DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Wild card Aslan Karatsev defeated South African qualifier Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Dubai Championships for his first title on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Karatsev saved the two break points he faced to win in 1 hour, 15 minutes, becoming the third Russian champion this season. Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are the others.
The 42nd-ranked Karatsev has only been beaten by Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem in 14 matches this year. He beat top-seeded Rublev 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in their semifinal on Saturday, when he claimed his fourth consecutive win over a seeded player at the hard-court tournament.
Harris was also going for his first title after becoming the first qualifier to reach the final.
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