By Rizwan Rehmat
DOHA: World number one Novak Djokovic and Grand Slam star Rafael Nadal yesterday got easy passages until the semi-finals of the $ $1.18m Qatar ExxonMobil Open but Sergiy Stakhovsky sported a nervous smile when he got drawn to play against fast-serving Tomas Berdych in the season’s opening event.
Top seed Djokovic, who plays a qualifier in his season’s opening match at Khalifa Tennis Complex, is expected to meet Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the second round at the first event of the new season.
Arch-rival and second seed Nadal launches his 2016 campaign with a match against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta while fourth seed and defending champion David Ferrer takes on Ukraine’s Illya Marchencko in his first match-up in the new season.
With Djokovic, Nadal and Ferrer getting easy first hits at the season-opener, it was unpredictable Stakhovsky who was drawn to play his nemesis Berdych - seeded third - in the first round of the 32-man tournament.
“Who picked me against Tomas?,” joked Stakhovsky at the draw ceremony but the Ukrainian quickly admitted his first call was ‘tough’.
“It’s a tough one. I have played Tomas quite a few times last year. I played him three times on hard courts, once on clay and I didn’t win any,” Stakhovsky said yesterday.
“I had my chances. It’s going to be a tough challenge for me to start. It’s the start of a new season. I hope I can change something this year,” the 29-year-old Ukrainian said.
Famous for his massive shock win over tennis legend Roger Federer at the 2013 Wimbledon, Stakhovsky wants to stitch quick wins to break into the top-30 on the ATP Tour. “Yes, I have the game to be in the top-30,” Stakhovsky said yesterday.
“I could have done that last year if I had won four key matches that I was leading in. It’s not a huge difference. It’s just the consistency that I need to look after,” Stakhovsky said.
“Some matches are important that at the of the day make a difference,” Stakhovsky said.
“Looking back, I have no regrets. I made some mistakes but in general I don’t regret things I did (on the court),” he added. “In four days, I am 30. I will be playing my best tennis at 30 (laughs), I promise,” Stakhovsky said with a smile.
“My personal goal is not to get injured. I need to stay stable and get good results in the Grand Slams,” he added.
Fifth seed Spain’s Felciano Lopez will take on compatriot Daniel Munoz-de la Nava while sixth seed Andreas Seppi of Italy is set to play Lithuanian’s Richards Beranks.
Seventh seed Jeremy Chardy of the US will play Qatari wildcard Mubarak Shanna Zayid while eight seed Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer is scheduled to play a qualifier.
The season’s opening event offers a total prize bag of $1,189,605 but Turkish wildcard Marsel Ilhan is pleased as punch to be in Doha.
“This tournament has top players here - you have Djokovic, Nadal, Berdych and Ferrer here,” Ilhan said. “They are the top seed. Beginning of a new season is important for players like us,” he said.
“Hopefully I can make a good start before the Australian Open. I want to thank Qatar Tennis Federation for their generosity,” he said.
“I know there are many Turks living here. I don’t know when I play - Monday or Tuesday. But I hope my fans come to watch me play.
“The first match is what’s important. I want to be at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,” Ilhan said.
“I want to crack into the top 50. I hope I can get good results,” he said.
The tournament starts tomorrow. The doubles field has eight teams.
The Peninsula
