DOHA: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer remain on course to meet in the Qatar Open final after both won their quarterfinals in straight sets Thursday. Federer, a two-time champion in Doha, routed sixth-seeded Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-2 in just 65 minutes and will face third-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals. Tsonga outlasted seventh-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (4), 7-6 (9). Top-ranked Nadal was given more of a test by Latvia's Ernests Gulbis before he came through 7-6 (3), 6-3. Nadal next plays defending champion Russian Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 6-3, 7-5. Nishikori in Chennai quarters Japan's rising star Kei Nishikori won nine games in a row against Alejandro Falla on his way to the quarterfinals of the $450,000 ATP Chennai Open Thursday. The 21-year-old Nishikori beat the Colombian 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and eight minutes. Nishikori next plays sixth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, who brushed aside Alexandre Kudryavtsev of Russia 6-2, 7-6 (7-3). Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Robin Haase of the Netherlands beat Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Haase next plays third-seeded Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, who beat Belgian David Goffin 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3). Serbia in Hopman final Serbia reached the Hopman Cup final Thursday despite losing 2-1 to Belgium in their final round-robin series. Novak Djokovic beat Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium 6-3, 6-2 after Justine Henin defeated Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-3. Henin and Bemelmans then won the mixed doubles 3-6, 6-4, 10-4. Serbia will meet either Italy, France or the US from Group B Saturday. Australia swept Kazakhstan 3-0, with Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik teaming up to beat Andrey Golubev and Sesil Karatantcheva. Hewitt beat Golubev 6-3, 6-3. Molik beat Karatantcheva 6-3, 6-2 before the Australian duo won the mixed doubles 8-7 (1) in a pro set. Zvonareva ousts Venus World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva crushed five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams at the World Team Challenge in Hong Kong Thursday as some of the world's top women prepared for the year's first Grand Slam. Zvonareva's 6-4, 6-2 victory - and wins by her teammates Maria Kirilenko and Yevgeny Kafelnikov - helped Russia into an unassailable 3-0 lead. Kirilenko, 23, beat US teenager Melanie Oudin a lesson in a 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0 win. In the legends match, Kafelnikov beat John McEnroe 6-4, 7-5. Arn dumps Sharapova In Auckland, Maria Sharapova hit the first speedbump in her injury comeback Thursday when she was beaten 6-2, 7-5 by Hungarian Greta Arn in the ASB Classic quarters . The contrast could not have been greater between Sharapova and No. 2 seed and defending champion Yanina Wickmayer who breezed through her quarterfinal against Simona Halep of Romania 6-0, 6-2 in 63 minutes. Roddick, Soderling advance In Brisbane, second-seeded Andy Roddick beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-2, 6-3 Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Brisbane International. Earlier, Robin Soderling of Sweden held on to beat Michael Berrer of Germany 6-3, 7-6 (7) and reach the quarterfinals.
