ATP DOHA.QATAR
Andrey Rublev cemented his status as a two-time champion at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The fifth seed resisted a resurgence from Jack Draper in the final at the hard-court ATP 500 to prevail 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.
“Both of us were really tired,” Rublev said. “Somehow, I don’t know, we were able to play good level.”
“I started to play much better [in the third set], started to play free….As soon as I was frustrated, I was able to get over it.”
This was Rublev’s 17th career title, and marked the first time he had won an event twice. Maybe more important, it put an end to a run of subpar results that extended back to last summer. He went 0-3 at the ATP Finals in 2024, and lost in the first round to Joao Fonseca at the Australian Open.