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 due to 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.
Sign up to The Recap. The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s action. 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. World No 10 Rublev won a final-set tie-break to defeat Australian second seed Alex de Minaur 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (8).
