Fifth seed Nishikori earned a semi spot by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov, the 2012 Brisbane runnerup.
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2.
Last season's championship runnerup Fernando Alonso was second fastest for Ferrari.
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3.
Compatriot Dovizioso, his replacement at Ducati, claimed sixth place ahead of last season's championship runnerup Dani Pedrosa -- who was outshone by his new Honda colleague Marquez.
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