In a surprising turn of events at the Qatar Open, Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic defeated the top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in a gripping quarterfinal match. The final score was 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, marking only the second loss Alcaraz has faced this year.
Alcaraz, currently ranked third in the world, had only lost once before in 2025 to Novak Djokovic during the Australian Open quarterfinals. Despite leading 4-2 in the final set and having a break point opportunity against Lehecka's serve, Alcaraz couldn't secure the win as Lehecka claimed the next three games to advance to the semifinals.
\"I've talked with my team, with my coach, and honestly I don't know what I could have done better,\" Alcaraz said at the post-match press conference. \"Honestly, I don't know. It was kind of a difficult feelings, I guess. I have to give credit to him as well, because when he was down, especially in the third set, he didn't give up.\"
Lehecka, ranked 25th, expressed his satisfaction with the victory, stating, \"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. I knew that I had the level to produce that kind of tennis. I didn't back down. I wanted to push him to his limits. The way I trusted my game was the key today.\"
Lehecka will next face eighth-seeded Jack Draper of Great Britain, who advanced after defeating Matteo Berrettini of Italy.
Elsewhere in the Qatar Open, fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia secured his spot in the semifinals by overcoming second-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia in a thrilling match.
Rublev will compete against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated Daniil Medvedev after Medvedev retired due to illness.
Reference(s):
Carlos Alcaraz stunned by Jiri Lehecka in Qatar Open quarterfinals
cgtn.com
