Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday came from behind to beat Karen Khachanov and book his spot in the semi-finals of the Qatar Open, but it was the end of the road for Jannik Sinner as he lost in three sets to Jakub Mensik.
Playing his first tournament since completing his career Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this month, Alcaraz was to face Andrey Rublev for a spot in the final in Doha.
“It was a really close and tight match,” Alcaraz said after his 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3 quarter-final win. “I think Karen was playing great, but I knew I’d had my chances. I just didn’t take them in the first set, so it was the time to keep going and try to keep fighting. I’m just really proud about the way that I [fought].”
Photo: Reuters
The first set rumbled toward a tiebreak as neither Alcaraz nor Khachanov was able to force a breakthrough on the other’s serve.
Khachanov then raced into a 6-1 lead in the tiebreak before finally converting set point at the third time of asking, but seven-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz forced his way back into the tie by breaking Khachanov to 15 in the fifth game of the second set.
Alcaraz repeated the trick by pouncing on the Russian’s serve at 2-2 to get his nose ahead in the third set.
The world No. 1 then broke the seventh seed in the ninth game to seal his spot in the last four in style.
Fifth seed Rublev won his quarter-final encounter with former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (7/2).
World No. 2 Sinner went down 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-3 to sixth seed Mensik as the Italian’s comeback from Australian Open semi-final defeat came to an early end.
“Before the match I knew about Jannik’s quality. A great guy, a great champion. Already what he has done in his young career, it’s pretty impressive, but even with that thought, I came to the match to win it, and actually having a winning mindset,” 20-year-old Mensik said.
Mensik was to play Arthur Fils in the semi-finals, following the Frenchman’s straight-sets victory over Jiri Lehecka.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
RSS