Roberto Bautista Agut clinches 10th career title in ATP Qatar Open

Roberto Bautista Agut waited nearly three years to clinch his 10th career title in ATP Qatar Open, on Saturday. The 33-year-old won his first ATP Tour victory since 2019 by defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili (6-3, 6-4).

It came after a fantastic week of tennis for the Spaniard, in which he literally decimated adversaries in the preliminary rounds. Andy Murray was the receiver of one of them, with winning only a few games. Following that was Davidovich Fokina, followed by Khachanov. However, In the final, it was Basilashvili who got off to a good start.

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Early in the game, Basilashvili was up 3-1, but his performance dropped and his forehand began to misfire more frequently. The Georgian rarely deviates from his usual playing style, and he did so again in this encounter. However, the Spaniard was very well poised, having faced him here last year and defeated. As a consequence, Roberto Bautista eventually won the first set with a score of 6-3.

Basilashvili took an early 3-0 lead in the second set, but the Georgian was unable to maintain the edge. Bautista gradually fought back, never losing the set or in rallies, and he was strong enough to force a few errors. He eventually triumphed the set with a score of 6-4. Thus, securing his 10th career title.

Roberto Bautista's words after the glorious victory

The 33-year-old, who won the same event in 2019, expressed, "I am very happy. 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," he added.

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Furthermore, for the record, the world No. 16 has already won ten ATP tour-level titles and has a 10-9 record in title wins.