ATP Doha: Andrey Rublev triumphs against Corentin Moutet
Andrey Rublev is the first singles champion on the ATP tour in the new decade. In the latest final in the 28-year history of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, the 22-year-old Russian defeated his two-year-old rival Corentin Moutet from France 6-1, 7-6 (3).
by Florian Heer
last edit:
Jan 11, 2020, 09:03 pm
By Florian Heer from Doha
From the start, Rublev was the dominant player on the center court. In cool and windy conditions on Saturday evening at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, number 2 on the seed list made its first break in the second game.
Moutet, who was on the ATP tour for two hours in his first final after two tough matches against Fernando Verdasco and top favorite Stan Wawrinka on Friday, had nothing to oppose in the opening round.
With a hard and placed forehand cross-court winner, Rublev secured the first set after 31 minutes.
Moutet finds the match late
Duplicity of events then initially at the beginning of the second round. The Muscovite made another early break. Rublev then controlled the action in large stretches until in the sixth game he put an overhead smash in the second breakball against himself and promoted Moutet back into the match.
However, this was just a snapshot. In the tie-break, the number 22 in the world returned to its best form and, after an hour and 26 minutes, converted its third match ball to win the tournament.
Rublev's third triumph on the ATP tour
After losing the final two years ago in the same place, this time a visibly satisfied Rublev stood on the podium and braved the cool temperatures - wrapped up in a green training jacket. Finally, the new champion was able to lift the golden falcon into the evening sky of Doha and look forward to prize money of $ 227,930 and 250 ATP world ranking points.
"It's the first time I've opened a season with a tournament win and it feels great," beamed Rublev in his subsequent press conference.
“The match felt pretty tight. However, I fought to the end, also showed some emotions and was ultimately able to leave the course as the winner. I'm very happy about it."
With his third success on the ATP tour after Umag 2017 and Moscow last year, Rublev will advance to the top 20 in the world rankings for the first time on Monday.
"I still have a lot to do. There is always something to improve, but of course I am very happy to move up in the ranking.
Moutet with a positive conclusion
“It was an incredible week for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't crown her with the title today because Andrey was too good, ”Moutet acknowledged enviously.
The young Frenchman, who has already won four trophies on the ATP Challenger Tour, is known as a hotspur and was particularly impressed by his behavior on the pitch this week. "Apart from a few phases in the final, I had my emotions well under control," smiled the next-gen ATP representative. "I am making good progress at this point. However, I still have a lot of work ahead of me physically and mentally. I haven't reached the top yet, but I'll try to improve my game over the next few weeks and months. ”
When asked what he would do differently if he got the chance to do so again, Moutet joked: "I might hire someone to knock on my opponent's door the night before the final so that he can't sleep."
In addition to Rublev, you will also hear a lot from the young French in the future. In the coming week, Moutet will be among the top 75 in the ATP ranking for the first time.