Doha, Feb 23 (AP) Andrey Rublev credited his mental approach after beating Jack Draper 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 to win the Qatar Open for the second time Saturday.

It was Rublev's third three-set win in three days. The Russian also dropped the second set in his two previous matches against Alex de Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

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“I was really good mentally and didn't let frustration get over me,” Rublev said. “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.”

It was the 17th title of Rublev's career, having earned his first Doha trophy in 2020.

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“It's my first ever title that I won twice,” Rublev said. “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.”

Rublev improved to 4-0 in his career against Draper.

Still, Draper will improve to a career-high ranking of No. 12 on Monday.

“We played some tough matches this week and in the third set he was just a bit too strong for me,” Draper said. “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.” (AP) AM

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)