Doha, Qatar – Frenchman Richard Gasquet battled back from a set and a break down to beat Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko for the title at the season-opening Qatar Open.
The second-seeded Gasquet earned a 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 triumph for his eighth career title.
"I'm really happy with the way I played and fought," said Gasquet. "He was playing fast in the first set. I just tried to keep focused and to fight a lot, and I did it. I'm really happy with the way I won. It's important for me to win the final."
Gasquet was 1-2 in finals last year and improved to 8-10 lifetime in title matches.
Davydenko was playing in the Doha final for the third time in four years. He won it 2010 and was the runner-up the following year. The 31-year-old pro fell to 21-7 all-time in finals. He saw his run of nine straight years with at least one title come to an end in 2012.
After beating seeded players Mikhail Youzhny and David Ferrer en route to the title match, the unseeded Davydenko looked on his way to his first title since 2011 with a 4-2 lead in the second set. He also had a pair of break points, but Gasquet recovered and eventually broke serve to send the second set to a tiebreak.
Gasquet captured the tiebreak and carried the momentum into the third, breaking serve three times en route to completing the comeback.
"The third set ... my legs (were) not moving good," said Davydenko. "He played very well. Physically, he (was) much better."
Gasquet improved to 4-2 lifetime against Davydenko and claimed a first prize of $180,600.
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