Newcomer Jakub MENSIK stuns Gael MONFILS and advances to Qatar Open Final

Jakub Mensik continues his dream run by defeating Gael Monfils 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, advancing to the final of the Qatar Open in his debut ATP tournament appearance. The Czech player already made a strong impression at the Australian Open, navigating through the qualifiers and reaching the second round, including a victory over former top-10 player Denis Shapovalov and a commendable performance against Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.

This week, his performance has been nothing short of spectacular, securing wins over the 5th seed Alejandro Davidovich (No. 24), former world No. 1 Andy Murray (No. 50), top seed Andrey Rublev (No. 5), and now against the experienced Gael Monfils (No. 68).

In the early games, Monfils showcased his experience in advanced stages of tournaments, starting with solid service games while putting Mensik under pressure with his serve. However, the first break came from the side of the Czech player in the fifth game.

The 18-year-old gained momentum in the match after seizing his first opportunity and maintained the lead with excellent serving, achieving a 66% first-serve rate, winning 74% of them, and 70% with the second serve, ultimately closing the set 6-4.

In the second set, Monfils did not relent, taking an early break to lead 3-0 in less than 10 minutes. The second set witnessed errors from Mensik, and Monfils capitalized on them to stay ahead, securing another break in the sixth game, ultimately winning the set 6-1 and forcing a decisive third set.

From there, the match reached its pinnacle moments. Consecutive breaks on each side kept the contest evenly matched for a significant part of the set. With the score at 4-3 in favor of Mensik, Monfils faltered with his service at a crucial moment against the formidable defense of the Czech player, who secured the break and ultimately closed the match with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in his very first professional tournament.

Mensik advances to the final and will challenge the second seed Karen Khachanov with the mission of clinching his first title in just his debut main draw appearance in an ATP tournament.