ATP Qatar Open Round-Up | Carlos Alcaraz marks winning return as Tsitsipas and Rublev advance in Doha

The ATP 500 Qatar Open completed its first round this Tuesday, with the victory of Carlos Alcaraz as the main highlight of the day. The world No. 1 played his first match since the title at the Australian Open three weeks ago, and he prevailed in straight sets over the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.

On the other hand, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev were among those who came out victorious on the day, both in straight sets to advance to the Round of 16 – where interesting clashes await them in the fight for the quarter-finals.

Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 33) returned to victory in his debut at the Qatar Open, after overcoming wildcard Moez Echargui (No. 139) without complications, 6-4, 6-4. The Tunisian player – more accustomed to competing in Challenger tournaments than at ATP level – proved to be a tricky rival, showing strength on serve to keep up with the rhythm of the former world No. 3.

However, the differences between the players appeared in the important moments, when Tsitsipas displayed his vast experience. In a tight first set, a couple of break opportunities arrived and Tsitsipas took them quickly to move ahead 4-3 – also holding effective service games without complications. The Greek held firm on his serve and ended up claiming the set 6-4 on his fourth set point, in a set in which he won 81% of the points on his serve.

In the second set Tsitsipas took the lead quickly with an early break, and then had to deal with his own emotions to hold on to the advantage. Echargui showed resilience in seeking answers against his rival’s serve and staying competitive despite the deficit, yet he never found opportunities to come back into the match. A Tsitsipas focused on serve eventually closed out the victory 6-4, 6-4 – winning 82% of first-serve points and without having faced a single break point against him. The Greek now prepares to challenge former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev.

World No. 22 Jiri Lehecka overcame a difficult first-round opponent in Jenson Brooksby (No. 47), who deepens his poor run at the start of the season. The American has just one win in his last seven matches – and to recall consecutive victories one must go back to September 2025 in Tokyo.

The Czech has not enjoyed much confidence in recent months either, but the recent triumph will be revitalising, especially after a start to the year in which he has lost points and ranking positions, and in a week where he defends the semi-finals reached a year ago.

Lehecka won 68% of the points played on his serve, compared to just 52% for Brooksby. The Central European also surpassed his rival in winners (15 to 8) and with fewer unforced errors (9 to 17 for the American). Lehecka secured his passage to the Round of 16, where Zizou Bergs awaits him.

Carlos Alcaraz was making his return to the courts for the first time since the title at the Australian Open. The world No. 1 had withdrawn a week earlier from defending his title in Rotterdam, in order to focus on the Qatar Open – where he received a lucrative appearance fee for taking part in the tournament. The four-time major champion debuted against the tricky Arthur Rinderknech – runner-up at the Shanghai Masters 2025 – and showed that he has not slowed down since winning his seventh major title in Melbourne.

In the first set Alcaraz was incisive on the return and had several break opportunities, while Rinderknech struggled not to fall behind early. In the fifth game came the third break chance for Alcaraz and the break that gave him the advantage. From then on, the 22-year-old held firmly to his serve for the rest of the set, and without complications he took the first set 6-4, with a notable 75% first serves in, winning 86% of them.

In the second set Rinderknech knew the margins would be small and held tight to maintain his serve. The Frenchman served first and Alcaraz responded immediately. Things remained level for much of the set. Alcaraz had to serve at 5-6 to send everything to a tie-break, and he faced a couple of set points against him, but managed to save them. The Spaniard pressed the accelerator in the tie-breaker and ended up sealing the victory 6-4, 7-6(5).

World No. 14 Andrey Rublev was in charge of closing the day, and he was not without difficulties despite his status as favourite against Dutchman Jesper de Jong.

World No. 86 De Jong had a strong start with an early break, and within minutes moved ahead to 3-0. While he was showing solid service games, Rublev seemed unable to find many solutions. However, the world No. 5 found his first break opportunities to recover. He went from 1-4 down to taking two consecutive breaks and winning five games in a row to claim the set 6-4.

In the second set once again the dominance was on Rublev’s side, as he took advantage of two break chances and secured the double break. With a 5-2 lead he could close out the victory on his serve, but De Jong reacted and extended matters slightly. In any case, the Dutchman could not then hold his serve and ended up handing the victory to Rublev 6-4, 6-3. The Russian will face the always tricky Fabian Marozsan in search of the quarter-finals.