Stefanos Tsitsipas ensured it was third time lucky on Saturday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The fourth seed produced a high-quality performance to sink Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 and claim his 12th tour-level title. After losing consecutive Dubai finals in 2019 to Roger Federer and in 2020 to Novak Djokovic, Tsitsipas made amends with a clutch display from the back of the court to clinch his maiden ATP 500 crown, and his first hard-court trophy since Los Cabos in 2023.
“There is nothing that ensured the win today, it was just pure fighting,” said Tsitsipas. “It’s a big relief that I’m able to hold that trophy after the third attempt. It’s something that I had in the back of my mind, and I’m happy to say I accomplished it. I had a great opponent on the other side of the net, I knew it was a difficult task. I’m just proud of the way I managed the pressure and was able to perform in those crucial moments.”
“These are the things we are fighting for as professional tennis players,” added Tsitsipas, who will return to World No. 9 on Monday. “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.”
Bidding to win an eighth ATP Tour title, Auger-Aliassime dug deep to remain within touching distance in the second set. He saved two break points in the third game, but was unable to convert any of the three he created. The 24-year-old eventually came unstuck by the all-court prowess of Tsitsipas, who mixed his relentless groundstrokes with exquisite touch en route to claiming his biggest hard-court trophy since triumphing at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals on his debut.
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