Russia’s Daniil Medvedev continued his red-hot form to beat Andy Murray to win the Qatar Open. Medvedev bested Murray by 6-4, 6-4 to win back-to-back titles. The Russian took a 4-1 lead in the first set whereas he took a 3-1 lead in the second set.
The Brit was able to bounce back a bit but Medvedev was able to hold his ground to come out as a champion. The 27-year-old from Moscow admitted that it was a tough match for both the players because of the windy conditions and he was delighted to come out as a winner after 1 hour and 47 minutes.
This is the 17th tour title win for Medvedev and he has been ticking the right boxes in the recent past.
“[It was] a tough match,” said Medvedev after his win. “It was a little bit windy today, so both of us were struggling to find our rhythm… Today was a big fight for both of us. Sometimes we were playing bad, then suddenly both of us were playing amazing, and I’m happy to win.”
Medvedev recently won the Rotterdam Open and he will take seventh place in the ATP rankings, surpassing Rafael Nadal.
“I managed to find momentum in Rotterdam,” said Medvedev, when asked about his recent form. “The first two matches I played there were tough. I didn’t feel good before that tournament, and then starting in the quarter-finals against Felix [Auger-Aliassime], I started to find my rhythm.
“I started to play really good. Serve better, move better. Today it was tough for Andy to put the balls through me many times, and now the question is [if it] can continue. I’m going to try as long as I can.”
On the other hand, Andy Murray had an incredible week and he will make of jump of 18 places to rise to the 52nd spot in the rankings. Murray feels it was a great opportunity for him to play against a top player and he will look to keep getting better.
“It was an incredible week,” reflected Murray, who was playing in a record fifth final in Doha. “Obviously it didn’t finish how I wanted, but I had some amazing matches here, and created some great memories. It was fantastic to be back in a final here again and against an incredible player today.
“Daniil is one of my favorite players to watch and one of the best players on the Tour. It’s great for me to get that opportunity to play against someone of his level in a final again. [There are] definitely some things to work on, but I’m proud of my week and the work that me and my team have put in to get me back to this stage.”
