Karen Khachanov saved four set points in the first set and defeated Jakub Mensik 7-6(12), 6-4 in the final of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Sunday. Khachanov secured the sixth ATP title of his career after one hour and 49 minutes.
Interestingly, the 14-12 tiebreaker score was the exact same margin by which the second-seeded Russian had won his opening set against Alexei Popyrin in the semis.
“I thought yesterday’s (tiebreaker) was preparation for today, 14-12,” Khachanov commented. “Today I couldn’t believe it was the same score, same tiebreak…. I stayed strong; I’m extremely happy that I won the first set. It lifted me a lot and gave me a lot of confidence to step up in the second.
“Every title is a special one. Every time, you want to win. We play around 22 tournaments per season and at the end of the day, you compete every week. For sure here in Doha it is one of the nicest trophies.”
Despite the loss, this week in Doha marked Mensik’s true breakthrough on tour. It was his first ATP final appearance and the 18-year-old Czech will climb to a career-high ranking of No. 87 in the world on Monday.
“For sure this week will be unforgettable for me,” Mensik reflected. “From the beginning, I didn’t even get to this tournament on my own ranking. I had to use the NextGen spot, so I tried to enjoy every moment on the court. I didn’t expect that I will go through to the final; I’m really happy with my performance. I am sad and also happy at the same time because a tough loss today, but it was a great match.”
At the Mifel Tennis Open in Los Cabos, Jordan Thompson completed a “miracle” run to his first ATP title by beating Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-6(4). Thompson won 14 of 16 break points in the match, saving 11 of 13 on his own serve while converting all three of his chances. The 29-year-old Australian triumphed after two hours and two minutes.
Thompson was almost out of the tournament in the quarterfinals. He trailed Alex Michelsen 6-0, 3-0 and was a point away–twice–from trailing 5-1 in the second. The world No. 40 somehow came back to win that match 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 before outlasting top seed Alexander Zverev 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) in a three-hour and 40-minute semifinal marathon.
“I spent so many hours on the court this week,” Thompson noted. “In the quarterfinal I could have been double-bageled–I could have been losing 6-0, 6-0. And now I’m [lifting] the trophy, so I think it’s still a miracle.
“[Los Cabos is] my favorite place now, without a doubt.”
nice one, JT