Doha: Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain yesterday beat Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in three sets to win the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in a thrilling title clash under lights.
Fresh from a stunning victory over world number one Novak Djokovic on Friday, Bautista Agut last night rarely looked in trouble as he posted a 6-4, 3-5, 6-3 in 1 hour 55 minutes on the Centre Court at Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex.
It was Bautista Agut’s third win over Berdych in seven ATP Tour meetings and his ninth title victory in what has been a start-stop career.
Yesterday’s ‘fantastic’ win was worth $219,775 for Bautista Agut. Berdych, who was given a wild card for the six-day tournament, got richer by $118,320.
“It has been a fantastic week for me,” a beaming Bautista Agut said at the trophy presentation ceremony.
“It was not easy to manage all of my emotions,” the 30-year-old said in reference to his win over top seed Djokovic on Friday.
“I was happy on the court yesterday and I am even more happy today,” he added.
“This (win) gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. It’s always good to start the season like this. I can’t believe I didn’t play this tournament for seven or eight years. And now I have claimed the trophy. It is a fantastic win.
“I have a great team. My family and friends back home and my girlfriend Anna is here - they have all supported me and they get a piece of this trophy,” the Spaniard added.
Berdych, who was bidding to become oldest champion in Doha tournament history (1993-2019) at age 33, thanked the hosts for the wild card.
“It has been an incredible week but first I would like to thank the Tournament Director (Karim Alami) and his team for giving me the wild card so I had a chance to play,” Berdych said yesterday.
“I would also like to thank my team including my wife for their support throughout the last six months,” the Czech said.
“To be out of action for six months was a long time and we all did it together to get on the court again,” Berdych said of his absence for the final part of the season in 2018.
“The time went very fast and here I was for the first tournament of the (2019) season,” he said.
“To go all the way to the final was great. I think Roberto was too good for me so congratulations to him.
“I am happy with the way things panned out. I like the fans and the place here. The hospitality here is incredible and that’s why I love to come back. It was my second final in Doha and I may come back next year because the trophy for the winner is so good,” Berdych said with a smile.
Both players held serve until the seventh game of the first set when Bautista Agut broke Berdych with a 147km/h winner down the line. Minutes later, Bautista Agut won the first set at 6-4 in 41 minutes.
In the second set, Berdych broke Bautista Agut in game four to take a 3-1 lead and then retained his serve to draw level at 6-3 in 29 minutes. Bautista Agut broke Berdych in game seven of the deciding set and then calmly closed the match with a big forehand winner.
“I will remember this week for a long time. It was an amazing week as I was feeling great on the court,” Bautista Agut said yesterday.
“Thanks to Qatar for having us here. They do an amazing job hosting this event. It is fantastic for us players to come here and play. I want to congratulate Tomas on a great week and good luck to him in the future,” the Spaniard added.
“It was a tough time last year but I want to thank my camp for the people who support me. All of them played a part in me winning this trophy,” he said with a smile.
The players now head to Melbourne for the Australian Open, the new season’s first Grand Slam.
