ATP
Jiri Lehecka claimed the first Top 3 win of his career on Thursday when he shocked Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday to continue his impressive start to the season.
In a high-quality encounter at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, the Czech blew away Alcaraz at times with his destructive baseline hitting. The 23-year-old backed up 135mph first serves with pinpoint groundstrokes to gain the upper hand in baseline exchanges, and he showed mental toughness, rallying from 2-4 down in the third set to advance to the last four in Doha for the second time.
“I feel great,” Lehecka said. “The match was up and down since the beginning. So for me to win a match like that against a player like this is a super big achievement. I believed in myself and knew I had the level to produce this kind of tennis. I knew if I could be a bit more consistent in matches, I can bring these results more and more.
“I think the most important part was I believed in my game and did not back down. Even when I was missing shots in the third set, I wanted to play my game style, be an aggressive player and push him to his limits. I was just waiting for the right moment to put all these things together and it happened when I broke him back in the third set.”
The 2023 semi-finalist has now earned seven Top 10 victories and tied his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz at 1-1.
Lehecka captured his second tour-level title in Brisbane in January and built on that strong early-season form by advancing to the fourth round at the Australian Open. The 23-year-old is up to No. 22 in the ATP Rankings following his latest run in Doha and is set to rise to a career-high on Monday.
Alcaraz entered the clash on a seven-match winning streak, having clinched the crown at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam. The 21-year-old was making his debut in Doha and dispatched Marin Cilic in the first round before he battled past Luca Nardi.
The top seed hit a number of stunning passes and defended well out of the corners during the two-hour, nine-minute clash against Lehecka. Yet, his timing was off at times and Lehecka was aggressive in the key times to triumph.
Into his ninth tour-level semi-final, Lehecka clenched his fists and let out a roar following match point. He then embraced the roars from the crowd and applauded Alcaraz off court.
Lehecka will next face British lefty Jack Draper or Italian Matteo Berrettini on Friday.
“I will try to recover well and get back on the right track in the morning to build the right things again,” Lehecka said looking ahead. “I am confident I can bring even more tomorrow and I will try my best.”
Rublev converts 8th match point for dramatic win
Andrey Rublev may have taken the scenic route on Thursday, but the former champion is back in the semi-finals in Doha.
The fifth seed dug deep for a dramatic 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(8) triumph over second seed Alex de Minaur, in which he let slip seven match points before crossing the line. Rublev, the 2020 Doha champion, squandered a 5-2 lead in the final set after De Minaur came up with some trademark scrambling to force a tie-break. Yet the 27-year-old regrouped in remarkable fashion, saving a match point himself, to seal his first win over a Top 10 player since August last year.
“When I had my first match point, I played really well,” said Rublev after his two-hour, 37-minute win. “I did everything amazing and he just played an unreal rally. He made the backhand down the line and I played a good volley. Then he makes a forehand pass down the line. In most of the matches, normally after these points, they win - it’s a turning (point).
“I then started to get a bit more tight and more emotional, I was a bit unlucky. Then when I lost my serve, I said ‘Okay, whatever, if I’m gonna lose, at least just try to do your best until the end’.”
Rublev is into his fourth semi-final in Doha. The No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who advanced after Daniil Medvedev was forced to retire from their quarter-final clash with food poisoning.
De Minaur’s notably improved serve deserted him in the opening set, during which Rublev commanded from the baseline and exploited the 46 per cent (12/26) of first serves that the Australian landed, according to Infosys ATP Stats, with his aggressive return position.
The 26-year-old seemed to have rediscovered his form at the right time, however, once he rallied from 2-5 to force a deciding-set tie-break.
It would have been easy for Rublev to lose control after he squandered seven match points, including two on his own serve, at 5-3 in the final set and 8/7 in the tie-break. Yet the former champion kept his cool and continued to apply pressure from the baseline, which was ultimately key to his victory.
Results
Men’s Singles – Quarter-finals
Andrey Rublev (RUS) bt Alex de Minaur (AUS)
6–1, 3–6, 7–6(10–8); Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) w/o Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 6–3, ret; Jiri Lehecka (CZE) bt Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 6–3, 3–6, 6–4.
Men’s Doubles (Q/F)cTypeface:> Yuki Bhambri (IND)/Ivan Dodig (CRO) bt Marcelo Arevalo (ESA)/Mate Pavic (CRO) 2–6, 6–3, [10–8]; Julian Cash (GBR)/Lloyd Glasspool (GBR) d. Rohan Bopanna (IND)/Nuno Borges (POR) 6–4, 6–7(5), [10–7].