Jack Draper reached the Qatar Open semi-finals in Doha after fighting back to beat Matteo Berrettini in three gruelling sets. The British men’s No 1, sidelined for a month with a hip injury before his return to action this week, overcame the 28-year-old Italian 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and faces Jiri Lehecka in the last four.
after newsletter promotion
Draper let slip his third service game on his way to losing the first set before breaking Berrettini for the first time at 5-4 up in the second to level it up. The eighth seed broke Berrettini’s serve for the second time to move 3-1 up in the decider and that proved decisive as he then fended off break point against him to lead 5-2 before comfortably serving out for the match.
Unseeded Lehecka earlier created a major upset by dumping out world No 3 and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The Czech recovered from a break down in the opening set with two breaks of his own and after dropping the second set, the world No 25 hit back from 4-2 down in the decider. Big-hitting Lehecka stunned Alcaraz by winning the Spaniard’s last two service games to secure his first victory against a top-three player.
Felix Auger-Aliassime clinched his place in the last four after world No 6, Daniil Medvedev, retired due to food poisoning after losing the first set 6-3. Canada’s Auger-Aliassime, who received a walkover against Hamad Medjedovic in the second round, will face Russia’s Andrey Rublev for a place in the final. Rublev, the world No 10, won a final-set tie-break to defeat Australian second seed Alex de Minaur 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (8).
