Roger Federer battles past Radek Stepanek in Dubai

Roger Federer has booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships with a three-set victory over Radek Stepanek.

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The five-time champion, who will face Lukas Rosol in the next round, looked imperious during the opening set as he swept aside his Czech opponent 6-2.

Stepanek then fought back in the second and had the chance to serve for the set when he led 5-4. However, Federer broke back before forcing the tie-break.

The Swiss gained the early advantage in the tie-break, but it was Stepanek who quickly assumed control to take it 7-4 and level the match.

An unpredictable deciding set saw Stepanek break early to lead 2-0, though it was Federer who rallied to close out the hard-fought contest 6-3.