Czech teenager Jakub Mensik stuns tennis top seed Andrey Rublev at Qatar Open

DOHA – No matter how Czech teenager Jakub Mensik fares against Frenchman Gael Monfils in their Qatar Open semi-final clash on Feb 23, he already has an achievement in the bag.

It is not about how far he has progressed in Doha or the prize money, but for someone who is only 18, happiness comes simply by winning an iPhone.

On Feb 22, Mensik stunned top seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets to reach his maiden ATP Tour semi-final and guarantee a spot in the world’s top 100 for the first time.

He battled through 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) against the fifth-ranked Russian, a day after defeating three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray.

The Next Gen Accelerator Programme rewards players aged 20 and below and ranked inside the top 250 by granting a main-draw wild card into one ATP 250 tournament a season.

When asked why he chose Doha, world No. 116 Mensik laughed and said: “Because I received a free iPhone! But no, actually I have to say that I just didn’t have the opportunity before, and this is the first tournament I managed to attend. It’s just been an incredible week.

“From the beginning, I played very well and I knew I could play with the big players. It’s an amazing feeling to reach the semi-finals after beating those good players. But the job is not done yet. Hopefully, I can play like this again in the semis and go on to make the final.”

With his 1hr 38min win on Feb 22, Mensik – a self-declared Novak Djokovic fan – became the youngest player to defeat a top-five player since Carlos Alcaraz overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2021 US Open. He will take on 2018 champion Monfils for a place in the Feb 24 final, after the veteran won an all-French affair by beating third seed Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-4.

Monfils is the oldest semi-finalist in Qatar tournament history, aged 37 years and five months.

The result of their match was not available at press time, but regardless of who wins, Mensik is assured of going home with a shiny new gadget. The other semi-final was between Australia’s Alexei Popyrin and Russian second seed Karen Khachanov.

Popyrin eased past Kazakh fourth seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-4, while Khachanov went through when Finnish opponent Emil Ruusuvuori retired with a back injury after just three games.

In the Dubai Tennis Championships women’s event on Feb 23, Italian Jasmine Paolini reached the final of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time, beating Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in one hour and 57 minutes.

The 28-year-old world No. 26 had never even made it to a final above WTA 250 level but showed the nous and determination to save six set points in the second set.

Paolini held her first match point at 5-4 in the second set, and saved five of the six set points she faced. She said with a laugh in the on-court interview: “I gave you a little bit of drama at the end.”

She will meet either world No. 1 Iga Swiatek or Russian world No. 40 Anna Kalinskaya in the final. The result of that match was not available at press time.

Swiatek moved one step closer to claiming a rare Doha-Dubai double after a convincing 6-3, 6-2 quarter-final victory over Chinese sixth seed Zheng Qinwen on Feb 22.

The Polish top seed, who lifted the trophy in Doha for a third consecutive time last weekend, extended her unbeaten streak to seven matches and was looking to become the first woman since 2007, and just the third overall, to win both Gulf tournaments in the same season.

In what was their sixth meeting in the span of 20 months, Swiatek came up clutch when she needed to as she improved to a perfect 6-0 lifetime against Zheng.

“I’m happy that I played well, stuck to my tactics, was pretty solid. For sure, I feel better and better every day here,” said Swiatek, who was a finalist in Dubai 12 months ago, losing to Barbora Krejcikova.

Kalinskaya had upset world No. 3 and reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. AFP, REUTERS