Khachanov tops Mensik in Doha final, Thompson wins first title

Karen Khachanov conserved 4 set points in the very first set and beat Jakub Mensik 7-6(12), 6-4 in the last of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Sunday. Khachanov protected the 6th ATP title of his profession after one hour and 49 minutes.

Interestingly, the 14-12 tiebreaker rating was the precise very same margin by which the second-seeded Russian had actually won his opening set versus Alexei Popyrin in the semis.

“I thought yesterday’s (tiebreaker) was preparation for today, 14-12,” Khachanov commented. “Today I couldn’t believe it was the same score, same tiebreak…. 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.

“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.”

Despite the loss, today in Doha significant Mensik’s real advancement on trip. It was his very first ATP last look and the 18-year-old Czech will reach a career-high ranking of No. 87 on the planet on Monday.

“For sure this week will be unforgettable for me,” Mensik showed. “From the beginning, I didn’t even get to this tournament on my own ranking. I had to use the NextGen spot, so I tried to enjoy every moment on the court. I didn’t expect that I will go through to the final; I’m really happy with my performance. I am sad and also happy at the same time because a tough loss today, but it was a great match.”

At the Mifel Tennis Open in Los Cabos, Jordan Thompson finished a “miracle” go to his very first ATP title by beating Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-6(4). Thompson won 14 of 16 break points in the match, conserving 11 of 13 on his own serve while transforming all 3 of his possibilities. The 29-year-old Australian thrived after 2 hours and 2 minutes.

Thompson was practically out of the competition in the quarterfinals. He tracked Alex Michelsen 6-0, 3-0 and was a point away–two times–from routing 5-1 in the 2nd. The world No. 40 in some way returned to win that match 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 before outliving front runner Alexander Zverev 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) in a three-hour and 40-minute semifinal marathon.

“I spent so many hours on the court this week,” Thompson kept in mind. “In the quarterfinal I could have been double-bageled–I could have been losing 6-0, 6-0. And now I’m [lifting] the trophy, so I think it’s still a miracle.

“[Los Cabos is] my favorite place now, without a doubt.”