Alcaraz, De Minaur make it to the quarterfinals
Doha: Carlos Alcaraz averted a scare on Wednesday to remain alive at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old top seed withstood a late charge from Italian qualifier Luca Nardi to prevail 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 and advance to the quarter-finals at the newly upgraded ATP 500 event at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.
Trailing a set and 1-4, Nardi produced some redline tennis to stun the World No. 3, reeling off six consecutive games to force a decider. Yet in typically composed fashion, Alcaraz regrouped to seal a one-hour, 53-minute victory.
“At 4-1, 40/40 [in the second set], he played a few good points and then it seemed like he started to play like the World No. 1,” said Alcaraz after his maiden Lexus ATP Head meeting with Nardi.
“I couldn’t do anything, I just tried to stay there, stay strong mentally. My energy levels probably went down a little bit, but credit to him. I’m really happy [that I] forgot everything and restarted in the third set.
“It was a good level mentally, I was really strong. I just tried to [let him know] that I’m there, screaming ‘Vamos’, to push me up and get the good energy again. I played really good tennis in the third set, but I’m really proud of my energy levels in that set.”
After triumphing in Beijing last October and claiming his first indoor title in Rotterdam earlier this month, Alcaraz is now on a 12-match win streak at ATP 500 events. The four-time major winner, who is making his debut in Doha, will next face Jiri Lehecka, who earlier eased past Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-2 in 63 minutes.
Alcaraz and Nardi, the No. 85 in the PIF ATP Rankings, are no strangers. Born just three months apart in 2003, the two came through the junior ranks together and know each other’s game well. The relaxed nature of their friendship came to the fore in the fifth game of the final set, when Nardi pulled off a stunning tweener followed by a perfect drop shot to leave even Alcaraz, who offered a fist bump, in awe.
Leading a set and a break, while playing and moving freely, Alcaraz appeared to have one foot in the locker room. Yet Nardi, chasing his first ATP Tour quarter-final, produced an inspired turn in form, during which he shifted to a more aggressive approach on return and found comfort behind his serve. The Italian won 15 of the last 16 points of the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and won three consecutive service games to love, to spark hopes of a stunning comeback.
It wouldn’t have been the first time that Nardi had produced a major shock on the ATP Tour. Eleven months ago in Indian Wells, the 21-year-old pulled off one of the upsets of the season by defeating the then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. But Alcaraz, aiming to win back-to-back titles, found another gear in the deciding set to extend his winning streak to seven matches.
Alex de Minaur continued his red-hot start to the season brushing past Botic van de Zandschulp to reach his third consecutive quarter-final of the year.
The Australian earned his 200th tour-level hard-court win in his first-round victory against Roman Safiullin and quickly made it 201 with a controlled 6-4, 6-4 victory against Dutchman Van de Zandschulp.
The second seed demonstrated trademark lighting speed at times in Doha, where he flew around the court to track down Van de Zandschulp’s flat groundstrokes.
The Aussie also saved all four break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, advancing after two hours.
De Minaur has earned a Tour-leading 13 victories in 2025, having reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open for the first time and the title match in Rotterdam. Chasing his first trophy of the season, the No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings will next meet Andrey Rublev at the ATP 500 after the fifth seed beat Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-4.
Rublev triumphed in Doha in 2020 and will be aiming to build on recent runs to the semi-finals in Montpellier and quarter-finals in Rotterdam.
In other action, Daniil Medvedev wasted little time in reaching the quarter-finals. The fourth seed dispatched Zizou Bergs 6-2, 6-1 in just 56 minutes to earn his 300th tour-level hard-court win.
The 29-year-old arrived in Doha holding a 4-3 record on the new season. Aiming to rediscover form this week, the 2023 champion committed just six unforced errors compared to 29 from Bergs to back up his opening-round win against Karen Khachanov.
Medvedev will next meet Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last eight. The Canadian received a walkover from Hamad Medjedovic earlier on Wednesday. The Serbian, the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion, suffered a hamstring injury in the latter stages of his win against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Tuesday night and was forced to withdraw from the ATP 500 event ahead of his meeting with Auger-Aliassime.
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