Carlos Alcaraz Squanders Big Lead In Shock Loss At Qatar Open
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Carlos Alcaraz had a big lead against Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha, but he couldn't translate it into a win.
Alcaraz beat Marin Cilic in the first round of the tournament. In the second round, the Spanish threw away a very big second-set lead against Luca Nardi. The scoreboard showed 6-1, 4-1, and 40-40 for Alcaraz at one point, and only a few minutes later, his opponent won the second set 6-4.
That time, the 21-year-old Spaniard was able to escape a shock loss. He won the third set to win the match 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. But after losing a similarly big lead in the quarter-finals, Alcaraz couldn't win again.
His opponent was Lehecka, who is a very talented player. The Czech could be ranked higher than he is, but since he often struggles with injuries, he misses consistency in his results.
However, in this match, Lehecka was able to show why he's a feared player by many. Although Alcaraz started with the first break in the match, he was immediately broken back and soon fell behind by one break.
Since being 1-2 down, Lehecka played very solid tennis. He saved two break points and won all the big points, which was a theme of the evening for him. Thanks to that, he won the first set 6-3.
But Alcaraz was able to step his level up in the second set. He didn't face a single break point and after breaking the Czech player's serve once, he was able to easily win the second set of the match 6-3.
In the third set, it again seemed that Alcaraz was in complete control of the proceedings. He was the only player to have break points, and at one point, the ATP World No. 3 player was up 4-2 and 40-30.
Since then, however, he completely disappeared from the court. Of course, Lehecka stepped his level up as well, but his opponent couldn't do anything to counter him.
Lehecka won 14 of the last 18 points to stun the top seed, winning the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The Czech player will now prepare for his semi-final match against the winner of the match between Jack Draper and Matteo Berrettini.
On the other hand, Alcaraz will prepare for the Indian Wells Open, which will be his next tournament. Lehecka will also probably use a little bit of his Thursday evening to celebrate the win, as he was very happy after downing the 21-year-old Spaniard.
"I feel great. The match was up and down from the start. To win a match like that against a player like this is a super big achievement. I believed in myself. I knew I had the level to produce that kind of tennis. I believe if I will be more consistent in the matches I’ll be able to bring these results more and more."
"The most important thing was that I still believed in my game. I didn’t back down. Even when I was missing in the first set I still wanted to play aggressive, play my game. I wanted to push him to his limit. I was just waiting for the right moment for me to put all these things together. The way I trusted my game was the key today."
