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.

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.