DOHA, Qatar — In an exhilarating match, the top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz triumphed over Croatian stalwart Marin Cilic with a score of 6-4, 6-4 on Monday, propelling him into the round of 16 at the Qatar Open.
Cilic, a former U.S. Open champion at 36 years old and currently ranked No. 192, was contesting his first match of the season after battling a long-term knee injury. He showcased his resilience by gaining a lead of 4-3 and having a 0-40 advantage on Alcaraz’s serve in the second set, only for the Spanish tennis sensation to rally back and break in the subsequent game.
“I’m really pleased with how I remained focused during those critical moments—taking deep breaths, sticking to my routine, and executing well,” Alcaraz expressed. “It’s those factors that allowed me to secure the win in straight sets.”
Next up for Alcaraz is a matchup against either Zhang Zhizhen of China or Italy’s Luca Nardi.
Earlier in the day, seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov faced defeat, going down to Jiri Lehecka with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Jack Draper secured a victory against Alexei Popyrin, winning 6-2, 7-6 (4), and he is set to play fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell next.
Several renowned players are gearing up for their opening matches on Tuesday.
Second-seeded Alex de Minaur is set to clash with Roman Safiullin, while the one and only Novak Djokovic, who was sidelined during the Australian Open semifinals due to a hamstring injury, will take on Matteo Berrettini.
Additionally, tennis giants Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will also be in action on Tuesday.
