Top-ranked Roger Federer saved two match points and beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Open.
Federer, who won his third straight match in a third-set tiebreaker, will face seventh-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, a 7-5, 6-4 winner over Rainer Schuettler.
“He should have won the match,” Federer said of Ferrero. “He had match points before me.”
Ferrero, the 2001 Dubai champion, led 6-4 in the third-set tiebreak before Federer saved one match point with a big serve and Ferrero hit the next point long. Federer then closed out the match with a huge serve.
“A friend offered me $10 for every match I win 7-6 in the third set,” said Federer, who was extended to third-set tiebreaks by Ivo Minar in the first round and Ivan Ljubicic in the final at Rotterdam last weekend. “It was too little, so I didn’t accept it. But then he raised it to $20 and I couldn’t refuse. So I hope to win 7-6 tomorrow as well.”
– Defending champion and second-seeded Vince Spadea advanced to the quarterfinals of the Tennis Channel Open in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Thursday, beating upstart Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
– Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo defeated Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-2, 6-2 to move into the semifinals at the Qatar Open.
