WORLD number one Novak Djokovic needed three sets to beat Gael Monfils in his opening match at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
The Serb lost the second set as he beat Frenchman Monfils 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 at the Zayed Sports City tennis complex. Djokovic faces Roger Federer in the next round of the six-man invitational tournament, with the Swiss and world number two Rafael Nadal both receiving byes to the semis.
Nadal will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, who recovered from a set down to defeat France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the opening match.
The Spaniard looked horribly out of touch as he lost the opening set 6-2 and Tsonga stamped his authority on the match with a clinical and classy display.
But a tense second set ensued, and the pair could not be separated as it drifted into a tie-break with neither player able to seize the initiative.
Ferrer won the tie-break in ruthless fashion, and proceeded to stage a powerful assault on the Tsonga serve to establish the early advantage in the third set, which continued to go Ferrer’s way, as the Spaniard closed out a hard-fought victory.