Carlos Alcaraz posts hard-fought first-round win at Doha

Field Level Media|published: Mon 17th February, 14:57 2025

Jan 22, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain gestures during his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the quarterfinals of the men's singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images

World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz found himself trailing in the second set to Croatia's Marin Cilic, but battled back for a 6-4, 6-4 win Monday in the opening round at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

With Cilic -- the former World No. 3 -- on the verge of taking a 5-3 lead in the second set, Alcaraz rebounded while serving at 0-40 down and notched 14 of the next 19 points to seal the victory. Alcaraz, who saved five of six break points, will face World No. 7 Novak Djokovic of Croatia if both reach the semifinals.

Czech Jiri Lehecka upset No. 7 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-4, taking 35 of 40 first-serve points (88 percent) and saving both break points he faced. Other first-round winners included No. 8 seed Jack Draper of Great Britain, Fabian Marozsan of Hungary and Australia's Christopher O'Connell.

--Field Level Media