Bautista Augut looks to roll back the years

Champion in Doha just two years ago and also in 2019 prior to that, Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain look to roll back the years at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2024 when he takes on Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the opening round of the tournament at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex today evening.
The currently ranked 100 and a former top-ten player, Bautista Agut leads the world number 86 Fucsovics in head to head having three times out in four meetings.
Bautista Agut holds the edge ahead of the fifth meeting as the last time the two met on court was in Doha last year where the Spaniard won in three sets and also in the opening round. Speaking soon after the draw was held on Saturday, Bautista Agut said he was aiming for another good run in the tournament.
“It’s a good tournament and I am so grateful to be here again,” he said, adding, “I am looking forward to playing very good tennis. I am motivated to do well here in Doha and hopefully it goes well again for me.”
Fucsovics will however aim to make a winning start more so because he lost his last match in Rotterdam to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the second round just three days ago.
The clash will be the highlight of Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2024 Day One which will also see 7th seeded and world number 26 Italian Lorenzo Musetti take on China’s Zhizhen Zhang (ranked 36) earlier in the day. The proceedings will begin with Italian Lorezo Sonego meeting Russian Pavel Kotov in the round of 32 on the centre court.
In the final singles match of the day, wild card entrant and 20-year-old Abdullah Shelbayh of Jordan will be facing Australian Alexei Popyrin.
Meanwhile, Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva, who made the main round defeating German Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 6-1, will play Fabian Marozsan of Hungary.
The other qualifiers to have made the grade are Alexandre Muller of France, who will meet Scot Andy Murray in the first round, Hugo Grenier, also of France, who will play Dutch Tallon Griekspoor, and Italian Giulio Zeppieri who will meet Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.
Among a fix mix of youth and experience, there are also other wildcard entrants in former Qatar ExxonMobil Open champions – Frenchman Gael Monfils (winner in 2018), and the 37-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet (winner in Doha in 2013) who would surely be adding to the competition and excitement in the coming week.
Ruusuvuori along with Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and the second seeded in singles Karen Khachanov with former champion Andrey Rublev of Russia, will be playing their respective opening doubles matches today.