France’s Gael Monfils won the Qatar Open final in straight sets on Saturday, brushing aside Russia’s Andrey Rublev in a one-sided final, 6-2, 6-3. It was the Frenchman’s first Qatar title despite having played in three previous finals, stretching back more than a decade, and he is the first wildcard to win in Doha since compatriot Nicolas Escude triumphed back in 2004. So I’m just very happy and very proud.”Saturday’s victory was his seventh victory overall on the ATP tour. The 31-year-old, who arrived in Qatar after a four-month break due to a knee injury, dominated throughout. He said he had been “unlucky” with injuries and was looking to recapture the form that propelled him to a ranking of world number six back in 2016.

Source: Punch January 06, 2018 18:00 UTC