World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz's plans of utilising World No. 1 Jannik Sinner's absence from the ATP tour due to a three-month-long doping ban did not materialise as the Spaniard crashed out of the Qatar Open in the quarterfinals.
However, the rising tennis star will be taking some positives from his week's stay in Doha despite falling to Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 of the ATP 500 Qatar Open.
Alcaraz's main aim was to cut down on the gap in ranking points with second-ranked Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz entered the clash on a seven-match winning streak, having clinched the title at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam. The 21-year-old was making his debut in Doha and dispatched Marin Cilic in the first round before he battled past Luca Nardi.
The top seed hit several stunning passes and defended well out of the corners during the two-hour, nine-minute clash against Lehecka. Yet, his timing was off at times and Lehecka was aggressive in the key times to triumph.
"I leave Doha with my head up, with confidence," Alcaraz said. "I am really happy with everything that I've done here and how I felt with my team. I'm going to come back next year, but, yeah, I'm leaving Doha with my head up," he added.
"I loved the tournament. I think this tournament is amazing. Everything for the players is really easy. The people who work here make this tournament really special for players. The courts are good. For us, everything is close (), and everything is easy. I love playing here. I think my game here was really good as well," he said.
