Carlos Alcaraz was the top favorite to win the Doha ATP 500 this week, but his run in Qatar ended already in the quarterfinals against Jiri Lehecka. The young Spanish ace unleashed a performance full of ups and downs, falling back on the mistakes of the past and showing that he can still improve a lot in the management of matches.
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After losing the first set, the former world No.1 had managed to overturn the momentum of the match by winning the second set and going ahead by a break in the third set. The 21-year-old from Murcia also had a chance to extend the lead to 5-2, but the Czech ace did well to save himself before putting in a devastating streak of four consecutive games.
The serve no longer supported Carlitos in the last part of the challenge, Lehecka took courage and obtained the most important victory of his career.
In addition to suffering his second loss in the 2025 season (after the one against Nole Djokovic at the Australian Open), the Spanish champion missed an important chance to get closer to Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings.
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Too many ups and downs
Although Jannik will not be able to compete on the professional tour until May 4 due to his suspension - the result of an agreement between the player and WADA - it is very difficult for Carlos to recover the first position by the Rome Masters 1000.
The current world number 3 is still too far from his main rival and this premature elimination in Doha further diminishes his chances.
"Maybe I could have served better in the last part of the match, but I don't think I played so badly at that moment.
I had the chance to go up 5-2 and probably the match would have ended there, but he was good at that juncture and scored some fantastic points in the following games. I will try to learn something from this defeat" - explained Carlitos during his press conference.
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His next tournament will be the Indian Wells Masters 1000, in which he has triumphed in the last two editions.
