A day after stunning World No 1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, Roberto Bautista Agut recorded one of his biggest wins on the ATP Tour when he won the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
At the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, seventh seed Bautista Agut beat wild card Tomas Berdych in a closely fought final 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 for his ninth Tour title.
For Berdych, it was yet another loss in the final in Doha. The Czech was runner-up in 2015, after losing to Spain’s David Ferrer. But looking back, Berdych would have been proud of his achievements this week, considering the 33-year-old was making a comeback to tennis after six months out from injury.
It was dream week for Bautista Agut though. The World No 24, apart from his shock win over Djokovic, had also beaten former top five player Stan Wawrinka en route to the title.
“It was a great start to the season, of course. The best thing is I felt good physically and mentally this week. And if I can continue like this, I think I can get better in the rankings and be closer to top ten,” said Bautista Agut, who collected 250 ATP ranking points and $219,755 in prize money.
“Well, it’s always a very tough draw, very tough tournament with a lot of good players in the draw. And when I started the week, I was feeling good with the ball. I was enjoying practising. I was playing match by match. And since the first moment of the tournament until the last point, I felt really good on the court,” he added.
This was the fourth successive time where Bautista Agut has started the season with a title, a success he attributed to his off-season preparation. 
“Well, it’s a good time for me after being fresh and having spent two months at home. I did my preparation well and worked really hard. And I think also the conditions and the surface suited me here. It is good for my tennis and I think this is one of the reasons,” he said.
The World No 24, still fresh from the emotional high of victory over Djokovic, was a bit edgy to begin with against Berdych. He struggled with his first two service games, and had to save a break point in the fourth game. But having held on, the Spaniard converted his first break point in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead, before serving solidly to grab the first set in 41 minutes.
In the second set, Berdych upped the ante, serving well and jumped into the lead after a break in the fourth game. At 5-3, he then served out the set firing three winners to take the match to decider.
In the final set, Bautista Agut built a 4-1 lead. Berdych threatened to break back but squandered two points in the seventh game. He missed an easy forehand approach shot, which clipped the net and agonisingly fell out, and that was the last chance the Czech would have.   
Bautista Agut then went on to serve out the match to love with a forehand winner giving him his first win against Berdych since 2014. This was their seventh meeting, the first in three years, with Bautista Agut having lost the last three matches.
Berdych, who was seeking his first title since Shenzhen in 2016, rued the missed opportunity in the third set. “I think it was overall a very good match and I think the biggest difference was one game in the third set where I lost badly my serve where I hit two double faults in one game,” said the 33-year-old, who walked away with 150 points and $118,320 in prize money.
But the former World No 4, currently at 71 after missing six month’s action due to back injury, looked at the positives from the tournament. “I think it was a great week overall. I mean, coming after six months of not playing, my expectations were completely on a different level.”
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