Stan Wawrinka beat number 9 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber 7-6 6-1 in one hour and 14 minutes to set up a semifinal against Nick Kyrgios who beat Tomas Berdych earlier this afternoon.
Wawrinka broke serve in the second game to open up a 2-0 lead but Kohlschreiber broke straight back in the next game. Wawrinka went up a break for the second time in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead but he dropped his serve for the second time in the seventh game. As Kohlschreiber was serving to force the first set to the tie-break at 5-6, Wawrinka broke for the third time in the match to clinch the first set 7-5 after 43 minutes.
Wawrinka saved two break points in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead. The 2015 Roland Garros champion converted his third break point chance in the fourth game for 3-1. In the next game Kohlschreiber recovered from 0-40 to 40-40 but Wawrinka held his serve. Wawrinka converted the first of his two break point chances to take the double break for 5-1. He faced a break point as he was serving for the match but he saved it to win the second set by 6-1.
Marcos Baghdatis beat Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5 6-0 to secure his spot in the semifinals. He will face either Novak Djokovic or Feliciano Lopez in the semifinal.
The first set went on serve until the 9th game when Baghdatis broke serve to love. Bautista Agut, who started his 2016 season with a 16-3 win-loss record which includes titles in Auckland and Sofia, broke straight back on his seventh break point chance of the match in the 10th game as Baghdatis was serving for the set. In a trade of three consecutive breaks Baghdatis broke again in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead. The Cypriot served out for the set after wasting three set points.
Baghdatis won eight consecutive games from 5-5 in the first set to race out to 6-0 after 29 minutes in a one-sided second set with three breaks of serve in the first, in the third in the fifth games.
Baghdatis will play in his second semifinal in Dubai. He lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the 2010 semifinal.
