Stan Wawrinka Claim Dubai Championships Title

Stan Wawrinka claimed a second ATP title of the year with a 6-4 7-6 victory over unseeded Marcos Baghdatis at the Dubai Championships. A match low on quality caught fire late in the second set culminating in an epic tie break that Wawrinka clinched 15-13 after a string of missed opportunities for Baghdatis.

The Cypriot was chasing a first ATP title since 2010 but it proved to be beyond him as Wawrinka's superior consistency was enough to suppress his opponent, who offered only minor glimpses of the irrepressible talent he can produce on occasions. For the Swiss it followed a victory in Chennai earlier in the year and a remarkable ninth successive victory in ATP finals.

After a couple of comfortable early holds from both players it was Baghdatis who edged ahead, breaking in the fifth game of the match only to see Wawrinka hit back immediately. With the game back on serve in the tenth game, a fourth and fifth double fault handed Wawrinka three break points and with it set points, but Baghdatis rallied to save all three. With the Cypriot clearly struggling with his serve it was no surprise when Wawrinka clinched the opener at the fifth time of asking thanks to Baghdatis' sixth double fault of the match.