DUBAI — Roger Federer dismissed Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-4 in the Dubai Championships Wednesday to book a quarterfinal meeting with Nikolay Davydenko. Djokovic beat Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). The 17-time Grand Slam champion has an 18-2 winning record against the Russian veteran and could be forgiven for already eyeing a potential showdown with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Saturday's final. Earlier, world No. 7 Juan Martin Del Potro pounded Somdev Devvarman 6-4, 6-4. Third seed Tomas Berdych, 27, also in last-eight, beat Germany's Tobias Kamke 7-5, 6-1 under a searing desert sun. Diego Maradona, who is a goodwill ambassador for the Dubai Sports Council, went on court after Del Porto's match to give the Argentine a hug. Dressed in a polo shirt and pants, Maradona then proceeded to hit a few balls with Del Potro and even had a volley winner. Also, Nikolay Davydenko of Russia beat Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-4, 7-6 (2) and German qualifier Daniel Brands defeated eighth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-4, 6-4. On Tuesday, Michael Llodra upset eighth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. Wozniacki loses in Malaysia Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark lost to Wang Qiang of China 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-1 Wednesday in the first round of the Malaysian Open. The former No. 1-ranked player attributed the result to a loss of energy and focus in the second set. The 186th-ranked Wang will next face Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria in the next round of the tournament, which has been plagued by thunderstorms this week. Also, fourth-seeded Ayumi Morita of Japan beat Cagla Buyukakcay of Turkey 6-1, 6-1, and Eleni Daniilidou of Greece defeated Yuliya Beygelzimer of Ukraine 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Nadal advances In Mexico, Rafael Nadal needed just over an hour to beat Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 6-2, 6-2 Tuesday to advance to the second round of the Mexican Open. Fellow Spaniard David Ferrer also won his first-round match, defeating Antonio Veic 6-0, 6-3. No. 3 seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain defeated Cesar Ramirez of Mexico 6-0, 6-1. No. 4 seed Stanislas Wawrinka was upset by Fabio Fognini 6-2, 7-6 (3). On the women's side of the combined ATP-WTA tournament, top-seeded and defending champion Sara Errani of Italy defeated Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-3, 6-2. Isner, Haas advance In Florida, top-seeded John Isner got past feisty Jesse Levine 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships Tuesday. In the second set, Isner fell behind 0-15 in the eighth and 10th games, then reeled off four straight aces in both games to hold onto his serve. But Levine won the final two games of the second set to force a decisive third set. Levine lost serve in the first game of the third set to set Isner up for the win. Second-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany advanced to the second round when Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands retired from their match with an injured left ankle. Later, fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan became the third player to retire from a first-round match, when he pulled out in the first set against 150th-ranked Ivo Karlovic of Croatia due to an injured muscle in his side. Haas will next face Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin, who defeated Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5. Qualifier Ernests Gulbis of Latvia beat American veteran James Blake 6-1, 6-4. Ryan Harrison lost to qualifier Daniel Munoz-De La Nava of Spain 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, while Jack Sock, a wildcard into the main draw, beat Mathew Ebden of Australia 6-3, 6-3. Seventh-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain withdrew from the tournament with a left wrist injury. — Agencies
