Alex de Minaur Loses to Andrey Rublev in Qatar Open Quarterfinals

Image credits: Getty Images: DeFodi/Tnani Badreddine

Alex de Minaur was beaten by Andrey Rublev after a tremendous battle at the Qatar Open. Rublev won the match 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8) in an epic quarter-final in Doha on Thursday. De Minaur dug deep, saving seven match points before ultimately falling to defeat against the volatile Russian. The Australian eventually succumbed after two hours 39 minutes, as world number 10 Rublev made it 4-4 in their head-to-head record as he seeks to regain the title he won in 2020.

Rublev called de Minaur's efforts "extraordinary", not least because the Russian had earned his first match point at 5-2, only for the Sydneysider to defend for his life before ending a fantastic 23-stroke rally with a searing forehand winner. The Russian was so frustrated as de Minaur got the match back on serve, he smashed his racquet to the ground for a second time to earn a code violation. De Minaur had to work even harder then to save three more match points on his own delivery at 5-4, coming up big with his serves, to take the game into the tiebreak, when Rublev repelled the only match point against him at 5-6 down.

In the semis, Rublev will tackle Canada's Félix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Daniil Medvedev when the Russian retired after losing the first set 6-3. The match scores were as follows:

• Alex de Minaur vs Andrey Rublev: 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8)
• Jiří Lehečka vs Carlos Alcaraz: 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
• Félix Auger-Aliassime vs Daniil Medvedev: 6-3, ret

The Qatar Open has seen several upsets, with top seed Carlos Alcaraz being beaten by Czech world number 25 Jiří Lehečka. Lehečka will play either Briton Jack Draper or Italy's Matteo Berrettini in the other semi. The tournament has been marked by several injuries and retirements, including Medvedev's retirement due to food poisoning.

The news wasn't quite as good for de Minaur's compatriot Chris O'Connell, who lost in less time than Borges. The Aussie was blown away by World No.16 Jack Draper in 59 minutes after a 6-2 6-1 drubbing. Draper is playing in his first event since suffering a hip injury at the Australian Open and after breaking the Aussie's first service game in each set, he was untroubled. The tournament schedule is as follows:

1. Quarterfinals: Andrey Rublev vs Alex de Minaur
2. Quarterfinals: Jiří Lehečka vs Carlos Alcaraz
3. Quarterfinals: Félix Auger-Aliassime vs Daniil Medvedev

The team rankings are currently led by world number 10 Rublev, who is seeking to regain the title he won in 2020.

The player statistics are as follows:

• Alex de Minaur: 13 wins in 15 tour outings
• Andrey Rublev: 4-4 head-to-head record with de Minaur
• Jiří Lehečka: 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Carlos Alcaraz

The tournament has been marked by several upsets, with top seed Carlos Alcaraz being beaten by Czech world number 25 Jiří Lehečka. The ATP Tour has seen several surprises, with de Minaur's loss being one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.

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