‘I do not know what I could have done better’

World no. 3 Carlos Alcaraz chased his second ATP 500 title of the month in Doha. The Rotterdam champion passed two obstacles before falling to world no. 25 Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes. 

The Czech made an impressive comeback in the decider, overcomingf a 4-2 deficit and a break point. Thus, Jiri rattled off four games to bring the victory home and earn a notable triumph. Carlos did not play well in a couple of crucial points. 

However, he is unsure what he could have done better, praising his rival’s performance in the closing stages of the duel. 

In front of you is Jiri Lehecka. 🇨🇿

The match lasted more than two hours, but its point came at the very beginning. 🔝

The athleticism of both is more than impressive. ❤️‍🔥

The Czech put it all on one card and COMPLETELY won. 🟢

WOW.#QatarTennis #DohaTennis #Alcaraz #Lehecka pic.twitter.com/y9R0CSrq0p

— The Tennis Emotion (@TheTennisEmotes) February 20, 2025

Carlos won four points more, but not the pivotal ones. He lost serve four times, including his final two service games, and provided three return games from seven chances. Officially, Lehecka landed 18 winners and 36 unforced errors. 

He must have drew numerous forced mistakes from Alcaraz, who finished the duel with 32 winners and 25 mistakes. The Spaniard was off to a reliable start, earning a break in the third game of the duel after the rival’s double fault.

World no. 3 struggled behind the initial shot at 2-1. He saved three break points and squandered a game point before falling on the fourth break chance, bringing his rival back to 2-2. Jiri made another push on the return in game six. 

He landed a deep return and caused the rival’s mistake for a break and a 4-2 advantage. Lehecka erased a break point in game seven with an unreturned serve and landed another to extend the gap to 5-2. World no. 25 served for the opener at 5-3. 

He wasted two…