Agut holds off Berdych to win Qatar Open
Spaniard needs nearly two hours to claim first 2019 title
Doha: Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut earned his first 2019 title and the ninth of his career, defeating Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the Qatar Open final.
Bautista Agut needed nearly two hours here on Saturday to clinch his third win over the former top-10 player in their seventh career match and successfully culminate his Qatar Open run that saw him ousting world No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi-final.
Berdych was making his first tournament appearance since June 2018 — when he lost to Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the Queen’s round-of-32 — after recovering from a back injury.