At the Qatar Open, Alex de Minaur endured a grueling battle, saving seven match points, but ultimately succumbed to Andrey Rublev, suffering a heartbreaking defeat.
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02-23, 2025In the quarter-finals held in Doha, de Minaur narrowly lost to the emotional Russian player with a score of 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8). The match was filled with twists and turns, captivating the audience.
Trailing 2-5 in the decisive set, de Minaur saved his first match point with a spectacular rally. Subsequently, as the second seed, he continued to resist tenaciously with his signature "tigerish" style, attempting to turn the tide. However, while trying to fend off the eighth match point, a backhand shot went wide, ultimately leading to his defeat.
In a post-match interview, Rublev, with a slightly weary smile, spoke about facing de Minaur's never-give-up spirit, saying, "Whatever, I wanted to punch him!" Previously, he had smashed his racket in frustration during the match, finding it difficult to cope with de Minaur's relentless resistance.
Matches between these two players are always full of drama, as was de Minaur's painful loss in the fourth round of this year's Australian Open. But this match was the closest yet, with the Australian finally earning a match point in the tie-break after so many heroic efforts. Ultimately, after a fierce battle lasting 2 hours and 39 minutes, world No. 10 Rublev improved their head-to-head record to 4-4, eager to reclaim the title he won in 2020.
For world No. 8 de Minaur, this was another heartbreaking loss. He had hoped to reach the final of an ATP 500 event for the second consecutive week, having previously lost to Carlos Alcaraz at the Rotterdam Open.
Rublev called de Minaur's performance "amazing," especially when the Russian had his first match point at 5-2, and the Sydney player defended fiercely, eventually ending a brilliant 23-shot rally with a stunning forehand winner. "I did everything great, but he just hit an unbelievable shot," Rublev said ruefully. "In most of the matches, usually after these points, they win the match – it was a turning point."
Sure enough, as de Minaur saved another match point when Rublev served at 5-3, and again in a marathon rally, the match seemed to be increasingly turning in de Minaur's favor. Frustrated by de Minaur breaking back, the Russian smashed his racket into the ground for the second time, earning a code violation. "When I lost my serve, I said, 'Okay, whatever, if I'm going to lose, at least I'm going to try my best until the end'," Rublev shrugged.
Consequently, de Minaur had to work even harder to save another three match points at 5-4, serving brilliantly to take the match to a tie-break, where Rublev fended off his only match point when trailing 5-6. In the semi-finals, Rublev will face Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime, who advanced after Daniil Medvedev retired after losing the first set 6-3.
"Unfortunately, I suffered food poisoning. Very disappointed to end my tournament in Doha this way, because I felt I was playing well," Medvedev said in a statement. Auger-Aliassime said on court that he thought Medvedev was "playing normal" until he retired. "Then I broke him, I held my serve. And then he just told the umpire that he doesn't want to shake our hands because he's sick. I hope it's nothing too bad. I was surprised," the Canadian said.
The biggest upset of the day was top seed Carlos Alcaraz's 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 loss to Czech world No. 25 Jiri Lehecka, who will face either Britain's Jack Draper or Italy's Matteo Berrettini for another semi-final spot. This was Alcaraz's second loss of the year, with his other defeat in 2025 coming in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open against Novak Djokovic.
"From the beginning, the match was up and down," said the 23-year-old Lehecka. "So, for me to win a match like this, to overcome a player like him, is a very big achievement. I believed in myself. I knew I have the game to play like this. I wasn't backing down. I wanted to push him to the limits. I trusted my game style was the key for today."
