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World No. 20 Aslan Karatsev was absolutely delighted after beating Andy Murray in the Sydney final. Karatsev, seeded at No. 1, saw off Murray 6-3 6-3 to start his season with a title. Karatsev was projected to start his season at the ATP Cup but a positive COVID-19 test forced him to skip the event.
"Definitely it gives [me] energy [and] confidence, especially when I was supposed to play ATP Cup. I didn't," Karatsev said, per the ATP website. "So to start the year with the title and I [can] arrive to Melbourne already winning matches, a tournament, it's for sure giving [me] some confidence."
A classy Karatsev congratulated Murray
After winning the first set, Karatsev started the second set with a 3-0 lead.
Murray had five break points in the fifth game but Karatsev saved them all to take a 4-1 lead. Karatsev then served out for the title four games later. "It was [an] important moment to keep the level, keep the serve. I lost a bit the concentration on the first serve.
Especially against him it's important to have a first serve, because on the second serve he steps in and can dictate the point more," Karatsev said. "It was a tough game. I tried to manage it, to stay calm, to stick my plan." Murray, 34, was playing his first ATP final since 2019.
After the final, Karatsev congratulated Murray on reaching the Sydney final. "First of all, congrats to Andy. Big effort to come back, to play unbelievable this week. I want to congratulate also your team," Karatsev added. "Thank you very much to my team, we are doing an amazing job.
Thank you very much to everybody here for coming to support, it was an unbelievable atmosphere in a difficult situation. It's a difficult time to make this tournament happen, so thank you to everyone."