Karen Khachanov claims sixth title, ends Mensik's dream run in the Qatar Open final

Karen Khachanov secures his sixth career title with a decisive victory over Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open final, halting Mensik's bid to become the 10th youngest ATP champion.

Ovaise Shariff

First Published Feb 25, 2024, 7:02 PM IST | Last Updated Feb 25, 2024, 7:27 PM IST

Karen Khachanov brought an end to Jakub Mensik's impressive run in Qatar, securing his sixth career title with a straight-sets victory in the Qatar Open final on Saturday. The 17th-ranked Russian triumphed 7-6 (14/12), 6-4 against the 18-year-old Mensik, who aimed to become the 10th youngest ATP champion and was the youngest finalist at a tour event since Carlos Alcaraz at Umag in 2021.

Reflecting on his victory, Khachanov, who maintained a flawless record throughout the week, expressed, "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."

Mensik, a Czech teenager ranked 116, showcased his talent in just his third main draw event, having previously made breakthrough runs to the third round of the 2023 US Open and a second-round appearance at the Australian Open last month. His journey to the Doha final included notable victories over former world number one Andy Murray and top seed Andrey Rublev.

In a tightly contested match, Mensik had opportunities in the marathon opening set, saving four set points. Khachanov, who had faced a 14/12 breaker in the semi-finals, commented on the intense tie-break, stating, "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."

Despite Mensik's impressive 16 aces, Khachanov managed to secure the win, joking, "For a minute, I thought I was playing John Isner and not Jakub Mensik today." The victory capped off a successful week for Khachanov in Doha.

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