Doha’s ATP 500 celebrates its category promotion with the triumph of Andrei Rublevthe most persistent in a complex week in the male circuit and full of surprises since before. On the last minute of Jannik Sinner to assume that punishment to the Dopaje letter, the defeats of Novak Djokovic in First Ronda and that of Carlos Alcaraz and that of Carlos Alcaraz in the eighths were then added. And so, a Rublev arises, which closes the circle because this was his first trophy in the showcase, very solid of tennis and head to lift his first title of the season before a Jack Draper fight, who also took advantage of a good state and the casualties of other great rackets to sneak into their first final of an ATP 500.
No merit must be taken from Rublev, 27 years old and 10 from the world. Because a category tournament has been marked against rivals as elusive as Bublik (6-3 and 6-4), Borges (6-4 and 6-3) and as quality of shown as Miñaur (6-1, 3- 3- 6 and 7-6 (8)) and Auger-Aliassime (7-5, 4-6 and 7-6 (5)) before the final also of high intensity and physical background against Draper.
The British has also claimed as a bone on the fast Qatarí track. Very firm in its premiere to Popyrin (6-2 and 7-6 (4)), did not have too many problems against O’Connell (6-2 and 6-1), and surprised everyone with a victory of consistency against Berrettini ( 4-6, 6-4 and 6-3) and one still with greater pedigree before Jiri Leheckka, which had been an impassable wall for Alcaraz (3-6, 7-6 (2) and 6-3). But in the final, the Russian had more endurance, more gasoline in that deposit with which the two arrived with the reserves activated.
Rublev longed to lift another title, the seventeenth of his career, and get back into the top ten, after having savored the success for the last time in Madrid last year. More than nine months of attempts to claim that the head has found the tranquility and stability that its powerful tennis and its potential deserves. The British did not make it easy, who disoriented with his left -handed the aggressiveness strategy and few blows at each point. But Rublev showed that capacity for suffering that was already observed and worked so well in the magical, sick and unable to do anything but hit the racket.
Before Draper, more of the same. Without losing the concentration or coldness of a very solid first set and with hardly any mistakes, he exceeded the best moments of the British with patience and without fainting, looking for a new option to break the rival’s plan. He found it as soon as he put a more firm point from the bottom in a third set in which Draper also paid the tiredness of the whole week. He got everything into the small doubts and cracks to turn them into a hole impossible to close.
«It was my first title and now I have won it twice. I feel very happy. I think we were both tired after playing games to three sets that ended very late. We were fatigued and it has been difficult but, somehow, we have managed to play at a good level. When I lost the second set I have freed myself and started playing more loose. I played a good tennis. In some moments I have noticed very well mentally, I have not been carried away by frustration. When I had that feeling, I have immediately managed to activate and I could maintain the same intensity. That is the most important thing, ”said the player after winning in Doha.
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