DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Defending champion Novak Djokovic needed less than an hour to advance at the Dubai Championships on Wednesday, while Roger Federer faced a struggle to seal his place in the quarterfinals. Top-seeded Djokovic swept to a 6-1, 6-3 win over 51st-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in just 57 minutes, but fourth-seeded Federer had to see off a serious challenge from 48th-ranked Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic before coming through 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3. "I have done really well today from the first to the last point," Djokovic said. "There was no major ups and downs, especially with the serve that helped me to win comfortably my service games, a lot of free points." In the first set, Djokovic raced to a 5-0 lead before Bautista Agut held serve to win his only game in the set. The only hiccup Djokovic had in the second set was when serving for the match at 5-2. He dropped his serve in that game but broke serve in the next to close out the match. Djokovic will play sixth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, who beat British wildcard recipient James Ward 6-1, 7-6 (3). Federer came into his two hour, eight minute match with a 12-2 winning record over Stepanek. Hes now won their last nine meetings dating back to the 2008 Rome quarterfinals. "I got broken four times which is difficult, but its good to win those type of matches," said Federer, who faced eight break points against his serve. "Im happy to get through. "It didnt look good there for a while, but I got it done." Federer handled the first set with confidence, but started to falter as Stepanek became more aggressive in the second set. Federer managed to rebound from 4-2 down in the second set to force a tiebreaker -- where Stepanek raced into a 6-2 and a first set point when Federer double faulted. Stepanek won the set on his third set point when Federer netted a forehand. Stepanek also took an early 2-0 lead in the third set, but Federer rebounded to go ahead 5-2 to serve for the match. Federers serve was broken when he double faulted in the eighth game. Stepanek, however, surrendered his serve in the next game to allow Federer to move into the quarterfinals. Hell now face another Czech player in Lukas Rosol, who upset eighth-seeded Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-4, 7-6 (4). "Today was quite frustrating," Federer said. "I had momentum on my side at the beginning, but it was tough to keep it going. "After the first set I was under pressure the entire match." Like Djokovic, third-seeded Tomas Berdych had an easy path to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine. Berdych, who will face fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals, has won his last eight matches. Despite Berdych having trouble with his first serve -- his percentage was a ghastly 37 per cent -- he controlled the match. He lost his serve once, and won 12 of the last 14 points. "I was working a little more on my return stats than on my service stats," Berdych said. "The main focus really for the next days is to get my percentage of the first serve back and really find a nice and sweet rhythm for my serve." Tsonga won his second-round match by walkover when his opponent, Nikolay Davydenko, withdrew with a rib injury. Seventh-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Andrea Seppi of Italy. Kohlschreiber will play Tunisian wild card Malek Jaziri, who beat Somdev Devvarman of India 6-3, 7-5. Alexander Mogilny Jersey . Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad. Markus Naslund Jersey . Doug Fister allowed two runs over seven innings and Washington hit three solo homers in a 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. http://www.officialcanuckspro.com/Igor-larionov-canucks-jersey/ . He chirped to the caddie of Brandt Snedeker about their money game, a Mickelson tradition at the majors. Lefty was in good spirits Monday at the British Open, except for having to return the claret jug. Henrik Sedin Jersey . Peko, a fourth-round pick in 2006, started all 16 games and a playoff loss to San Diego last season. He was second on the line with 72 tackles and had a career-high three sacks. Pavel Bure Jersey . Johansen scored twice and Derek MacKenzie, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson also had goals to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing skid.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Kerry,Love the column and of course the hair! We here in Orange County obviously have a great admiration for Teemu Selanne and have been fortunate to see him play for the last many years and win a championship. With his impending retirement, do you have any good or funny stories you can share with the fans? We know the kind of player he is and what a nice guy he is off the ice, but few of us know what kind of person he is on the ice. Thanks for doing this column, always a great read. Chris from Laguna Niguel Chris:I can tell you first hand that Teemu Selanne is as nice a guy on the ice as he is off of it. While we didnt always agree (as you might expect) I never heard a curse word or disrespectful comment come out of the mouth of the "Finnish Flash"; either directed at me or anyone else. From the very first game that I saw Teemu as a rookie with the Winnipeg Jets, I knew this guy was a very special talent. The rest of the hockey world would quickly recognize just how skilled Teemu was while on his way to scoring 76 goals and winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in the 1992-93 season. (Teemus record remains intact for most goals for a rookie in the NHL.) Teemu always seemed to exude a "boyish" smile when he was on the ice; a signal to me as how much he loved to play the game. I also witnessed acts of kindness that he demonstrated off the ice to arena and parking attendants in the Honda Centre and other NHL cities. An off-ice official of the Calgary Flames once shared with me that Selanne was such a friendly and classy superstar that he could make people around him feel better about themselves; even in their relative insignificance! As nice a guy as Teemu is, I also saw a fierce competitiveness and desire to win. Like all champions he hated losing; but unlike some, Teemu did so with class and grace. The worst I ever got from him at the end of a close loss (when he thought I was less than perfect in my performance) was a saddened look of disappointment and perhaps a slight shake of his head as he exited the ice. If the game was on the line Selanne wanted the puck on his stick. He had pull-away speed and a rifle of a shot that made him a game changer. Teemu always made playyers around him better because he could finish the play.dddddddddddd We recently witnessed Selannes deep national pride as captain of the Finnish Olympic team in Sochi. The 43-year-old played with speed, youthful energy and determination in leading his team to a bronze medal for his home country. I first encountered that Finnish pride in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, an NHL-sponsored event as a prelude to the 98 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. I worked a game in Helsinki (Sweden vs. Finland) where the fan atmosphere was more like a U.S. college football game than a hockey game and was like nothing I had ever experienced before. An hour prior to game time fans jammed into the arena end zone, many with their shirt off and face and body painted in Finnish blue. They chanted and sang unceasingly. It also appeared that they consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. Drums were beaten and horns blew. The crowd never sat down in the end zone seats. Instead they stood throughout the whole game shoulder to shoulder and cheered for Teemu Selanne and their other heroes. They were a happy crowd; very loud but not boisterous or unruly. They were having fun watching the game they loved and went wild when Finland won the game. Back in the Officials dressing room I had showered and dressed as the party continued inside the arena. The dressing room door opened and a guy I thought to be Teemu Selanne said, "Hey Kerry do you have any beer in your room?" I thought it to be very unusual but invited Teemu in and told him to help himself. He sat down and we were having a great visit over a few beers when finally Teemu admitted that he really wasnt Teemu Selanne at all but his twin brother Paavo! Paavo Selanne was a real character and said that his brother Teemu told him there is always beer in the refs room. The next time I saw Teemu and told him of the case of mistaken identity his smile changed to a belly laugh over the joke his brother played on us. They are a fun-loving family. Congratulations to Teemu and his family on a tremendous NHL and international career. There is no doubt he will eventually enter the Hockey Hall of Fame. It couldnt happen to a more deserving candidate and nicer guy. When that day happens maybe I will be lucky enough to sit down and enjoy a beer with Teemu and his twin brother Paavo in celebration of this great players career. Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '