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Jack Draper’s bid for glory at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open ended in disappointment when he suffered a three-set defeat in the final at the hands of world number 10 Andrey Rublev.
The Briton went down 7-5 5-7 6-1 to the fifth seed as a concerted fightback eventually came up short in Doha as the 27-year-old Russian claimed the title for a second time.
Rublev told the ATP Tour’s official website: “It feels amazing. It’s my first ever title that I won twice. I’m really happy.
“I think both of us were really tired after two three-set matches that finished late. We were exhausted and it was difficult, but somehow we were able to play at a good level.
“When I lost the second set, I let it go and started to play more freely. I played at a good level. In some moments, I was really good mentally and didn’t let frustration get over me.
“As soon as I was frustrated, I was able to restart again and I was able to play at the same intensity. That’s the most important thing.”
For 23-year-old Draper, there will be the consolation of knowing he will sit in a career-high 12th place in the latest world rankings when they are published on Monday.
He said: “It’s been an amazing week. Andrey was too good today. We played some tough matches this week and in the third set he was just a bit too strong for me.
“I’m really proud of my efforts this week. Every day, I wake up and try to improve, so it’s a testament to my hard work, I suppose.”
Rublev eventually took advantage of Draper’s first double fault when he converted the third of three set points to take the first, but having gone the distance in both the last eight and the semi-finals, the Briton dug deep once again to take the second.
However, the Russian simply proved too strong in the decider, breaking twice as he raced into a 4-0 lead over a weary opponent before closing out the victory.