Berdych reaches 2nd round at Dubai C’ships

Tomas Berdych advanced to the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships by beating Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday.

“A first match, playing outside after a while, it’s a good test,” Berdych said. “Don’t make it more complicated than needed.”

The seventh-ranked Berdych is a two-time finalist in Dubai, in 2013 and ‘14. He’s reached at least the semifinals four of the last five years.

Also, eighth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany defeated wild-card entry Marsel Ilhan of Turkey 6-1, 7-5, and Borna Coric of Croatia beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4.