Doha QF previews and predictions: Alcaraz vs. Lehecka, Draper vs. Berrettini

Matteo Berrettini, who beat Novak Djokovic in round one, will try to keep his Doha run going at the expense of Jack Draper on Thursday. Another quarterfinal contest pits Carlos Alcaraz against Jiri Lehecka.

(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jiri Lehecka

Alcaraz and Lehecka will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for a place in the semifinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday. Their only previous meeting came on the grass courts of Queen’s Club in 2023, when Alcaraz cruised 6-2, 6-3. Lehecka has become increasingly dangerous in recent seasons. At 23 years old, the Czech is up to 25th in the rankings thanks to an awesome start to his 2025 campaign. Lehecka is sporting a 12-2 record with a title in Brisbane, a fourth-round performance at the Australian Open, and straight-set victories in Doha over Grigor Dimitrov and Fabian Marozsan.

Alcaraz suffered a disappointing quarterfinal loss to Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park, but he has otherwise been in strong form. The third-ranked Spaniard bounced back with a title in Rotterdam and he is 11-1 for the year following Doha victories over Marin Cilic (6-4, 6-4) and Luca Nardi (6-1, 4-6, 6-3). Alcaraz endured a brief hiccup against Nardi, but the Italian played very well and for the most part it was a high-quality contest. Lehecka will likely be much more competitive than he was at Queen’s Club, but Alcaraz is looking good and should advance.

Pick: Alcaraz in 3

 

Matteo Berrettini vs. (8) Jack Draper

Berrettini hopes to keep building on one of the biggest wins of his career. Previously 0-4 against Novak Djokovic, the 28-year-old Italian upset Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-2 in the Doha first round. Berrettini had not defeated anyone ranked better than No. 52 since Vienna this past October, but suddenly he owns two such victories in a row. The world No. 35 followed it up with a 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 6-4 defeat of Tallon Griekspoor on Wednesday night.

Up next for Berrettini is a second showdown against Draper, who won their only previous matchup 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the 2024 Stuttgart final. Draper has been stellar so far in 2025, with a fourth-round appearance at the Aussie Open and wins this week over Alexei Popyrin and Christopher O’Connell. In fact, O’Connell only got a total of three games in the second round. This could be one the best matches of the entire week, with a slight edge going to the 16th-ranked Brit–whose lefty serve should be able to once again get the best of Berrettini’s backhand.

Pick: Draper in 3