ATP roundup: Carlos Alcaraz battles past Marin Cilic to advance in Qatar Open

World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz overcame a tough challenge against former World No. 3 Marin Cilic, securing a 6-4, 6-4 victory in the opening round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha on Monday. The Spaniard had to dig deep in the second set, trailing with Cilic on the verge of a 5-3 lead. However, Alcaraz mounted an impressive comeback, saving three break points at 0-40 before winning 14 of the next 19 points to close out the match. His resilience was on full display, saving five of six break points throughout the contest.

Alcaraz, a strong contender for the title, could potentially face World No. 7 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals if both progress through the tournament.

Elsewhere, Jiri Lehecka pulled off a stunning upset, defeating seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4. The Czech star dominated on serve, winning 88% of first-serve points while saving both break points he faced. Other first-round winners included No. 8 seed Jack Draper, along with Fabian Marozsan and Christopher O’Connell.

Rio Open

Taiwanese qualifier Chun-Hsin Tseng pulled off a major upset at the Rio Open, eliminating third seed Alejandro Tabilo with a 6-2, 7-5 victory. Ranked 125th in the world, Tseng delivered a dominant serving performance, registering a 6-0 advantage in aces and wrapping up the match in one hour and 36 minutes.

Meanwhile, sixth seed Nicolas Jarry fought back to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Argentine qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo. The home crowd had four Brazilian players in action, but only Thiago Monteiro secured a victory, edging out Facundo Diaz Acosta 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Other results saw Alexander Shevchenko defeat Felipe Meligeni Alves 6-4, 6-2, Francisco Comesana overcome Gustavo Heide 7-6 (2), 6-7 (7), 6-3, and Jaume Munar triumph over Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

SportsLigue