Jakub Mensik stopped Jannik Sinner’s progress to a new final, eliminating the second-ranked player globally from the quarter-final stage of the Qatar Open.
The player ranked sixth in the tournament, hailing from the Czech Republic, narrowly secured the opening set, and despite Sinner evening the score, the 20-year-old Mensik claimed the decisive third set for a victory of 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-3.
This result brought an end to Sinner’s impressive streak of 22 victories in his previous 23 encounters; his sole prior loss had been to Novak Djokovic during the Australian Open semi-finals just a month prior.
The 24-year-old Italian had advanced to ten championship matches in 2025, securing both the Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns, yet he suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of world number 16 Mensik in their inaugural match-up in Doha on Thursday.
Mensik is now slated to compete against the unranked French player Arthur Fils, who defeated Mensik’s countryman Jiri Lehecka with scores of 6-3, 6-3. This match offers Mensik an opportunity to participate in his fourth ATP final and his second of 2026, building on his recent victory at last month’s Auckland Open, which marked his second professional title.
In the remaining semi-final match, the top-ranked player globally, Carlos Alcaraz, is set to go against the reigning champion, Andrey Rublev, following both players’ successes in their respective quarter-final contests.
