25. 02. 2009. ยท Novak Djokovic defeated Jan Hernych in three sets, 6:3 3:6 6:4, in 2 hours and 7 minutes, to set up clash with fifth seed Croat Marin Cilic.
The best Serbian tennis player was inconsistent during the whole match. He won the first set 6:3 making a break in the eighth game.
No.1 seed saved two break points in the fourth game of the second set, but faced scare again in the sixth. He handed game to Hernych making a double fault. The Czech held til the end of the set and took it 6:3.
Djokovic was broken in the third game of the final set, but managed to rebreak immediately for 2:2. The crucial moment was in the tenth game when Novak earned two break/match points. He converted the second to close the set 6:4.
He will play against world no.19 Marin Cilic for a place in the semifinals of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships.. The Croat came through a challenging second round match against Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6:3 4:6 7:5.
Novak won their two previous matches, in Dubai and New York in 2008.
