QOC
World number one Novak Djokovic on Wednesday stopped Hungarian giant Marton Fucsovics in three sets to reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. Djokovic, a two-time champion in Doha, produced a fighting 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win in exactly two hours on the Centre Court. It was Djokovic's second win over Fucsovics.
Djokovic, the top seed in Doha, said Fucsovics fought well in the second round clash on Wednesday. "That's how he plays. He was a better player for most of the two sets. He was playing smart. He was great on the backline. He was changing the pace of the ball and moving me around. All the credit to him for a great match and I really wish him all the best in Australia," Djokovic said. It was Djokovic's second win over Fucsovics in as many matches on the Tour.
Also on Wednesday unseeded Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Nicolas Jarry of Chile in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals. Wawrinka won 6-4, 7-6 in the day's opening clash on Centre. Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, played a controlled game from the baseline to seal his win 88 minutes against 23-year-old Jarry. It was Wawrinka's second successive win in Doha after the Swiss beat third seed Karen Khachanov of Russia in the first round.
Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili, 26,stunned Andrey Rublev of Russia 6-3, 6-4 in the third match on Centre Court. Basilashvili fired 8 aces as he wrapped up the match in just 61 minutes of aggressive tennis. It was the first meeting between the two young players. Rublev, 21, was the losing finalist in Doha last year.