TennisSection previews the 2022 Qatar Open as Roberto Bautista Agut takes on Nikoloz Basilashvili in the final on Saturday, February 19th, 2022.
It will be a rematch of last year’s final at the 2022 Qatar Open as defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili looks to seal another improbable title triumph. But will the second-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut get his revenge against the Georgian?
Roberto Bautista Agut needed to show grit and determination to defeat Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the second semifinal at the Qatar Open. The Spaniard problem-solved his way out of tricky moments in one of the most entertaining matches of the week that lasted two and half hours. Khachanov got himself on the front foot taking the first set 6-2. It was the first time Bautista Agut had dropped a set this week, but his response was almost immediate as he broke the Russian is the sixth game of the second set shortly after fending off seven break points on his serve. He would hold to love in his next service game to force a decider. And in the third set, Khachanov could not keep up with the Spaniard when the match entered into Iron Man territory as a highly-intense match came to a halt when the Spaniard broke for the second time before serving his way into the final.
Nikoloz Basilashvili, for his part, was the first to take his berth in the final of the 2022 Qatar Open. The Georgian’s campaign was at a crossroads earlier this week after a winless start to 2022. His ranking was bound to take a significant hit if he failed to defend his crown in Doha. But Basilashvili has been relentless in his pursuit to take home his second title in these parts, beating Elias Ymer, Marton Fucsovics and most recently, Arthur Rinderknech.
Roberto Bautista Agut leads Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-2 in their head-to-head. Ironically, their last meeting was at the Qatar Open final in 2021 where Basilashvili won his fourth career title beating Bautista Agut in straight sets. Saturday’s match will be their third career meeting on hard courts, with all three of them taking place in the Middle East (the other being in Dubai in 2019). While Basilashvili trails in the overall head-to-head record, he has not lost to the Spaniard outside hard courts. It is becoming a common theme now with Basilshvili. He does have the odd week in the calendar when he is simply unplayable. We do know when the Georgian is dialed in, he is an extremely dangerous player on the offense. But I reckon Bautista Agut has got his teeth into this final. He will be kicking himself if he cannot atone for last year’s defeat. And judging by how he has been playing this week, taking out a trio of tricky opponents, he should be the favorite to lay his hands on the golden falcon trophy yet again.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut to win in 3 sets.
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