DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Defending champion Novak Djokovic won in straight sets Thursday and earned a slot in the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis championships.
Djokovic, seeded second, survived a tight first set and ran away with the second in a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Florian Mayer. Djokovic finished off four of his seven break-point chances and won one fewer (29-28) point than Mayer on Mayer's service games.