After the news of Jannik Sinner’s three-month suspension, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic had become the top favorites to win the title at the Doha ATP 500. These two champions could have faced each other in the semifinals – in what would have been the rematch of their match at the 2025 Australian Open – but neither of them has made it to this point in the tournament.
The Serbian legend was eliminated already in the first round by Matteo Berrettini, who took advantage of all the current difficulties of the former world number 1 to defeat him in two sets and achieve one of the most important victories of his entire career.
Carlitos made his debut in Qatar by beating Croatian veteran Marin Cilic, before eliminating Luca Nardi in three sets after having a shocking blackout in the second set. His run ended against Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals, at the end of a match full of ups and downs.
The 21-year-old Spaniard seemed to have taken control of the match after losing the first set, but had a drop in the latter part of the third set allowing the Czech ace to win four games in a row.
Draper on Alcaraz’s loss
The 4-time Grand Slam champion missed a huge chance to win his second title of 2025 after Rotterdam and to get even closer to the second position in the ATP ranking.
Lehecka reached the semifinals with full merit and his next opponent is Jack Draper.
The British ace – who has had the usual injuries at the start of the season – put in an exceptional performance against Berrettini, prevailing in three sets after a very tough battle.
In his press conference, he was asked to comment on the shocking defeat of Alcaraz (who could have been his opponent in the semifinals): “Carlos, as incredible a champion as he is, there are so many great players on this tour, Jiri being one of them.
He is confident and playing well, and anything can happen at this level. The margins are so small.”
Tennis World USA