Carlos Alcaraz needs 3 sets to oust Luca Nardi at Qatar Open
DOHA, Qatar — Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open by beating Luca Nardi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Spaniard let his guard down in the second set, when his Italian opponent fought back from trailing 1-4 to force a decider.
“My energy levels probably went down a little bit, but credit to him,” said the third-ranked Alcaraz, who will next face Jiri Lehecka.
Also Wednesday, second-seeded Alex de Minaur beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-4 to set up a quarterfinal match against fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev.
Fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev beat Zizou Bergs 6-2, 6-1 and will meet Félix Auger-Aliassime in the final eight.
Jack Draper eliminated Christopher O’Connell 6-2, 6-1. He will next play Matteo Berrettini, who knocked out Novak Djokovic in the first round and defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-4 on Wednesday.
Concern over a man who’d exhibited “fixated behavior” caused Emma Raducanu to approach the chair umpire in tears and take an unscheduled break during her second-round match at the Dubai Championships, the Women’s Tennis Association said Wednesday.
There had been no immediate explanation Tuesday when the 2021 US Open champion walked to the umpire after the second game, said a few words and then stood in a small space between the back of the official’s chair and barrier netting adjacent to Court 2.
Raducanu, who was a teenager in 2022 when a man in Britain was convicted of stalking her at her family home the previous year, returned to play after a brief delay at 2-0 down and eventually lost 7-6 (6), 6-4 to 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova.
On Wednesday, the WTA issued a statement explaining that Raducanu was approached in a public space Monday “by a man who exhibited fixated behavior” and “this same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday … and subsequently ejected.”
He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.
Raducanu addressed the incident in an Instagram story and thanked people who sent messages of support.
“Difficult experience yesterday but I’ll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match,” Raducanu wrote. “Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”
The chair umpire called tournament organizers immediately when Raducanu reported her concerns in the first set of the night match, and Muchova walked over to console the 22-year-old British player.
Raducanu then picked up a towel, wiped her face, nodded and continued the match.
Tournament organizers said they worked in collaboration with the WTA’s security team to identify and eject the fan.
“We support the WTA’s decision to ban the individual in question from all WTA events, and share the tour’s longstanding commitment to player welfare, safety and wellbeing,” organizers said in a statement.
The WTA said it was working with Raducanu and her team “to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support.”
Raducanu rose to fame in 2021 by winning the US Open as a qualifier, one of the the most unlikely achievements in tennis. She hasn’t advanced past the third round at a major since and has spent long stints recovering from injuries.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
RIO DE JANEIRO — Teenage tennis sensation João Fonseca frustrated his home fans at the Rio Open in a first-round loss Tuesday, two days after winning his first ATP title.
Fonseca lost 6-1, 7-6 (4) to No. 60-ranked Alexandre Muller of France, making 34 unforced errors and appearing to be exhausted during the match.
The 18-year-old Brazilian won his career first title at the elite level with victory in the Argentina Open final on Sunday.
Muller will meet Argentina’s Tomás Martin Etcheverry in the next round.
“It was tough to play against such a great player and perhaps 5,000 (fans), but I’m very happy to get the victory today,” Muller said. “I was feeling calm in half of the match. I didn’t take my chances to take the break in the second set and then he was playing better and better. I played a great tiebreak to finish.”
On the weekend, Fonseca became the first man born in 2006 or later to win a top-level ATP singles title, the 10th youngest champion in ATP Tour history and the youngest South American player to win a title in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).
Last year, the rising star reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in Rio, an ATP 500, and finished off 2024 by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals in December.
He moved up 31 spots to No. 68 in this week’s rankings after his win in Buenos Aires.
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Seeds go five for five as Carlos Alcaraz fends off Luca Nardi to lead Doha quarterfinalists
Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Jack Draper also advanced Wednesday.
Published Feb 19, 2025
A day after Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas were sent packing in Doha, order was restored amongst the seeded players at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
Seeds went five for five across Wednesday as the quarterfinal lineup took shape, but not before Carlos Alcaraz shook off Luca Nardi’s sudden turnaround.
Alcaraz fended off his fellow 21-year-old competitor, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, for his seventh consecutive win. The top seed was challenged by Nardi, who ran off five consecutive games after dropping 10 of the first 12 to level the contest. The Italian memorably scored his first Top 5 win last March when he stunned Novak Djokovic as a lucky loser in the third round of Indian Wells.
Just as he did in Rotterdam, Alcaraz is looking to triumph on his debut this week in Doha.
© AFP or licensors
The world No. 3 broke for 3-1 in the decider when Nardi yanked a backhand wide, then battled his way through a 12-point game to consolidate. He later served out the match at love, as his opponent’s backhand return found the net.
Alcaraz is bidding to lift back-to-back trophies after celebrating his first indoor title last Sunday in Rotterdam over Alex de Minaur. Jiri Lehecka, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Fabian Marozsan, awaits.
De Minaur, the No. 2 seed, remained on course for another final collision with Alcaraz. The Australian defeated Botic van de Zandschulp, 6-4, 6-4, in upping his season record to 13-2. For a semifinal spot, he meets Andrey Rublev.
The No. 5 seed fired 11 aces in his 6-3, 6-4 win against Nuno Borges. Five of Rublev’s 16 career titles have come on the ATP 500 stage.
Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev continued his quest to end a title drought dating back to May 2023 by routing Zizou Bergs, 6-2, 6-1. The former US Open champion capitalized on five of his nine break points for his 300th career hard-court win.
In the last eight, Medvedev faces Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian, winner of two titles already this season, received a walkover from Hamad Medjedovic. The 21-year-old injured his hamstring in the prior round before valiantly battling through to eliminate Tsitsipas.
Eighth seed Jack Draper dispatched qualifier Christopher O’Connell, 6-2, 6-1, and gets either Matteo Berrettini or Tallon Griekspoor Friday.
