By Adrianna Outlaw | Saturday, January 6, 2018
Gael Monfils slashed nine aces and did not drop serve dismissing Andrey Rublev, 6-2, 6-3, to win his seventh career title in Doha.
Photo credit: Qatar Tennis Federation
Gael Monfils found his seventh heaven in the desert.
Contesting his fourth Doha final, Monfils slashed nine aces and did not drop serve dismissing Andrey Rublev, 6-2, 6-3, in 61 minutes to capture the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open title.
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It is Monfils' seventh career championship and comes in the first tournament of his comeback. Monfils suffered a season-ending knee injury at the 2017 US Open.
Playing clean tennis, the 31-year-old Frenchman drilled 29 winners against just 10 unforced errors.
It was Monfils' first ATP title since he won the 2016 Washington, DC championship.
"I'm very happy," said Monfils. "I like this tournament so much. I always come back and I finally got it. So I'm just very happy and very proud.
"It's been a while. I was waiting for that moment to get back in shape. In 2016, I was almost on my top and I had a very good year, finishing at No. 6. I couldn't really defend my chances in 2017. I had a long rest and came back strong in 2018, which was a goal. I wouldn't say I was expecting to win the first tournament, but I'm more than happy that I did."
A three-time Doha runner-up, Monfils fell to Roger Federer in the 2006 final, bowed to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2012 title match and lost to Rafael Nadal in the 2014 championship match.
The world No. 46 set the tone for a dynamic serving day opening the final with an ace.
The 20-year-old Rublev, who was coming off a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2) semifinal victory over Guido Pella, was not as sharp as Monfils in longer baseline exchanges.
“I think he’s young, he’s coming, he’s gonna be very strong,” Monfils said of Rublev. “He had a very strong year last year. You can see already that he can beat the top players. For sure he’s gonna be definitely in other finals."
Monfils broke for 3-1 then prevailed in a lengthy rally seizing the 40-minute opening set.
Starting the second set with a service break, Monfils served 65 percent and permitted just eight points on his first serve.
Monfils cranked a service winner closing a tidy victory in one hour.
The 2016 Australian Open quarterfinalist could be a dangerous floater for Melbourne, which begins on January 15th.
"I think I can expect a tough first round, but I think I will be well prepared to have a great tournament there," Monfils said of the Australian Open.