Second seed Novak Djokovic will try to defend his title and 7th seed Mikhail Youzhny will try to become the first Russian to win the $2 million Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship in today’s final. Djokovic had all he could handle against tireless Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, while Youzhny continues as the event’s hottest player against Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

Youzhny has not dropped a set this week. The Russian stayed focused throughout his 7-5, 7-6 (4) win over Melzer. On the other hand, Djokovic had to come from behind for the third consecutive time in the tournament. His 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 was a nail-biter that could easily have gotten away for the 2009 champ. The Serb was challenged in just about every service game and was fortunate to turn away 13 of 16 break point opportunities.

Baghdatis has hit his stride. He is once again playing to the form that elevated him into the top ten in 2006. Baghdatis may not have the most overpowering game, but he is a retriever extraordinaire and his ability to keep the ball in play pressured Djokovic for nearly three hours. There were no easy points in the nearly three-hour marathon.

After three tough matches, Novak Djokovic admitted fatigue has become a factor. The tourney’s top surviving seed was challenged in earlier matches by Viktor Troicki and Ivan Ljubicic, who also won their first sets.

“I’m definitely tired. It’s been a long week for me, but a final is a final and I have faced this kind of feeling and situation before in my life,” said Djokovic after the match.

The first set featured four consecutive breaks before the players got back on serve and held until the tiebreaker. Trailing 1-2, Baghdatis ran off six straight winners to capture the set.

The players were on serve with Marcos serving at 3-4 and 40-15 before Djokovic had a run of his own. The Serb closed the set with eight straight winning points.

Djokovic scored the only third set break in the long third game of the third set. Baghdatis blamed himself for the loss. He felt he should have won the second set and that he succumbed to his nerves, causing several unforced errors. “I had the chance to beat the guy and I didn’t take it,” the Cypriot lamented.

Russian Mikhail Youzhny reached the finals for the first time since his 2007 loss to Roger Federer. For Youzhny, Dubai is his second ATP finals in two weeks. Youzhny lost the Rotterdam championship to Robin Soderling last week.

Youzhny continued his hard play against Melzer. In the first set, the Russian finally broke through in the tenth game. Melzer only had one break opportunity in the set.

The second set was well played and extremely well served. Melzer, a left- hander, won 82% of his first serves in the match and registered ten aces. Youhzny served equally well. At 2-2 in the tiebreaker, Melzer hit a backhand wide and then erred on a drop shot to give the Russian the edge he needed. Youzhny is now 10-2 this year and has some nice momentum heading into today’s finals.

At 27-years old, Youzhny seeks his sixth ATP title while the 22-year old Serb goes after his 17th title. In six previous matches, the players have each won three times. We expect a battle to the end, but if the defending champion drops his fourth opening set in a row, he will most likely go home the runner-up.

Novak Djokovic in Dubai Open

Dubai is known as a place the world comes together for excitement. In Friday’s semifinal matches, the Barclay’s Dubai Tennis Championship will feature the tournament favorite and three relative upstarts. Perhaps we need Roger Federer to keep order in the pro tennis house after all.

Austrian Jurgen Melzer began the quarterfinals with a stunning upset (7-6(8), 7-5) of the tour’s hottest player, Croatian Marin Cilic. The loss marked the first time in 2010 that Cilic has been ousted before the semifinals.

Cilic sprung from the starting blocks and cruised to a 4-1 first set lead before Melzer fought off two break points in the critical 18-point 6th game. The Austrian seemed to gain confidence with the hold and followed with a four game run to go up 5-4.

In the tenth game, Cilic fell behind 0-30 before rallying to hold. In the tiebreaker, Melzer squandered set points at 6-5 and 8-7 before closing out at 10-8. The first set took 69 minutes.

The 31st ranked Melzer was not overpowering but had terrific control of his serve. His effective location yielded six service holds in the second set. In the eleventh game, Cilic evened the game at 30-30 with his eleventh ace, but Melzer smoked a forehand winner to reach the only match point he would need.

Melzer, now 7-38 against top ten opponents, advances to play Mikhail; Youzhny, last week’s runner-up in Rotterdam. The determined Russian made short work of Murray upset winner Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-4. Youzhny, the seven seed, does not lose matches he should win. Tipsarevic did earn three break point opportunities but was unable to convert any as Youzhny held serve throughout the match.

Last year’s champion and this year’s top seed Djokovic had all he could handle with 30-year old Ivan Ljubicic. Novak Djokovic had to mount a comeback against Ljubicic in the 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 two-hour match.

Ljubicic won 16 of 18 service points in the first set. Djokovic was reeling from the assault, but rallied in the tenth game of the second set. At 4-5, Ljubicic recorded his 12th ace before Djokovic ran off four straight points to claim the set.

The wind came away from the Croatian’s sails as Djokovic recorded his 12th career win against just two defeats at Dubai. Ljubicic showed signs of his former world number three ranking but was worn down by Djokovic and the pressing heat.

Djokovic will next face Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis who turned away Michael Berrer 7-6(5), 6-1. Baghdatis was in command of both his game and Berrer as he never faced a break point while firing 11 aces in the match. Baghdatis is playing with confidence and consistency. He seems in top form and unbothered by the Dubai heat.

What a mess! The fans at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship are witnessing the unpredictable nature of men’s tennis. On Wednesday, a trio of stunning upsets continued to highlight the need for top players to stay in top form. When the game’s elite fail to get in playing shape and stay there, they are very vulnerable. And, there are plenty of wolves lingering in the Dubai weeds to stake their claims to trophies and riches.

So learned, third seed Andy Murray – again, 4th seed Nikolay Davydenko and 5th seed Jo Willfried Tsonga as all three succumbed in the second round. Of the top seeds, only Marin Cilic (6th) and Novak Djokovic (2) remain.

Murray continues to frustrate his avid fans, many of who question his commitment to the game. The world’s number three looked very fragile in the first round and did not improve in the second round. He has ever emerged from the quarters in this event. This year, he is spared the opportunity to fail at that level.

Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic made a name for himself against the over-rated Murray, who has not played nor practiced very much since succumbing against Federer in the Finals at the Australian Open. In the evening session, Tipsarevic drew strength from a bevy of second round upsets to overcome the 3 seed in a stirring 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 two hour thirty minute upset. The bespectacled Serb had 13 aces and was able to convert of 12 break point opportunities against the moody Scot.

Tipsarevic will next entertain hot playing Russian Mikhail Youhzny who overcame German qualifier Bjorn Phau 7-6 (2), 6-4. Youhzhny, who played well in Rotterdam last week, is on a bit of a roll and is certainly one of the dangerous lions lurking in the Dubai bush.

4th seed and hard playing Russian Nikolay Davydenko was forced to retire in his match with Michaela Berrer. Davydenko is troubled with a left wrist injury and after losing the first set 6-3 in 46 minutes was unable to continue.

5th seed Frenchman Jo Willfried Tsonga was simply no match for the hard serving and fast improving Ivan Ljubicic. The Croatian fired 15 aces and lost just four points on his first serve to put aside Jo Willy 7-5, 6-3. Ljubicic never faced a break point and seems finely tuned for his quarterfinal pairing with defending champ Novak Djokovic.

Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis recovered from his stomach illness in the first round and dispensed of Indian upstart Somdev Devvarman 6-3, 6-1 in one hour forty-five minutes. Baghdatis meets Berrer in the quarters.

Favorites Djokovic and Cilic advanced after tough tussles. Cilic downed Stefan Koubek 6-2, 7-6 (5) and Djokovic overcame a strong three set challenge from countryman Viktor Troicki 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Cilic will meet Jurgen Melzer who defeated Federer fill-in Tommy Robredo. What will happen next in the $2 million Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship? At this point, anything goes as there appears no clear favorite to claim the $383,000 first prize.

Marin Cilic may be seeded sixth and ranked sixth internationally, but he is the player, no other tour player wants to play right now. In his first round match at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Tournament, the surging Croatian showed why. Cilic, who has won two AP tour events this year and who sports a spectacular 16-1 won-lost record, dismissed Arnaud Clement 6-2, 6-4 in just ninety minutes.

Cilic is looking to add Dubai to his Aircel Chennai Open and PBZ Zagreb Indoors titles this season. The 21-year old reached the semis in the Australian Open and has been on a roll ever since. Against Clement, the Croatian fired 13 aces and withstood won all five of Clement’s break point opportunities.

Cilic next plays qualifying play-in Austrian Stefan Koubek who rallied in the first set to defeat Spain’s Feliciano Lopes, 7-6 (4), 6-4. The winner of this pairing will benefit from the withdrawal of Roger Fededer and advance to a third round pairing with either Federer fill-in Tommy Robredo or tough Austrian baseliner Jurgen Melzer.

Robredo made the most of his top of the board placement, winning 28 of 34 service points while running through Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-1. Melzer survived a second set run by Italian Simone Bolelli to move on with a 6-1, 7-5 win.

Prior to Cilic’s extended run, the tour’s hottest player was Nikolay Davydenko, the internationally fourth ranked and fourth seeded player at Dubai. This is Davydenko’s sixth trip to Dubai. Despite his 20 ATP tournament titles, this one has thus far eluded Russia’s top player. His 2010 record is a not too shabby 13-2. Yet, Davydenko seems to be tiring. He uncharacteristically struggled against France’s lightly regarded Florent Serra, dropping the first set tiebreaker before rallying for a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1 triumph.

Davydenko was disappointed by Federer’s lung illness. After two successive wins against the number one, Davydenko was seeking to avenge his loss at the Australian Open.

The day’s most popular win took place on Court One where India’s Somdrev Devvarman, another qualifier, rode a 76% service win percentage past Swiss regular tour player, Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 7-5 in just 80 high-volume minutes. 50% of the Emirate population is of Indian descent, which will present an interesting hurdle for second round opponent Cypriot arcos Baghdatis.

In other first round action, Jo Willfried Tsonga fought off three first-set points to escape 7-6 (9) against another Frenchman Michael Llourda, who was forced to retire following the set. Tsonga moves on to play experienced Croatian Ivan Ljubicic in round two.

Attendance has exceeded previous records as all seats have been sold for the tournament.