Carlos Alcaraz overcame a strong comeback from Italian qualifier Luca Nardi to secure a hard-fought 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory in the Qatar Open round of 16 on Wednesday, MySportDab Reports.
The Spanish top seed appeared to be in control after dominating the first set and going 4-1 up in the second, but Nardi staged a remarkable fightback, winning five consecutive games to force a decider.
However, Alcaraz regained his composure, securing a crucial break in the fourth game of the final set to seal the win.
“He played a few good points and then suddenly started playing like the world number one,” Alcaraz said of Nardi’s mid-match resurgence. “I just tried to stay mentally strong and reset in the third set.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion, making his debut in Doha, will now face Czech star Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals. Lehecka cruised past Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour.
Meanwhile, second seed Alex de Minaur continued his impressive form with a composed 6-4, 6-4 victory over Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp. The Australian, who recorded his 200th tour-level hard-court win in the previous round, displayed his trademark speed and defensive resilience, saving all four break points he faced.
This marks De Minaur’s third consecutive quarter-final appearance, having reached the last eight at the Australian Open and the final in Rotterdam, where he lost to Alcaraz.
The world No.8 will now take on Russian Andrey Rublev, who defeated Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-4. A former Doha champion in 2020, Rublev has been in solid form, reaching the Montpellier semi-finals and Rotterdam quarter-finals this month.
Elsewhere, fourth seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev dominated Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-2, 6-1, while Britain’s Jack Draper secured a straight-sets victory over Christopher O’Connell.
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime progressed via walkover after Hamad Medjedovic withdrew due to a leg injury sustained in his previous-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
