Federer beats Lopez to reach Dubai quarterfinals

Roger Federer beat Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals at the 2012 Dubai Tennis Championships .

Federer broke Lopez in the final game to settle a tight opening set.

In the second set, the Swiss broke to lead 5-3 and closed out the match with a volley winner from the net.

Federer will face Mikhail Youzhny, who upset Mardy Fish 6-2, 7-6 (0).

"I just tried to focus on my serve, made sure from that end I wasn't doing any stupid stuff, and at the end I got a bit of a read on his serve," said Federer. "At the end of the set, [I] had some chances and eventually was able to come through, even though I had chances at 5-4 and I think four set points.

"It's hard against him because he always gets the break points on his favorite side. With his lefty swinger, it obviously makes it extremely difficult, especially with the one hand. But I found a way and stayed calm and came through. Those are the kind of matches you need early on in a tournament to feel good about how you're handling those tough moments."

About playing Youznhy, he said: "He was in the Top 10, semis of the US Open, and I've had my fair share of tough matches with him over the years. He's very talented. He's got one the best one handed backhands in the game and reads the plays well. He has got a good slice and has good control. In quick conditions like this, if you have good control makes it a tough opponent to play against."