Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain celebrates hits victory against Russia's Andrey Rublev during their semi-final match of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha yesterday.
Doha: Roberto Bautista Agut and Nikoloz Basilashvili will square off in the title clash of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open after posting commanding straight-set victories in their respective semi-finals, yesterday.
At the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Spain’s Bautista Agut dispatched defending champion Andrey Rublev in the first semi-final before an in-form Basilashvili brought an end to Taylor Fritz’s impressive run in the popular tournament.
Fifth seeded Bautista Agut, who withstood a 2-hour-25 battle to oust top seed Dominic Thiem late on Thursday, looked in solid form as he returned to the centre court just hours after the victory.
Playing in windy conditions, the Spaniard – a Doha 2019 winner – excelled with powerful serves to defeat Russia’s Rublev 6-3, 6-3 in 74 minutes.
Rublev, who entered the semi-final without hitting a ball – a bye in the first round followed by two walkovers – saw his 20-match winning streak at ATP 500 events ending.
The Russian World No.8, however, was facing an opponent who is in a brilliant form and loves to win in Doha, where he has won nine consecutive matches.
Bautista Agut broke Rublev to take a 3-1 lead in the first set and his fabulous winners helped him seal the opener in 30 minutes.
With Rublev struggling with errors, the Spaniard maintained the momentum in the next set breaking the 23-year-old Russian in the first game.
Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in action against USA's Taylor Fritz during their semi-final match yesterday.
Rublev broke back but he failed to resist his opponent after taking a 3-2 lead as the Spaniard secured place in the final with a well-deserved win.
“It was very difficult to play tennis today, with the windy conditions,” Bautista Agut, said in an on-court interview after the win.
“But I put a lot of pressure on his second serve and played really good tennis. I played a long match yesterday [against Dominic Thiem], but I felt fresh and I had a lot of power on the court.”
“This court and tournament is one of my favourites,” the 32-year-old added.
“I played one of my best matches here in Qatar two years ago, and I hope I can win one more match tomorrow,” he said.
In the other semi-final featuring the giant slayers, Basilashvili – the man who beat Roger Federer on Thursday – advanced to the final after a dominant 7-6 (3), 6-1 win over Fritz, who defeated fourth-seeded Denis Shapovalov in the quarter-final.
The World No.42, who saved a match point against Federer, didn’t start the match comfortably winning only two points from the first 10 but he bounced back well to win the first set in 52 minutes.
In the second set, Basilashvili raced to a 3-0 lead and wrapped up the win in 75 minutes, denying Fritz a chance of making a comeback.
“To reach the final means a lot. I am playing well and I am relaxed. It’s great to play in front of a crowd and a nice atmosphere,” the Georgian, who broke a five-match losing streak in Doha, said.
“Probably nothing to lose at this point, because I had a pretty bad last eight months. I have zero expectations when I’m on court even though I’m playing. I’m feeling really well on court, feeling physically really well, feeling the ball, and I’m just a bit more relaxed than I usually am. That’s why I think I’m playing really well this week,” he added.
Basilashvili hoped to continue his form in the final against Bautista Agut, who will seek his second Falcon Trophy, today.
“He’s (Bautista Agut) very good player. He plays especially in Doha very well. He won this tournament. He’s very good baseline player and he doesn’t have many errors, so it’s going to be tough match for me. It will be, at the same time, very interesting. So really looking forward for tomorrow’s match.”
