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World No. 20 Roberto Bautista Agut admitted he felt pressure to deliver in the Kitzbuhel final because he was the favorite. Bautista Agut, the third-seeded player in the Kitzbuhel main draw, clashed 205th-ranked Filip Misolic in the final.
After clinching several surprise wins, Misolic was aiming to collect another shock win over former top-10 player Bautista Agut. But Bautista Agut didn't let Misolic even come near victory as he ousted the Austrian wildcard 6-2 6-2.
“I enjoyed the final, I think I managed the pressure very well,” Bautista Agut said after the match, per the ATP website “I knew I was a little bit the favourite today, but he had so many good wins this tournament and I knew it was going to be difficult.
I played a very good match”.
Bautista Agut now has 11 ATP titles
Bautista Agut is now an 11-time ATP champion but this was just his second clay title. In 2014, Bautista Agut clinched his second ATP title after winning Stuttgart - just before Stuttgart switched surfaces from clay to grass.
Now, Bautista Agut admits he is happy to have finally again won a title on clay. “It was a very long time since I won a title on clay,” said Bautista Agut. “It’s very special for me, because I’ve done a lot of good work on this surface”.
On the other side, 20-year-old Misolic showed his respect for Bautista Agut after the final. Bautista Agut is 14 years older than Misolic and the Austrian felt honored to play the Spaniard in an ATP final. “I want to congratulate Roberto,” Misolic said after the final.
“I have watched you on television [before] and to play here against you in the final is an honour for me”. Meanwhile, Bautista Agut will now rest a bit and then kick off his preparation for the North American hard court swing.