Karatsev beats Harris 6-3, 6-2 to win Dubai Championships

The Russian has only been beaten by Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem in 14 matches this year.

Aslan Karatsev won his first title after defeating South African qualifier Lloyd Harris in the final of the Dubai Championships.

Wild card Aslan Karatsev defeated South African qualifier Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Dubai Championships for his first title on Saturday.

The 27-year-old saved the two break points he faced to win in 1 hour, 15 minutes, becoming the third Russian champion this season. Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are the others.

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The 42nd-ranked Karatsev has only been beaten by Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem in 14 matches this year. He beat top-seeded Rublev 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in their semifinal on Saturday, when he claimed his fourth consecutive win over a seeded player at the hard-court tournament.

Harris was also going for his first title after becoming the first qualifier to reach the final.