ATP Tennis News From Dubai • Bautista Agut Wins First 500-Level Event • Rojer/Tecau Retain Doubles Title

Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain pose with the trophy after winning the Men’s Singles Final match against Lucas Pouille of France in the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 03 March 2018. EPA-EFE/MAHMOUD KHALED

 

 

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Dubai, U.A.E.

 

Singles – Final

[3] R. Bautista Agut (ESP) d [2] L. Pouille (FRA) 63 64

 

Doubles – Final

[2] J. Rojer (NED) / H. Tecau (ROU) d [WC] J. Cerretani (USA) / L. Paes (IND) 62 76(2)

 

BAUTISTA AGUT CLAIMS FIRST 500-LEVEL TROPHY; ROJER/TECAU RETAIN TITLE

– Roberto Bautista Agut captures his eighth ATP World Tour title and his first 500-level triumph.

– The Spaniard becomes the first player outside the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings to triumph in Dubai since Fabrice Santoro in 2002.

– Lucas Pouille, who falls short in his third final of the season (1-2), is projected to climb to a career-best No. 12 in the ATP Rankings on Monday.

– Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau retain their title, becoming the first pair in the event’s history (since 1993) to do so.

– The 2015 Nitto ATP Finals champions now hold 17 tour-level titles as a pair. Rojer owns 26 individually, and Tecau has 34.

 

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

•Bautista Agut

“I played very good, very aggressively. I didn’t give him all the court, all the control of the game. I played very good tennis tonight.”

“That means a lot, to win this trophy… I think the past winners [in Dubai] are the best tennis players in the era. That makes me so happy.”

 

•Pouille

“I think he played some great tennis tonight. Even if I think I had some opportunities, especially in the second set where I got the break, 3-1 up, I couldn’t conserve it.”

 

•Rojer

“It’s really nice to start off the year like this. I know we did almost the same exact result last year. More importantly, like Horia said, [we] try to get better each match, get good preparation, try to improve as a team. I think that’s still what we both try to do.”

 

•Tecau

“This tournament always has a strong doubles field. Winning here two years in a row, it’s a great accomplishment for us. Always have to beat some big servers on these fast conditions. That’s very good for [the] confidence to win here twice.”

Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in action against Lucas Pouille of France in the Men’s Singles Final match of the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 03 March 2018. EPA-EFE/MAHMOUD KHALED ALTERNATIVE CROP

 

Lucas Pouille of France in action against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in the Men’s Singles Final match of the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 03 March 2018. EPA-EFE/MAHMOUD KHALED

 

Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain (L) and Lucas Pouille of France (R) hold their first and second place trophies respectively after the Men’s Singles Final match in the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 03 March 2018. EPA-EFE/MAHMOUD KHALED

 

Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain raises the trophy after winning the Men’s Singles Final match against Lucas Pouille of France in the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 03 March 2018. EPA-EFE/MAHMOUD KHALED

 

Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain pose with the trophy after winning the Men’s Singles Final match against Lucas Pouille of France in the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 03 March 2018. EPA-EFE/MAHMOUD KHALED