KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images
Jakub Mensik defeats Borna Coric on his Dubai debut.
By ATP Staff
Can Jakub Mensik back up his breakout run in Doha with an even bigger week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships?
The #NextGenATP Czech on Tuesday made a dramatic start to his campaign at the ATP 500 with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(7) triumph against Borna Coric. Having let slip a match point when serving at 5-4 in the deciding set, Mensik soon found himself match point down at 5/6 in the tie-break. He won four of the next five points from there, however, to seal his fourth Top 50 win in the space of eight days.
Mensik beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev, as well as former World No. 6 Gael Monfils, last week in Doha before falling short in two tight sets to Karen Khachanov in the championship match. Having now made a winning start on his Dubai debut, Mensik next faces a rematch with Spain’s World No. 24 Davidovich Fokina.
Despite converting just two of 14 break points he earned against Coric, according to Infosys ATP Stats, the 18-year-old Mensik held firm for a two-hour, 54-minute triumph in which he sent down 18 aces.
On Monday, Mensik climbed into the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings off the back of his Doha run. Following Tuesday’s triumph against Coric, the big-serving Czech, who is up eight spots to No 79 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will play for a spot in his maiden ATP 500 quarter-final in just his fourth tour-level event.
His opponent Davidovich Fokina earlier booked his second-round spot in the U.A.E. with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 win against Fabian Marozsan.
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