This is hardly the final we expected, especially as both players had difficulties finding the right rhythm at the beginning of the season. But they have unquestionably been the strongest competitors at the ATP Qatar Open and have both played some excellent tennis to secure their spots in the championship match. But who will come out on top in the final?
ATP Qatar Open Final Prediction
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Nikoloz Basilashvili
Head-to-head: Bautista Agut 3-1 Basilashvili
Roberto Bautista Agut has been performing extremely well on the fast hard court in Doha so far this week. The Spaniard won this event in 2019, before deciding not to play the season after. Bautista Agut had endured a rocky start to 2021, posting a 4-5 win/loss record prior to coming to the ATP Qatar Open, but he has managed to turn it around completely in Doha.
It all started with a hard-fought win over Reilly Opelka, but the Spaniard has really upped his game as the week has progressed. The wins over top 10 players Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev were extremely impressive and have secured him another chance to win the title in Doha.
To say that Nikoloz Basilashvili also didn’t start his season well would be a massive understatement. Before Doha, it had been well over a year since the Georgian defeated a top 250 player, despite making the quarterfinals in Antalya in January. The domestic violence charges he faces in his homeland of Georgia were perhaps part of the reason for this, but what is certain is that Basilashvili was in the middle of a terrible slump.
That said, the Georgian has earned a reputation for making deep runs out of nowhere and one of them appeared to be on the cards this week after hiks opening-round win over John Millman. But it wasn’t till the stunning quarterfinal defeat or Roger Federer as Basilashvili completed the full transformation. From a sportsman who appeared lost on the court for more than a year, the Georgian suddenly drew upon his time as a top 20 player. He was clinical in his dismissal of Taylor Fritz, making his first final since he won the Hamburg Open in 2019.
Bautista Agut leads the head-to-head 3-1 but it has to be noted that Basilashvili won their only meeting on hardcourts (Dubai 2019). Regardless of that, it will be a really big ask for him to defeat the Spaniard again. There aren’t many better than Bautista Agut in terms of rally tolerance and being unable to limit his unforced error count remains Basilashvili’s greatest weakness. His serve isn’t as potent as it could be and a big number of free points would come in handy in this matchup. Bautista Agut seems to be really enjoying the conditions in Doha and while it might not be straightforward, he should be the one to clinch the title on Saturday.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
Main photo:
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