Doha Dubai: Menšík stuns Sinner, Gauff sweeps past Ella

On February 19 local time, the ATP 500 Doha tournament finalized all four semifinalists. The Czech rising star Menšík, who had previously eliminated Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen, defeated the tournament’s second seed Sinner, causing the biggest upset of the day. After this match, the post-2005 young player’s live ranking rose to world No. 13, a career-high.

Menšík

Both players chose Doha as their first event following the Australian Open. This match marked their first encounter, though including last year’s China Open and Vienna tournaments, Sinner had already achieved a 12-match winning streak on 500-level hard courts, making him the favored player. In the first set, both showed powerful baseline play with strong offense and defense. In the tiebreak, Menšík played more aggressively and ultimately took the set 7-6(3).

Sinner capitalized on fluctuations in Menšík’s form and stamina to break serve early in the second set, quickly leveling the match at 6-2. The decider saw Menšík seize the initiative by breaking in the first game. A key point came just before the break point when Menšík’s well-executed drop shot forced Sinner to sprint back and forth, greatly draining his energy and leading to an unforced error on the following shot. This tactical movement persisted throughout the match, allowing Menšík to break again late in the set and close it out 6-3, eliminating Sinner and advancing to the semifinals. This marked the Italian’s first loss against a player outside the Top 10 since 2023.

Alcaraz

In other matches, world No. 1 Alcaraz, positioned in the top half of the draw, came from behind to defeat seventh seed Khachanov 6-7(3)/6-4/6-3. After the match, during the handshake at the net, the Russian joked, “Don’t you ever get tired?”

ATP Doha Semifinal Matchups

Alcaraz [1] vs Rublev [5]

Fritz [2] vs Menšík [6]

Gauff

The WTA 1000 Dubai tournament also concluded all four quarterfinal matches. The Philippine rising star Ella, who had caused an upset by defeating Paolini earlier, was unable to advance further. The tournament’s third seed Gauff swiftly defeated this WTA sensation in just 67 minutes with a score of 6-0/6-2. In the post-match interview, Coco showed great sportsmanship, thanking all the fans present: “Although I know many of you came to support Alex (Ella), playing in a packed stadium means a lot to me. I also want to thank Alex for bringing so many new fans to the sport. Please continue to support tennis and your players!”

WTA Dubai Semifinal Matchups

Gauff [3] vs Svitolina [7]

Pegula [4] vs Anisimova [2]

(Text and editing: Sunny, Photos: Visual China)