Stefanos Tsitsipas Claims Dubai Championships Title with Victory Over Felix Auger-Aliassime
Stefanos Tsitsipas secured his maiden ATP 500 title with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Dubai Championships final. The Greek star, ranked World No. 11, had previously lost all 11 ATP 500 finals he contested, including two in Dubai (2019, 2020), but finally broke his streak in emphatic fashion.
Tsitsipas won the last four games of the first set and sealed victory with an ace on match point. His dominance continued in the second set, where he saved all seven break points to claim the title and return to the ATP Top 10 for the first time since May.
Djokovic’s Playful Jab
Following Tsitsipas’ win, Novak Djokovic wasted no time in poking fun at his rival. The World No. 1 took to Instagram, sharing a picture of Tsitsipas with the trophy alongside the caption:
“No one beats @stefanostsitsipas98 12x in a row on 500 Tour level. Well done!”
The lighthearted post, accompanied by a laughing emoji, referenced Tsitsipas’ long-awaited ATP 500 triumph after 11 previous final defeats.
Tsitsipas Achieves Career Milestone
With his victory, Tsitsipas became only the 10th male player to achieve the ‘Career Sweep’—winning titles at every ATP level:
✅ ATP 250
✅ ATP 500
✅ Masters 1000
✅ ATP Finals
Tsitsipas Reflects on Victory
Speaking in his on-court interview, the 26-year-old expressed his gratitude for the people who supported him:
“Great week in Dubai. I’m happy I had great people by my side. As Felix said, there are people outside of the box that I’d like to mention who have been there for me in my toughest moments. Shout out to them.”
He also praised Auger-Aliassime, acknowledging his recent progress:
“Felix, what a great player you’re becoming over the last couple of years. I’ve been observing your growth, and you’ve really upped your level. Great job on that.”
Tsitsipas later took to social media to respond to critics who had doubted him after a difficult 12 months, writing:
“They said my game was sinking… so I got myself a boat.”
Auger-Aliassime’s Classy Response
Despite the loss, Auger-Aliassime showed sportsmanship, congratulating Tsitsipas and his team:
“Tonight wasn’t meant to be for me. Congratulations to Stef and his team. Well deserved. You played at a very high level tonight. I’ll keep pushing to get better, and hopefully, we’ll play more finals in the future.”
He also thanked the Dubai crowd, which featured a mix of Canadian and Greek fans:
“To the crowd… Thank you for coming tonight and all week. It’s great to see Canadian and Greek flags here. You supported your favorite players all week. Coming out like this and supporting tennis is a great thing. I had a great week and a lot of fun.”
With his first ATP 500 title secured, Tsitsipas will now look to carry his momentum into the upcoming Masters 1000 tournaments as he aims to climb further up the ATP rankings.
