Tsitsipas ends long wait for Dubai Tennis Championships title

Dubai: Stefanos Tsitsipas ended a long wait for his maiden Dubai Duty Free Championship title. The Greek cruised past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 in the final, making it third time lucky.

“There is nothing that ensured the win today, it was just pure fighting,” said Tsitsipas after winning in one hour and 28 minutes.

The victory ended a losing streak in ATP 500-level finals for the Greek. “I had a great opponent on the other side of the net, I knew it was a difficult task. I am proud to win the crucial points and close out those key moments in my favour.”

Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Tennis Federation, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the awards.

Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Chairman of the Tournament Organising Committee, Salah Tahlak, Deputy Managing Director, DDF and Tournament Director, Nasser Youssef Al Marzouqi, General Secretary, UAE Tennis Federation; Sinead El Sibai, Senior Vice-President of Marketing DDF were at the awards ceremony.

He has won the season-ending ATP Finals and at the tour’s top-level 1000 events, but had lost all of his previous 11 finals at 500 tournaments.

Those defeats included two losses in Dubai — to Roger Federer in 2019 and Novak Djokovic in 2020.

“It’s a big relief that I’m able to hold that trophy after the third attempt,” the fourth-seeded Tsitsipas said on court.

“It’s something that I had in the back of my mind, and I’m happy to say I accomplished it.”

Auger-Aliassime, an unseeded Canadian, had made a strong start to the season, winning tournaments in Adelaide in January and Montpellier in February.

Tsitsipas, who was ranked No3 in the world in early 2023 but had slipped to 11th, will move up to ninth when the updated ATP rankings are released on Monday.

“These are the things we are fighting for as professional tennis players,” said Tsitsipas.

“To be owning a spot in the top 10 is definitely one of the greatest feelings a tennis player can experience. It comes with hard work and sacrifices, but I’m happy that I’m in a position where I can really celebrate.”Sp

Auger-Aliassime, who played three three-setters on his way to the final, didn’t blame a lack of energy for losing in straight sets. Instead, he paid huge compliments to Tsitsipas.

After a strong start, the Greek outplayed Auger-Aliassime to take the first set 6-3. Tsitsipas dominated from the baseline and did not drop serve, despite facing break points twice in each set. He broke the Canadian in the seventh and ninth games of the first set and secured the decisive break in the eighth game of the second.

“I have to give him the credit, he has been returning better. I have never seen him return like this from the backhand, deep and fast,” said Auger-Aliassime, who won titles in Adelaide and Montpellier this season.

Tsitsipas dominated from the baseline. He did not drop serve, despite facing break points twice in each set. In the first set he broke the Canadian in the seventh and ninth games and in the second took the decisive break in the eighth game.

“I had a lot of chances and played some good points, but I wasn’t good enough on my serve. That was the big problem today. Didn’t expect to lose two loose games like I did in the first set on my serve, 40-Love. I thought it was going to be a little bit better.”

In the men’s doubles final, crowd favourites Yuki Bhambri of India and Australia’s Alexei Popyrin — a former ball kid at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship — edged out second seeds Harri Heliovaara of Croatia and Great Britain’s Henry Patten 3-6, 7-6, 10-8 in a marathon two-hour tussle on Centre Court.