In Doha, Qatar, top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz faced a rare defeat this year as he was overpowered by 25th-ranked Jiri Lehecka, who clinched a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open on Thursday.
Alcaraz, ranked third in the world, has had an impressive run in 2025, with his only other loss coming at the hands of Novak Djokovic during the Australian Open quarterfinals. The 21-year-old Spaniard had earlier celebrated a win at the Rotterdam Open this month.
Reflecting on the match, Alcaraz mentioned in a press conference, “I’ve talked with my team and coach, and honestly, I’m at a loss for what I could have done differently. It’s challenging when emotions are high. I must give credit where it’s due; Lehecka didn’t back down, especially in the challenging third set.”
In what was a thrilling contest, Alcaraz was leading 4-2 in the decisive set and even had a break point on Lehecka’s serve. However, the Czech player showed incredible resilience by claiming the next three games and advancing to the semifinals.
Lehecka, 23, is now set to face off against the eighth-seed, Jack Draper, who recently stunned Matteo Berrettini with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win. After his triumph over Alcaraz, Lehecka expressed, “From the start, it was a rollercoaster. Winning against a player of his caliber is a massive accomplishment for me. I had faith in my ability to play at this level.”
He went on to say, “I didn’t back down. I was determined to push him to his limits, and trusting in my game was crucial today.”
Elsewhere in the tournament, fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev pulled off a dramatic comeback, saving a match point and finally vanquishing second-seeded Alex de Minaur 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (8) after a grueling contest. This marks Rublev’s fourth semifinal appearance in Doha, having won the title back in 2020.
Rublev’s next adversary is Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who found himself advancing when Daniil Medvedev withdrew after a 6-3 loss in the first set due to illness.
Medvedev commented, “Unfortunately, I was hit by food poisoning. Ending my journey in Doha this way is disappointing because I felt I was performing well.”
On-court, Auger-Aliassime remarked that Medvedev seemed “playing normal” until he stepped down. “I broke, held my serve, and then he informed the umpire of his condition. He refused to shake hands due to his illness. It was unexpected, and I hope it’s nothing severe,” the Canadian noted.
