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No. 1 seed Fritz beat No. 3 Paul 6-2, 6-3 to
become the second player in tournament history to go
back-to-back, joining Jason Stoltenberg (1996-97). Fritz has won
six consecutive finals matches dating back to the start of the
2022 season.
Fritz converted three of five break-point opportunities and
saved all seven break points he faced. He lost just one set over
the course of eight matches during his title runs in 2023 and
2024.
Paul had momentum after winning the Dallas Open the previous
week.
Qatar ExxonMobil Open
China's Zhizhen Zhang made quick work of No. 7 seed Lorenzo
Musetti of Italy, winning 6-2, 6-0 in 61 minutes to advance out
of the Round of 32 in Doha.
Zhang, ranked No. 48 in the world, recorded seven aces and won
76.7 percent of first-serve points (23 of 30), to 41.4 percent
(12 of 29) for Musetti, ranked 26th. Zhang converted six of nine
break-point opportunities, saved three of four break points and
had more winners, 19-10.
In other matches featuring unseeded players, Australia's Alexei
Popyrin outlasted Jordan's Abdullah Shelbayh 3-6, 6-3, 6-4;
Hungary's Marton Fucsovics cruised past Spain's Roberto Bautista
Agut 6-1, 6-3; Russia's Pavel Kotov downed Italy's Lorenzo
Sonego 6-2, 7-5; and Hungary's Fabian Marozsan edged qualifier
Vit Kopriva of Czech Republic 7-5, 7-6 (6).
--Field Level Media
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