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2mo ago

Carlos Alcaraz Advances to Qatar Open Round of 16 with Straight-Sets Victory

The World No. 3 overcame a challenging second set against Marin Cilic in his season debut and entertained fans with NBA star Jimmy Butler post-match.

Image
Tennis - Qatar Open - Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar - February 17, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his round of 32 match against Croatia's Marin Cilic REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari
Tennis - Davis Cup - Qualifiers - First Round - Belgium v Chile - Sporthal Alverberg, Hasselt, Belgium - February 2, 2025 Chile's Nicolas Jarry reacts during the doubles match with Tomas Barrios Vera against Belgium's Joran Vliegen and Sander Gille REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File Photo
Tennis - Qatar Open - Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar - February 17, 2025 Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka celebrates after winning his round of 32 match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari

Overview

  • Carlos Alcaraz defeated Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, securing a spot in the round of 16.
  • Cilic, a former US Open champion and World No. 3, was competing in his first match since undergoing knee surgery in November 2024.
  • Alcaraz displayed resilience in the second set, recovering from a 0-40 deficit on his serve and winning 14 of the next 19 points to close out the match.
  • Following his victory, Alcaraz engaged in a lighthearted on-court exchange with NBA player Jimmy Butler, who tried his hand at tennis in front of the crowd.
  • Alcaraz is set to face either Zhang Zhizhen of China or Luca Nardi of Italy in the next round, while other top seeds like Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur will play their opening matches on Tuesday.