In a stunning turn of events at the Qatar Open quarterfinals on Thursday, Czech tennis star Jiri Lehecka upset top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz of Spain with a thrilling 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
Alcaraz, ranked third in the world and facing only his second defeat this year, was previously bested by Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The 21-year-old Spaniard had been in exceptional form, having won the Rotterdam Open earlier this month.
“I’ve talked with my team and my coach, and honestly I don’t know what I could have done better,” Alcaraz reflected during the post-match press conference. “It was a difficult feeling. I have to give credit to him as well because when he was down, especially in the third set, he didn’t give up.”
Despite leading 4-2 in the final set and having a break point opportunity, Alcaraz couldn’t close out the match. Lehecka, 25th in the world rankings at just 23 years old, showcased resilience by claiming the next four games to secure his spot in the semifinals.
“The match was up and down from the beginning,” Lehecka said after his victory. “To win a match like that against a player like this is a huge achievement. I believed in myself. I knew 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 face eighth-seeded Jack Draper of Great Britain in the semifinals, who advanced after defeating Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
In other matches, fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia saved one match point and needed eight of his own to overcome second-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(8). Rublev, a former champion in Doha, earned his fourth semifinal appearance at the Qatar Open.
Rublev will next meet Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who advanced after Daniil Medvedev retired due to illness following the first set, which Auger-Aliassime won 6-3.
