Minister of Sports and Youth H E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani crowned Russian Karen Khachanov the champion of Qatar ExxonMobil Open after he defeated Czech Republic's Jakub Mensik in the final yesterday. QTF President Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi, President and General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar Dominic Genetti (eft) and Event Director Karim Alami (right) were also present.
Doha, Qatar: Karen Khachanov yesterday ended Jakub Mensik’s dream run at the 2024 Qatar ExxonMobil Open in an exhilarating final to lift the prestigious Golden Falcon trophy.
In a thrilling one-hour, 49-minute encounter at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, the Russian defeated Next Gen ATP star Mensik 7-6(12), 6-4 to clinch his sixth Tour level win, his maiden title of the season.
“Every title is a special one. Every time, you want to win. We play around 22 tournaments per season and at the end of the day, you compete every week. For sure here in Doha, it is one of the nicest trophies,” Khachanov, who received the glittering trophy from Minister of Sports and Youth H E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, said.
“I thought yesterday’s tie-break was preparation for today, 14/12 [against Alexei Popyrin]. Today I couldn’t believe it was the same score, same tie-break... I stayed strong, I’m extremely happy that I won the first set. It lifted me a lot and gave me a lot of confidence to step up in the second,” Khachanov, who was tested to the limits by the remarkable 18-year-old, particularly in the 64-minute long first set, said.
Khachanov defended four set points in the opener before he stepped in on the Czech prodigy’s second serve at 12/13, delivering a strong forehand return to gain a one-set advantage on his fourth set point before a relatively easier second set, completing a memorable run in the Doha event in which he did not lose a single set en-route to his title.
“For a minute, I thought I was playing John Isner and not Jakub Mensik today,” said the 27-year-old Khachanov.
Khachanov’s victory not only propelled him two spots up to No. 15 in the ATP Live Rankings but also improved his career earnings, with a substantial prize money payout of $212,300.
Despite the final defeat, Mensik made his presence felt in the ATP Tour with an incredible run which included impressive wins over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and three former champions - Andy Murray, top seed Andrey Rublev, and Gael Monfils – on his way to his maiden tour-level final.
Mensik, who arrived in Doha ranked 116th, now stands at 87th, climbing up by an impressive 29 spots in a week.
“For sure this week will be unforgettable for me,” Mensik said.
“From the beginning, I didn’t even get to this tournament on my own ranking. I had to use the Next Gen spot, so I tried to enjoy every moment on the court. I didn’t expect that I will go through to the final. So I’m really happy with my performance,” Mensik said.
“I am sad and also happy at the same time, because of a tough loss today, but yeah, it was a great match,” Mensik, who also became the youngest finalist in the history of the Doha tournament, said.
Earlier, British-New Zealand pair Jamie Murray and Michael Venus won their first title of the season after surviving a thriller against Italians Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(0), 2-6, 10-8 in the doubles final.
