Aslan Karatsev is still in search of his first ATP singles title, but the 27-year-old locked up a lifelong on dream in Doha on Saturday when he claimed the doubles title alongside Andrey Rublev.
Karatsev and Rublev never dropped a set during the tournament and took out No.4-seeded Jean Julien Rojer and Marcelo Melo in the quarterfinals before defeating 2019 Roland Garros finalists Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin in the semis. In the finals the pair took douwn Marcus Danielle and Philipp Oswald, 7-5, 6-4.
“It feels great. It’s my first ATP title, so it’s an unbelievable feeling,” Karatsev said. “It’s great to play with Andrey.”
Karatsev has risen to No.42 in singles thanks to his run to the Australian Open semifinals in February, where he became the first player to reach the semifinals on his Grand Slam debut in ATP history. He was also the first qualifier to reach a men’s singles Grand Slam semifinal since 2000. He rises 225 spots in the doubles rankings to 222.