DOHA – Roger Federer reached his eighth successive semi-final since losing his Wimbledon title six months ago, when he outplayed Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-2 in the Qatar Open here on Thursday. Even though the Grand Slam record-holder was still not at his best after the close season lay-off, passing up seven break points before breaking through for 4-2 in the second set, there were nevertheless signs of the improved form he has enjoyed most of the time since his association with coach Paul Annacone. Federer now plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is seeking his first title in 15 months after a long spell with knee problems, and who reached the semi-final with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (11/9) win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the seventh-seeded Spaniard. Tsonga’s score indicated how his ability to impose his forceful best on the biggest points helped get him through. His forehand drive, hard to read and capable of ambushing pace, was especially a threat.
Djokovic leads Serbia into Hopman final: World number three Novak Djokovic led Serbia into its second Hopman Cup final at the mixed teams tournament on Thursday. The Serbian pairing of Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic lost their final round match to Belgium’s Justine Henin and Ruben Bemelmans, but still topped Group A. The Belgians had to clean sweep the tie to edge past the Serbs and into the final, and Henin gave them the perfect start by beating Ivanovic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
