Alcaraz defeats Cilic to advance on debut at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha

Carlos Alcaraz was forced to battle testing conditions on Monday, but the debutant is up and running at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

The top seed earned a hard-fought 6-4, 6-4 win against Marin Cilic to advance to the second round at the ATP 500. Alcaraz struggled to find his rhythm in the windy conditions, but dialled in at the crucial moments, expertly denying a rise in form from the Croatian in the second set, to improve to 4-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

From 0/40 down, serving at 3-4 in the second set, Alcaraz reeled off 14 of the next 19 points to seal victory and extend his winning streak to six matches. The 21-year-old, who claimed his first indoor title in Rotterdam earlier this month, will next face Zhang Zhizhen or Luca Nardi in the second round.

“I’m really pleased about saving that game and giving myself the opportunity to [stay] alive,” said Alcaraz. “Marin puts a lot of pressure when you’re serving, he’s a great returner. I’m really happy to stay calm in that moment, do my routine and make good shots. I’m really happy to win in two sets.”

Cilic, the former World No. 3 and 2014 US Open champion, showed glimpses of his best tennis in the opening set, but lost serve in an 18-minute seventh game which proved decisive. Yet this did not stop 36-year-old from raising his level and applying further pressure in the second. The 36-year-old pushed Alacaraz from the baseline and carved out four break points in the second set, but was unable to convert any.

With Monday’s one-hour, 38-minute win, Alcaraz improved to 10-1 on the season. He will have the chance to avenge his quarter-final loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open last month if the two both reach the semi-finals.

Cilic was competing in his first event since November after recovering from an ongoing knee injury. It’s the same injury that caused him to miss almost the entirety of the 2023 season before undergoing surgery in 2024. Yet upon return last year, Cilic claimed the title in Hangzhou, which was his 21st tour-level crown, and first since 2021.

Earlier, Jiri Lehecka sealed his spot in the second round in Doha with a 6-4, 6-4 win over seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov. With his 11th victory in 2025, the 23-year-old tied Alex de Minaur and Miomir Kecmanovic for most on the ATP Tour this season.

Lehecka, who triumphed at the ATP 250 in Brisbane and reached the fourth round at the Australian Open last month, improved to 4-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Dimitrov. The Czech player won 88 per cent (35/40) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to setting a second-round meeting with Fabian Marozsan.

The World No. 15 Dimitrov was playing in his first match since retiring to Francesco Passaro in the first round at the Australian Open due to a hip injury, which forced the 33-year-old outside the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since March last year.