Dolgopolov Claims Victory in D.C. Over Haas for Citi Open Title
Sunday night, second-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov won the Citi Open, defeating Tommy Haas 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-1 for his first ATP World Tour 500 event win. Dolgopolov’s last three final appearances were in 250-level events. The 25th-ranked Ukranian claimed victory in one of these events. Dolgopolov relied heavily on his high-risk shots, which brought in high-rewards. His opponents have often been quoted saying that his unconventional shots are the key to his success.
The first set went into tie-breaker, with Dolgopolov losing his first set of the tournament. Before this match, both players had not lost a set during the whole tournament.
In the second set, both players held serve. However, Dolgopolov broke Haas in the final game for his first set loss in the tournament. He then continued to break the German’s serve twice in the final set. Thirty-six winners were hit by Dolgopolov, while Haas had 25.
"For sure, I’m very happy, and especially winning a match like that [which is] really tight, goes up and down, the rain breaks," said Dolgopolov. "I’m really happy with myself that I stayed concentrated and was in the match in all the three sets."
With this ATP World Tour 500 victory, Dolgopolov is in a second-place tie with Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open Series Bonus Challenge Standings. Sam Querrey is in the lead after winning last week in Los Angeles and playing in the semifinals in Washington.
