The Peninsula
Roberto Bautista Agut was looking to avenge his last year’s defeat to Nikoloz Basilashvili in their rematch of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. And that’s what the Spaniard did yesterday, and that too in a dominant passion.
The Spaniard, who won the Doha title in 2019, defeated Basilashvili 6-3, 6-4 in the title clash to lift the glittering trophy again in front of a packed at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex last night.
The second seed, playing his third final in four years, rallied from a break down in the first and second sets to seal his victory in 86 minutes.
“I am very happy. It has been a while since I lifted a trophy,” the 33-year-old said after regaining the crown.
"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,” he added.
The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani also attended the final.
QOC Secretary-General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation President Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi, Board Members of the federation and Directors of the QOC Departments also attended the final match.
Bautista Agut dropped just one set on his way to his second Doha title, en route to the title, has now won 10 tour-level titles, holding a 10-9 record in championship matches. Doha is the second ATP Tour tournament where he holds multiple titles, after lifting the trophy in Auckland in 2016 and 2018.
“It was a really tough final. 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,” Bautista Agut whose last title came at the ATP 250 event in 2019, said.
President of Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi handed the trophy to Bautista Agut. Dominic Genetti - President and General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar, also attended the presentation.
With his victory, Bautista Agut now leads Basilashvili 4-2 in their ATP Head2Head series and has improved to 11-3 on the season.