Teenager Mensik outlasts Murray, to meet Rublev in quarterfinals

Doha: A thrilling win against a former World No. 1, reaching a maiden ATP Tour quarter-final, and a move to the brink of the Top 100 in ATP Live Rankings. Those achievements all featured in Jakub Mensik’s Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where the #NextGenATP Czech overcame Andy Murray 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 7-6(4) in a remarkable second-round battle at the hard-court ATP 250 in Doha. After twice failing to serve out the match as Murray roared back from 2-5 down in the third set, Mensik held firm to prevail after contesting his first deciding-set tie-break in a tour-level match. The 18-year-old finished having struck 18 winners including 12 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as he found a way past the resilient Murray in three hours and 24 minutes. “I’m just speechless right now, I don’t know what to say,” said Mensik, who will play top seed Andrey Rublev next, in his on-court interview. “I know that a lot of the fans wanted Andy to win today, so hopefully they will come to watch my match tomorrow. “I’m just happy. It was a tough match today. Andy is an unbelievable player, I know that. When I was young, I watched him win Wimbledon two times, so it’s unbelievable that he can still compete with the best players in the world.” Murray came so close to pulling off yet another remarkable comeback at an event where he last year notched two victories after saving match points. The Briton could not complete the job this time around, however, and he will be left to rue a missed backhand volley on the first of two set points he held from 6/4 in the opening-set tie-break. Having also defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday, Mensik has now risen 14 places to No. 102 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Doha run so far. “The first set it was tough with the conditions, the wind started a little bit,” reflected Mensik, who is the third player born in 2005 or later to reach an ATP quarter-final after Dino Prizmic and Shang Juncheng. “The tie-break was not such good quality, and I was a little bit lucky in the end. “In the third set I was 5-2, and then when it was 5-5 I just said, ‘Go on. This guy will not give me any points’. I tried to stay calm and in the tie-break I’m just super happy I stayed focused until the end.” Rublev’s passage to the last eight could hardly have been more different to his next opponent Mensik’s. The top seed cruised past Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4 in just 57 minutes to reach his fourth quarter-final in as many events for 2024. “I’m really happy to be able to win in straight sets,” said Rublev in his on-court interview. “It feels better than to have this stress with three sets and you don’t know how the match is going to go. It’s always nice to play shorter to be ready for tomorrow.” The 2020 champion Rublev is now 11-4 in Doha. He will seek to improve that record in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Mensik, whose game he is not wholly familiar with. “[Today is] the first time I saw him and I can tell that the guy is very talented,” said Rublev. “He’s really big already for his age and serves really hard. I think that the serve is one of his best weapons, from what I saw in the match against Andy. So we’ll see. He has strong strokes and tries to play aggressive. I have to prepare and be ready for tomorrow.” A trio of other seeded players also booked their quarter-final spots on Wednesday in Doha, including Karen Khachanov, who downed Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 7-5 for his 200th tour-level win. The 27-year-old second seed Khachanov will next take on Emil Ruusuvuori, who beat Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-3. Third seed Ugo Humbert raced past Pavel Kotov 6-4, 6-1 to set a match with his fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils or Zhang Zhizhen, while fourth seed Alexander Bublik beat Marton Fucsovics 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to face Alexei Popyrin. Australia’s Popyrin saw off qualifier Hugo Grenier 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-1.  

CHI Al Shaqab set to stage equestrian extravaganza

Doha: The stage is set for the highly anticipated CHI Al Shaqab as the 11th edition of the prestigious event will be held from tomorrow until Saturday at the state-of-the-art facility Al Shaqab. It promises to be another thrilling chapter in the history of the CHI Al Shaqab as 189 riders from 37 countries will take part in the Olympic equestrian disciplines of Showjumping, Dressage and Para-Dressage. As a prominent fixture in the equestrian sports calendar, CHI Al Shaqab stands out as one of the five exclusive CHI-accredited events globally, offering a platform for elite athletes from the regional and international scene to demonstrate their exceptional skills. This year, the new addition apart from the CSI1*, CSI2* and CSI3* competitions is the introduction of the Concours de Saut International Children (CSICH) which will be a qualifier for children competing in the Group VII (Mena Region), the finals of which are set to take place later this year in Cairo, Egypt. In the showjumping, top four past champions will be vying for the glory again with their eyes firmly perched on winning the CSI5* Grand Prix, which carries a total prize money of €410,000. Two-time defending champion Marcus Ehning of Germany, along with Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander (2015 champion), Belgian rider Pieter Devos (2019) and Germany’s Christian Ahlmann (2021) will be aiming to emerge victorious in the marquee event. Germany is sending out a big delegation. Apart from Ehning and Ahlmann, the other German riders – Marco Kutscher, Christian Kukuk, Sophie Hinners, Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann and Philipp Schulze Topphoff have all entered to compete in Doha. They will be joined by big names such as legendary John Whitaker (Britain), former world number one Simon Delestre (France), as well as Malin Baryard-Johnsson (Sweden), Max Kuhner (Austria), Amber Fullre (Australia) and Maikel van der Vleute (Netherlands). Representing Qatar in CSI5* showjumping will be Rashid al-Marri, Ahmed Mohamed al-Badi and Sheikh Khalifa al-Thani. Apart from the trio, there are also close to 50 riders and 70 horses, who will participate in other classes. However, the home nation will have no representation in the Five-star event of the dressage as trailblazer Wejdan Majed al-Malki is training her new horse. “Last year Wejdan did extremely well at CHI Al Shaqab. But she won’t be able to compete this year as she is training her new horse. Unlike showjumping, it takes time for horses to be trained in dressage to compete at the high level. But Wejdan will be there to support other local riders,” said Discipline Manager Alejandro Berdegue, who also revealed that the latest timing technology will be introduced in the championship this year. The Para-Dressage, which epitomises what can be achieved by physically impaired athletes, will be one discipline to look forward to, with the FEI World No. 3 and the 2023 champion Kate Shoemaker of the USA firm favourite. Al Shaqab’s Event Director Mohamed al-Khayarin at a press conference on Tuesday said the objective of CHI Al Shaqab has always been to support the equestrian in the country and provide more opportunities for Qatari riders to gain experience and develop their skills. “With every passing year and the success that follows, CHI Al Shaqab has become a pinnacle in the global equestrian landscape. We have been drawing the best riders and the most elite horses from all over the world, to come together and take part in true equestrian sportsmanship. We are proud to embody a standard of excellence that further propels Al Shaqab in its mission to enrich Qatar’s rich equestrian heritage,” he said. “Of course, it goes without saying that the planning and logistics behind this event has been no ordinary feat. I am grateful to everyone who was a driving force behind the 2024 edition, and we look forward to having everyone attend CHI Al Shaqab,” al-Khayarin added. The Al Shaqab’s Event Director also expected more than 8,000 people to attend the three-day championship, with many attractions on offer for families. There will dedicated Festival Area which will offer high-quality food and beverage stands, in addition to a wide range of cultural, educational and entertainment activities suitable for all the family: pony rides, carnival games, arts & crafts, face painting, puppet shows, a clown duo, children’s contests, magic shows, and much more.  

Murray earns season's first win

Doha: 2008 and 2009 champion Andy Murray earned his first win of the 2024 season with a superb performance to beat France's Alexandre Muller on Tuesday. The three Grand Slam winner Murray ended a six-match losing streak with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) victory over the world number 75. A wild celebration showed what it meant to the 36-year-old, who also raised his arms in relief when reminded that it was his first victory of the year. "Obviously, the last few months have been tough on the court for me, I've not won many matches and lost a lot of close ones, so I'm delighted to get through," said Murray. "I'm proud I managed to get through the match, get a win, and hopefully this is the start of a better run." Murray, ranked 50th, plays 18-year-old Jakub Mensik in the second round. In the other matches of the day, Mensik and Christopher O'Connell each recorded an upset victory. Mensik won 70 percent of his first serves to notch a 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory over fifth-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in 93 minutes. O'Connell, in turn, posted a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over sixth-seeded Jan-Lennard Struff to set up a second-round match versus Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori, who outlasted Italian Giulio Zeppieri, 7-6 (2), 7-5. Frenchmen Hugo Grenier and Richard Gasquet each won their respective first-round matches, while countryman Alexandre Muller was not as fortunate.  Grenier seized a 7-6 (5), 7-5 win over Germany's Maximilian Marterer, and Gasquet secured a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko.  

Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2024 gets underway

Doha: Confident Zhang Zhizhen of China on Monday just needed 61 minutes to beat seventh seed Lorenzo Musetti on day one of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open (QEMO). In another shock result, Marton Fucsovics beat two-time champion Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 6-3 in 83 minutes. The Hungarian will next play fourth seed Alexander Bublik. Spaniard Bautista Agut was crowned champion just two years ago, and he was also wvictorious in 2019. Not even the blustery Doha winds could blow Zhizhen off course as the World No. 48 produced a scintillating first-round performance in tricky conditions to charge past Musetti 6-2, 6-0 at the hard-court ATP 250. Zhang struck 19 winners and converted six of nine break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as he wrapped victory in just 61 minutes. “When I’m on court, I’m thinking (I can beat top players),” said Zhang, after his second Top 30 win of the year, in his on-court interview. “On court I’m giving myself a bit more confidence with how I play and also as time passes I get more confidence... I’m super happy how I played here today, really good, and I believe I can make a deep run here.” With his victory, Zhang became the first Chinese man to win a main-draw match in Doha, where his next opponent will be Botic van de Zandschulp or 2018 champion Gael Monfils. The 27-year-old Zhang is now 6-6 for the season, with his best showing so far a quarter-final run in Marseille earlier this month. When asked about the playing conditions, Zheng said: “I remember last year when I came here, it was windy, and this year also it is windy, but I have prepared myself well. This year how to say, I deal with the wind, I hang on pretty well. That’s also very important for today, because I think today the wind makes it a little bit troubling for him. He is a very good player, and today he had quite a lot of mistakes I think because of the wind.” In the opening match of the day at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex, Pavel Kotov also eased to his maiden main-draw win in Doha. The World No. 64 defeated Lorenzo Sonego 6-2, 7-5 to set a second-round meeting with third seed Ugo Humbert. Second seed Karen Khachanov on Monday said he is used to the windy playing conditions in the Middle East. “I think every tournament has different conditions. I live in Dubai, so in Middle East, you know, it’s let’s say pretty similar weather, climate, right? So in this case, you know, I was coming from last week, trained there outdoors,” Khachanov said on Monday. “But I think here it can be sometimes really windy. You don’t know which way the wind blows. You know, it’s a little bit becomes much more difficult to control the ball, to play, let’s say, your best tennis. I think you need to adapt and to adjust to that. The courts itself, they look pretty nice, pretty, let’s say, middle speed, you know, after the women’s tournament.”  

Abubaker Haydar claims 800m bronze medal at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships

Tehran: Qatar's Abubaker Haydar won the bronze medal of 800m event at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships on Monday.  The tournament brought together 26 national teams.  Team Qatar squad includes; Femi Ogunode, Tosin Ogunode, Saeed Othman Zamzoun, Abubaker Haydar, Yasser Salem, Seif Abdessalem Hemeida and Abdulrahman Saeed.

Five past champions in challenging quest for Qatar ExxonMobil Open title

Doha: A star cast comprising five former champions is on parade as the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2024, a signature event on the ATP Tour calendar, takes off today at the impressive Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Two-time former champion Andy Murray and 2020 winner Andrey Rublev are in the race for the Golden Falcon trophy, as are former title winners Richard Gasquet (2013), Gael Monfils(2018), and two-time champion Roberto Bautista Agut (2019 and 2022). Going by the result of Saturday's draw, Murray, the 2008 and 2009 champion, could face top seed and the winner of the 2020 edition, Andrey Rublev, in the quarterfinals of the tournament. While the tournament's top seed Rublev got a bye into the Round of 16, Murray, on the other hand, will kick start his quest to be the second three-time winner in Doha, after Swiss sensation Roger Federer, with a first-round match against a qualifier. Second seed Karen Khachanov, No.3 seed Ugo Humbert, and fourth seed Alexander Bublik will also start their journeys in the second round. Gasquet and Monfils, both of whom are wild card entrants, will take on Kazakhstan’s World No.57 Alexander Shevchenko, and Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp, respectively, in their opening matches. In the meantime, Bautista Agut will take on Marton Fucsovics in his first match. The 2024 edition promises to provide thrills and excitement to fans until the winner walks away with a prize of $212,300 and 250 crucial ATP ranking points on February 24.