Dubai, Feb 27: World No.1 Novak Djokovic defeated Turkey's Marsel Ilhan 6-1, 6-1 in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships while Swiss ace Roger Federer needed only one set (6-1) against Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who retired before the second set started here.

However, the surprise of Thursday was Andy Murray's 1-6, 3-6 loss to 18-year-old Croatian Borna Coric in the quarter-finals. The Scot, who reached the Australian Open final, had 55 unforced errors and only 15 winners against the Croatian teen, reports Xinhua.

Djokovic had an easy 49-minute match and scored six aces against Ilhan as the Turk made 37 unforced errors, especially in his first serves.

"The conditions in Dubai are very fast so scoring the first service well and moving quickly to the net is key to winning," said the Serb, who will face Tomas Berdych in his eighth semi-final here.

Federer will play Coric in the other semi-final encounter.

IANS