Bautista Agut triumph in Antwerp defeating Jiri Lehecka

Roberto Bautista Agut returned to the winner’s circle on the ATP Tour for the first time since 2022 with a ruthless showing in Sunday’s championship match at the European Open in Antwerp.

The 36-year-old Spaniard defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-1 to become the second-oldest tour-level champion this year (Djokovic, 37, Paris Olympics). Bautista Agut produced an imperious display of serving in the first set and showed his trademark grit to outlast the Czech in many of the longer exchanges in the second, sealing victory in one hour, 15 minutes.

“This one is very special,” said Bautista Agut, who improved to 12-11 in tour-level finals. “I broke my foot last year and I had to fight so hard this year. I went back to 120 in the world, but I was still going to practice with a smile on my face, trying to be a better player, to fight until the end of my career. I think I deserved a week like this.”

Bautista Agut improved to 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having lost their most recent battle in the second round of the China Open last month. With his title-winning week, the Spaniard will return to the Top 50 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in 12 months.