Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur has battled his way into the last eight at the Qatar Open while countryman Chris O’Connell’s run has come to an end.
Doha, Qatar, 19 February 2025 | Glenn Moore (AAP)
Alex de Minaur’s fine start to 2025 has continued with a 13th win in 15 tour outings to move into the quarterfinals of the ATP Qatar Open in Doha.
The Australian No.1 held off the persistent, hard-hitting Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4 6-4 in two hours, his trademark energy paying off as he blunted his Dutch opponent’s power.
The second seed will now meet fifth seed Andrey Rublev, who will be well-rested after rattling past Nuno Borges 6-3 6-4 in 62 minutes.
Through in two! ✌️
@alexdeminaur defeats Van de Zandschulp 6-4 6-4 to advance into the quarter-finals in Doha #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/6mZI2UI0Jp— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 19, 2025
Meanwhile, Chris O’Connell, who came through qualifying, found himself up against world No.16 Jack Draper and was beaten 6-2 6-1.
O’Connell, ranked 82nd, was broken five times and was unable to create a break point against the Brit, who had dispensed with Alexei Popyrin in the previous round.
Draper, playing his first event since suffering a hip injury at the Australian Open, broke O’Connell’s first service game in each set and never let the Sydneysider back into the match.
De Minaur was briefly threatened himself; at 3-2 down in the first set he had to save three break points.
After passing that test, he pounced in the ninth game to lead 5-4 then served out the set after 69 minutes.
He then broke to love in the fifth game in the midst of a run of 13 points without reply.
Facing break point in the 10th game, he stepped up to force deuce with roar of triumph, then served out the match when Van de Zandschulp returned his second serve into the net.
De Minaur, a recent finalist in Rotterdam, has won four of seven career meetings against Rublev.
