The 2025 Qatar ExxonMobil Open has been full of shocking moments and now the field is wide open for a rising player to pick up an ATP 500 level title. Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and now, Carlos Alcaraz, have all been eliminated in Doha.

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.

In addition to serving slightly better than Alcaraz, Lehecka used pinpoint accuracy with his baseline hitting. After falling down 0-1, Alcaraz battled back to win the second set and take an early lead in the decider.

Not to be denied, Lehecka rallied back from 2-4 down in the third set to pull off the upset and advance to the semifinals in Doha for the second time.

During his post-match interview, Lehecka was asked how he felt after winning what some fans will say was the biggest win of his career.

“I feel great. The match was up and down since the beginning. So for me to win a match like that against a player like this is a super big achievement,” answered Lehecka.

“I believed in myself and knew I had the level to produce this kind of tennis. I knew if I could be a bit more consistent in matches, I can bring these results more and more.”

When asked what was the most important part of his game, Lehecka said, “The most important part was I believed in my game and did not back down. Even when I was missing shots in the third set, I wanted to play my game style, be an aggressive player, and push him to his limits.”

He added, “I was just waiting for the right moment to put all these things together, and it happened when I broke him back in the third set.”

It was a resilient effort by Lehecka that helped him improve to 13-2 this year. The 23-year-old won Brisbane back in January and is off to a red-hot start this season.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz falls to 11-2 on the season. This was his first loss in eight matches, as he had just won the Rotterdam ATP 500 earlier this month.

Lehecka faces the winner of Jack Draper or Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals on Friday. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated’s Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

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