For Omar Assar, the Düsseldorf Masters has been a case of "immer eine Brautjungfer, nie eine Braut." (That is, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride," in the distinct Düsseldorf dialect.) The Düsseldorf Masters, a months-long tournament series, debuted last summer in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many of the world's top players already in Germany, the tournament offered world-class competition despite the restrictions on travel. Germany's Dang Qiu won the inaugural season-culminating final in August. Now, the excitement continues with the Düsseldorf Masters 2021. The first three editions of the year were won by Sweden's Anton Källberg, and German stars Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Kay Stumper. As in 2020, Egypt's 29-year-old Omar Assar (pictured) has been a fixture of the Masters, reaching the finals four times before today's contest. While such consistency is admirable, and helps Assar accrue the points he needs to reach the playoffs, ask the Buffalo Bills how it feels to reach the big game four times and come up short each time. Today in Düsseldorf, the world #42 Assar was seeded third behind Ovtcharov (#9) and Kanak Jha (#30), the lone American delegate. In defiance of the prescribed order, neither of the top two seeds would even reach the semifinals. In the quarters, Jha was outclassed by Germany's world #244 Cedric Meissner in three straight games. In the same round, Ovtcharov suffered a massive five-game upset to his compatriot Kay Stumper, the defending Düsseldorf Masters champion who is clearly underrated at world #1,049. With the top seeds eliminated, the field was wide open for whoever could take advantage of their absence. In the semis, Assar overcame Stumper, while the left-handed Meissner was able to counter Dang Qiu's reverse penhold backhand loops. In the final, the 20-year-old Meissner overcame an 0-5 start to win the first game at deuce. While it must have been frustrating for Assar to let the all-important first game slip away, the veteran African champion stayed focused and looked for solutions. He found success with an inside-out forehand topspin attack, breaking away from the lefty Meissner's forehand. Assar executed this simple formula to perfection for the next three games, winning his first Düsseldorf Masters title, (10-12, 11-5, 11-3, 11-9). "Finally! It's a good feeling, that I won the final this time," said Assar. "I trained a lot this week and went into the tournament very optimistic. I had three good opponents today, but went into the games with a lot of self-confidence." Do you hear the church bells? Grab a handful of rice and warm up your throwing shoulder—Omar Assar is finally eine Braut.

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