Alcaraz beats Cilic in straight sets to advance at Qatar Open

Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz defeated Croatian player Marin Cilic in the Qatar Open, successfully advancing to the round of 16. As the top-seeded player, Alcaraz demonstrated his strong ability by defeating the experienced Cilic with a score of 6-4, 6-4. This victory underscores Alcaraz's determination to perform well in the tournament.

The 36-year-old Cilic, who was the 2014 US Open champion, has seen his world ranking drop to No. 192. He marked his first match of the season after recovering from a long-term knee injury. Despite this, Cilic briefly led 4-3 in the second set and had a 0-40 advantage in Alcaraz's service game, showing glimpses of his past form.

Alcaraz said after the match: "I am very happy to have been able to stay calm at that moment, to hit good shots by breathing and executing my routine. That's why I was able to win in straight sets." Next, Alcaraz will face either Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen or Italian player Luca Nardi, presenting a new challenge for the young Spaniard.

In other earlier matches, seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov lost to Jiri Lehecka with a score of 6-4, 6-4. Eighth seed British player Jack Draper defeated Australian player Alexei Popyrin with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (4), and will face another Australian player, Christopher O'Connell, in the next round. These results highlight the competitive nature of the tournament.

Other top players, including second seed Alex de Minaur, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, will also begin their first matches on Tuesday. De Minaur will face Roman Safiullin, while Djokovic, who withdrew from the Australian Open semi-finals, will face Matteo Berrettini, promising exciting matches for tennis fans.