Karen Khachanov tops Jakub Mensik for his sixth tour-level crown in Doha

Karen Khachanov wins the ATP 250 event in Doha at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Saturday to capture his sixth tour-level crown and first of this season.

The 27-year-old defeated Czech Jakub Mensik 7-6(12), 6-4 at the ATP 250, where Khachanov did not drop a set all week. Khachanov fended off four set points in the opener before he stepped in on the 18-year-old’s second serve at 12/13, crushing a forehand return to gain a one-set advantage on his fourth set point.

Khachanov, who is up two spots to No. 15 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, built upon his momentum to break Mensik’s serve in the opening game of the second set. It deflated a dream week for the teen, who was competing in just his third tour-level event and had become the youngest finalist in Doha tournament history.

“Every title is a special one,” Khachanov said in his on-court interview. “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.

“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.”