体坛英语新闻：Djokovic wins first round match at Dubai open

DUBAI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Serbian tennis ace and world's number one Novak Djokovic won here on Tuesday against Canada's Vasek Pospisil clearly in two sets 6-4, 6-4, marking his initial victory match in the first round of this year's Dubai duty free tennis championships.

The match duration was 1 hour and 18 minutes as the sunny weather returned to Dubai after the emirate was hit by winds, clouds and some sandstorms in the last three days.

Trained since December 2013 by German tennis legend Boric Becker, Djokovic seeks in Dubai to become the 12th player in the Open Era to win 50 titles, a record which Becker holds.

The 27-year old Serbian player is playing for the ninth year in Dubai. If Djokovic wins the Dubai title, which his arch rival Roger Federer from Switzerland won last year, it would mark his fifth title in the Gulf Arab sheikhdom's annual tournament.

Federer, currently the world's number two won on Monday his open match against Russian player Mikhail Youzhny in two sets 6-3, 6-1. The Swiss is seeking to win his seventh title in Dubai, one his favourite open tournaments, as he said.