Alexandr Dogolpolov likes risk, like driving racecars in excess of 200 miles per hour kind of risk. The 23-year-old brings that daring edge with him to his day job. When the rains stopped, the final ball struck on the slick Stadium court, it was the No. 2 seed taking the Citi Open checkered flag.Neither rain nor humidity nor playing into the gloom of night could stop Dogolpolov from the biggest win of his career. He put a stamp on a weeks worth of strong performances by delivering Tommy Haas a rare finals loss on U.S. soil, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-1 triumph in the Citi Open championship on Sunday.Absent throughout the week, cascading rain chose the inopportune time of the mens championship for its first substantial visit at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center. The match started shortly after 4 p.m. with a strong contingent watching on the Stadium Court. By the time play resumed after two first-set delays totaling two hours and 52 minutes, only an intimate crowd of 250 or so remained for the back-and-forth affair that turned one-sided late.With a match like that thats really tight, goes up and down, the rain breaks, I am really happy that I stayed concentrated and was in the match all the three sets, said Dogolpolov after his second career title. Im just happy to win it.Those that stuck around witnessed Haas tough out a first set tiebreaker, but also the start of the 34-year-old wearing down physically and mentally. Haas missed significant time in recent years with hip and shoulder injuries, but has reached three finals this summer including a win over Roger Federer.The tennis diehardsalso saw the continuation of Dolgopolov smacking ever-widening serves, finessing timely drop shots and taking chances with his groundstrokes others might deem unwise. I like risking in life so I do that on the court. I just like playing tennis like that, said Dogolpolov, who made his Washington debut this week. Im just a risky person. I dont think about the percentages, I like to do it my way.After squandering a set point at 6-5 in the first, Haas fired his racket to the ground. When he struggled with his first service game of the second set audible outbursts started becoming part of his routine. Frustration rose when Dogolpolov saved a break point at 2-all with a nifty volley winner. Facing break point at 4-all, 30-40, Haass backhand went long, one of his 43 unforced errors in the match. He lost the set, his first all week. When Haasdropped four straight points on his serve to fall behind 0-2 in the third, it was just a matter of time before he lost his second set.Hes a shot maker, he goes for his stuff, said Haas, who fell to 8-1 in finals played on U.S. soil. I thought I stayed with it until the middle, the end of the second set. Had a break point and he came up with a good shot and sometimes you just have to say it was too well played. When I lost the second set, I think I cracked a little bit mentally.Dolgopolov noticed.He was giving away more free points than he did in the first set and throughout the tournament, the Kiev, Ukraine native said. I think it was a part of him, a part of it being the final, a part of my game. It all helped it to go wrong for him.Dolgopolov jumped back into the top 20 after falling outside last week. His one win and three finals appearances on tour came in lower-tier events, making Washingtons 500 level opportunity the biggest of his career.Before the mens final and the skies opened, Alexandria native Treat Huey and former University of Virginia teammate Dominic Inglot defeated Sam Querrey and Kevin Anderson 7-6 (7), 6-7 (9) and 10-5 in a third-set super-tiebreaker.Huey, a St. Stephens and St. Agnes graduate, was a regular whenever the mens tour came to the Rock Creek Park courts. All these years, his first win on tour Huey and Inglot lost a finals appearance earlier this year - comes on the very same grounds.It has been unbelievable to play here in Washington, said the 26-year-old Huey. I always watched this tournament when I was a little kid. Dominic and I had a fun week here. Its always more fun when you win.
Risk taker, shot maker: Dolgopolov wins Citi Open
