ATP Doha: Roberto Bautista Agut downs Tomas Berdych to win the title

This was their seventh meeting, the first in three years, and the first triumph for Bautista Agut since 2014, losing the next three encounters against the rival who had to miss the second part of 2018 due to back problems and who entered the main draw with a wild card.

Tomas did well to reach the title match but not enough to leave Doha with the title, winning five points less than his opponent and suffering two breaks from eight chances he offered to Roberto. The Spaniard played a little bit better on his second serve, fending off five out of six break points and scoring the crucial break in the fourth game of the third set to emerge as a champion.

Bautista Agut saved a break point in the fourth game when Tomas sent a forehand long and he moved ahead with a break in game seven following a forehand winner. The Czech saved three set points with winners at 3-5 to reduce the deficit and prolong the set but Roberto served great in the last couple of service games, closing the opener with a nice hold in game 10 for a 6-4 after 41 minutes.

Berdych raised his level in set number two, serving well and scoring a break in the fourth game thanks to a volley winner, jumping into a lead and keeping it throughout the set with three good holds. Serving for the set at 5-3, Tomas fired three winners and the momentum was now on his side, especially after creating a break point at the start of the deciding set.

The Spaniard saved it with a well-constructed attack and he earned a break in the fourth game when Berdych netted a backhand, with three more break chances up for grabs in game six. Tomas saved them all to remain within one break deficit and he could have pulled the break back in the game that followed, squandering two break points to trail 5-2.

Serving for the title in game nine, Bautista Agut placed a forehand winner for a hold at love and a huge celebration, lifting the first trophy since Dubai last year and becoming the sixth player who claimed both ATP titles in the Gulf (Doha and Dubai) after Fabrice Santoro, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

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