Bautista Agut takes sweet revenge as he regains Qatar ExxonMobil Open

 


Bautista Agut takes sweet revenge as he regains Qatar ExxonMobil Open

 

 

Doha, Qatar: Roberto Bautista Agut capped a dominant display in Doha by downing Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 6-4 in the 2022 Qatar ExxonMobil Open final on Saturday to win his first ATP Tour title since 2019.

 

Beaten in the final of the Qatar tournament last year by Basilashvili, the Spaniard took his revenge by beating the Georgian in straight sets to bag his second title in Doha and his tenth career title, while a cheque of $114,875.

 

Bautista Agut last ATP Tour title also came in Doha when he beat Tomas Berdych in the 2019 final. Runner-up Basilashvili took home $80,410.

 

A pumped-up Bautista Agut played consistently and aggressively from the baseline to regain the trophy in the title match which lasted for 86 minutes.

 

The Spaniard fired his ground strokes through the court and rallied from a break down in the first and second sets to seal his victory.

 

The second seed started on the wrong foot, being broken at 1-1, but he managed to come back at 3-3, then took the opposing service to pocket the first set at 6- 3. Identical scenario in the second set, where Basilashvili led 3-0, then Bautista Agut came back to 3-3, before making the decisive break at 4-4 and concluding on his second match point.

 

“I am very happy,” Bautista Agut said. “It has been a while since I lifted a trophy. I have been working very hard to reach another final and to get the chance to win another title. It was a big dream for me to win a title and I have now won twice in Doha. It is very special for me and I am very happy.”

 

The World No. 16, who dropped just one set en route to the title, has now won 10 tour-level crowns, holding a 10-9 record in championship matches. Doha is the second ATP Tour tournament where the 33-year-old holds multiple titles, after lifting the trophy in Auckland in 2016 and 2018.

 

“It was a really tough final,” Bautista Agut added. “This year we played without wind, which was much better for me. It was not easy to recover after a really tough battle yesterday, but I think I did a good job today. It is my 10th ATP Tour title and I am very happy.”

 

The 2021 Doha champion Basilashvili was aiming to win his sixth tour-level title. This week, the third seed defeated Mikael Ymer, Marton Fucsovics and Arthur Rinderknech as he regained his top form to reach the final.

 

"I am super happy with how I played in this tournament," Basilashvili said during the trophy ceremony. "I love coming back here. I would like to congratulate Roberto for a great tournament. I would like to thank the crowd. I am super proud to play in front of you."

 

Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi, President of Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation and Dominic Genetti, President and General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar presented the trophies and cash awards to the winner and runner-up at a glittering post-match ceremony.

 

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