Emotional Bautista Agut wins Antwerp title: 'I deserved a week like this'

  • Posted: Oct 20, 2024

Roberto Bautista Agut returned to the winner’s circle on the ATP Tour for the first time since 2022 with a ruthless showing in Sunday’s championship match at the European Open in Antwerp.

The 36-year-old defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-1 to become the second-oldest tour-level champion this year (Djokovic, 37, Paris Olympics). Bautista Agut produced an imperious display of serving in the first set and showed his trademark grit to outlast the Czech in many of the longer exchanges in the second, sealing victory in one hour, 15 minutes.

“This one is very special,” said Bautista Agut, who improved to 12-11 in tour-level finals. “I broke my foot last year and I had to fight so hard this year. I went back to 120 in the world, but I was still going to practice with a smile on my face, trying to be a better player, to fight until the end of my career. I think I deserved a week like this.”

Having been forced to go through qualifying at nine tournaments this year, Bautista Agut struggled to make many inroads in tournaments. However, this week in Antwerp, the Spaniard ignited some of his most steely tennis to claim a first indoor title since 2016.

Bautista Agut improved to 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having lost their most recent battle in the second round of the China Open last month. With his title-winning week, the Spaniard will return to the Top 50 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in 12 months.

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Lehecka, who was bidding to clinch his second ATP Tour title of the year, came unstuck by the physicality required to go toe-to-toe with Bautista Agut, who dominated from both wings.

In a near-flawless first set, Bautista Agut won 86 per cent (24/28) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Lehecka did claw back a break of serve in the tenth game but it was to little avail as he lost serve to love in the 12th to hand his opponent the lead.

Bautista Agut kept his foot on the gas to pull clear in the early stages of the second set and, once he had dismantled Lehecka’s serve for a fourth time, he served out the match with ease.

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