Showdown looms

Roger Federer kept on course for a Saturday showdown with top-seeded Novak Djokovic after winning a quarter-final repeat of the 2004 Dubai Open final against Feliciano Lopez.

However, Federer needed a tight mind and some outstanding serving to win 7-5, 6-3 against the fluently aggressive Spaniard who is at a career-high world number 15 and enjoyed the fast conditions yesterday.

Lopez often attacked the net threateningly, created difficult angles with his left-handed game, and forced his legendary opponent to play somewhere near his best.

Federer now has another repeat final, against Mikhail Youzhny, whom he beat in the 2007 showdown.

Youzhny progressed with a 6-2, 7-6 win over Mardy Fish.

Earlier, triple Grand Slam title-holder Djokovic had to fight hard to get within one win of a possible rematch with Andy Murray.

Djokovic beat Sergei Stakhovsky, the world no.74 from Ukraine, 7-6, 6-3 but the top seed was break point down in the eighth game of the first set and a break of serve down early in the second set.

He served well, which got him out of trouble in the first set, and enabled him to close the match out without inhibition, finishing with an ace.

Meanwhile, Murray’s bid to push on from his tremendous Australian performance carried him to a solid win over Marco Chiudinelli, the third best Swiss player, 6-3, 6-4.