(Reuters) – Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-3 in the final of the Dubai Championships on Saturday to earn his first ATP 500 title.
It was third time lucky for Tsitsipas who had twice lost in the Dubai final, against Roger Federer in 2019 and Novak Djokovic a year later.
The fourth seed produced a dominant display and needed just 90 minutes to down Auger-Aliassime.
“There is nothing that ensured the win today, it was just pure fighting,” Tsitsipas, who will return to the world’s top 10 for the first time since May, said.
“It’s a big relief that I’m able to hold that trophy after the third attempt. It’s something that I had in the back of my mind, and I’m happy to say I accomplished it.”
It was the 12th career title for 26-year-old Tsitsipas but he had lost his previous 11 finals in ATP 500s.
“To be owning a spot in the top 10 is definitely one of the greatest feelings a tennis player can experience,” he added.
“It comes with hard work and sacrifices, but I’m happy that I’m in a position where I can really celebrate.”
Tsitsipas reeled off four successive games to take the opening set from 2-3 down. Auger-Aliassime was unable to convert any of his seven break points and that proved costly as the match slipped away from him in the second set.
Auger-Aliassime was chasing his third title of 2025 after triumphing in Adelaide and Montpellier.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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