who rallied to beat Venus Williams 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. In the quarterfinals, Venus beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, Azarenka downed third-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-1, Suarez Navarro defeated top-seeded Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 and Safarova dispatched Andrea Petkovic of Germany 6-2, 6-1. Sharapova in semis Top-seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia beat Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 Thursday night to reach the Mexico Open semifinals. Sharapova will face third-seeded Caroline Garcia of France in the hard-court event at The Fairmont Acapulco Princess. Garcia led Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-2, 2-1 when the Croatian player retired. In the other quarterfinals, Bulgaria's Sesil Karatantcheva topped Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, and fifth-seeded Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland topped Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-3, 6-3. In men's play, top-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan beat fifth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4. Nishikori will face No. 4 Kevin Anderson of South Africa, a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner over Serbia's Viktor Troicki. In the night quarterfinals, Ryan Harrison of the US beat No. 6 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 4-6, 7-6 (0), 7-6 (4), and No. 2 David Ferrer of Spain got past Australia's Bernard Tomic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Robredo beats Olivo In Argentinas, second-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain defeated Renzo Olivo of Argentina 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open Thursday. Robredo cruised to victory against the 186th-ranked Olivo, breaking the Argentine's service twice in each set to win the match in just over an hour. The 18th-ranked Robredo will now face Nicolas Almagro, who defeated fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 6-4. — Agencies
