DOHA — Andrey Rublev won the title at the Qatar Open for the second time, defeating Great Britain’s Jack Draper 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 in Doha.
The fifth-seeded Russian hit 34 winners, including 10 aces, in winning his 17th ATP Tour title but his first since last May at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid. He also won the crown in Doha in 2020.
Rublev won 78.9 per cent (45 of 57) of points on his first serve and saved two of three break opportunities in the hardcourt match.
Rublev regained a title he previously won in 2020. “It feels amazing,” said the Russian on court at the end.
“It’s my first ever title that I won twice.”
Both men had battled to the final with demanding victories in the quarterfinals and semi-finals.
“I think both of us were really tired after two three-set matches that finished late,” added Rublev according to AFP.
“We were exhausted and it was difficult, but somehow we were able to play at a good level.”
After the first 11 games went with serve, Rublev broke the Briton to take the first set.
The second set followed a similar pattern with Draper gaining the only break in the 11th game before holding serve to level the match.
“When I lost the second set, I let it go and started to play more freely,” said Rublev.
The 27-year-old took control in the third set, breaking in the second and fourth games to lead 5-0. After Draper finally held, Rublev served out a love game to win the match in two hours and one minute.
“I played at a good level,” said Rublev. “In some moments, I was really good mentally and didn’t let frustration get over me. As soon as I was frustrated, I was able to restart again and I was able to play at the same intensity. That’s the most important thing.”
It was his 17th ATP Tour title, but first since winning in Madrid last May.
French Open organisers, meanwhile, are preparing to honour Rafael Nadal with a major tribute at this year’s tournament, won by the Spaniard a record 14 times before his retirement last year.
“There’s bound to be something, a very big tribute” to Nadal, the head of the French tennis federation Gilles Moretton told Europe 1 radio.
“We were ready last year and he wasn’t ready, he was still a player.”
The 22-time Grand Slam champion received a send-off after the final match of his career at the Davis Cup in Malaga in November, but Moretton said “the tribute was not, in my opinion, what it should have been”.
He said he had gone to visit Nadal at his home in December along with Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo to discuss plans for the tribute at the French Open, which runs from May 25 to June 8.
Argentinian Francisco Comesana stunned Australian Open finalist and world No 2 Alexander Zverev with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win in the quarterfinals of the Rio Open, the biggest win of his career so far.
Comesana, ranked 86th in the world, turned heads in his Grand Slam debut match last year when he handed sixth seed Andrey Rublev a first-round exit from Wimbledon.
