On Thursday, World No. 3 Alcaraz took on No. 25 Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals. Lehecka overpowered Alcaraz throughout the two-hour, nine-minute match, taking the win in three sets: 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Carlos Alcaraz had a golden opportunity to lift another ATP 500 trophy. With Jannik Sinner’s suspension and Novak Djokovic’s first-round elimination, the Spaniard was the top favourite to take the title at the 2025 Qatar Open.

Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz lost for just the second time this year when 25th-ranked Jiri Lehecka beat him in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.

Alcaraz’s only other defeat in 2025 was to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The 21-year-old Spaniard, ranked No. 3, won the Rotterdam Open earlier this month.

Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of the Qatar Open in the quarter-finals on Thursday after losing to Jiri Lehecka, the Spaniard heading for the exit along with second seed Alex de Minaur. Fifth-seeded Rublev let slip a 5-2 lead in the final set as De Minaur scrambled back into contention to force a tiebreak.