Czech teenager Jakub Mensik defeated top seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Thursday at the Qatar Open, reaching his first ATP semi-final and securing a spot in the world’s top 100 for the first time. The 18-year-old won 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) against fifth-ranked Rublev, a day after defeating three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray.
“It has been an incredible week. I played exceptionally well from the start, and I knew I could compete with the best. It’s an incredible feeling to reach the semi-finals after defeating those talented players,” said wildcard Mensik, who arrived in the Gulf ranked 116th.
“But the job isn’t finished yet. Hopefully, I can play like this again in the semis and advance to the final.
With his one-hour, 38-minute victory on Thursday, Mensik became the youngest player to defeat a top-five player since Carlos Alcaraz defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2021 US Open.
Mensik will face 2018 champion Gael Monfils in the final on Saturday, after the veteran defeated third seed Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-4.
Monfils is the oldest semi-finalist in Qatar tournament history, at 37 years and five months.
The other semi-final will pit Australia’s Alexei Popyrin against Russia’s second seed Karen Khachanov.
Popyrin defeated Kazakh fourth seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-4, and Khachanov advanced when Finnish opponent Emil Ruusuvuori retired with a back injury after only three games.
