DOHA, Qatar – Roberto Bautista Agut has been waiting for it for more than three years: the Spaniard, 16th in the world, won his first title since January 2018, winning the Doha tournament on Saturday with a 6-3, 6 -4 victory to Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili (22nd), in a replay of the 2021 final.
This is the tenth trophy on the ATP track lifted by Bautista Agut, who will turn 34 in April.
The capital of Qatar is doing quite well after having played three finals there, winning two, in four appearances. Here he won his last title three years ago.
In the first set, Basilashvili broke to take a 3-2 lead, followed by a serve. But the Spaniard responded immediately, winning the next four games and the set in 37 minutes.
Almost identical scenario in the second set: Georgianos is the first to break, leading 3-1, but the Spaniard is still upsetting the flow to win the set and the match.
Despite the start, Basilashvili, who disappeared in the first round of the first four ATP tournaments he has played since the beginning of the year, will not be able to retain his crown in Doha.
He is now heading to Dubai for the two men. Basilashvili will face one of the strongest men earlier this year, the young Canadian wolf Félix Auger-Aliassime. Bautista Agut could find a particular Novak Djokovic in the quarter… if the two players get there.
