ATP Tournament in Doha, quarter-finals, Thursday, 23.02.2023
Will the favourites prevail at the Qatar Open? A number of top stars have gathered in the desert to fight it out for the next title. Meanwhile, the best have already reached the quarter-finals.
The No. 2 seed will meet the No. 7 seed – will the bookmakers find a clear favourite here? Odds of 1.35 to 3.20 at Betano suggest so. In my Fokina Auger-Aliassime tip, I now reveal why I suspect at least a close set!
A little slip at the start? Not out of character for him! Felix Auger-Aliassime had a much tougher start in Doha than could have been expected of him, but in the end he made it to the quarter-finals.
He was heavily favoured against Jason Kubler, winning 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 after a few rallies. He only conceded one break and produced 80% successful first serves, showing that his opponent simply had a strong day.
The world number 9 is serving for the first time in Doha and does not want to fail again because of his own nerves. For a long time it was said that Auger-Aliassime reached finals but automatically lost them all.
In the meantime, that has changed considerably, and the Canadian won several trophies in 2022. After his exit from the Australian Open in the round of 16 against Jiri Lehecka, he wants to get back into shape as quickly as possible.
A few days ago in Rotterdam, he was knocked out in the quarter-finals against Daniil Medvedev, but this round should not be the end of the line again. He knows very well how difficult it is to win against Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina.
There were two duels between the two in 2022, so there was certainly no boredom here. At the Australian Open, Felix Auger-Aliassime prevailed with an incredibly close 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6.
Four tiebreaks in one match, unbelievable. The Canadian also offered four tiebreaks in his four matches in Melbourne a few weeks ago. The second encounter with Fokina was no less dramatic.
4-6, 7-6, 6-2, you seem to be in for a fun match on Thursday. Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina will not want to concede a third narrow defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The Spaniard started a round earlier in Doha, getting off to a solid 6-4, 6-3 start against Constant Lestienne. Fokina also had no problems with Soon-woo Kwon, winning 6-3, 6-2.
He was able to save his strength in both games, but Felix Auger-Aliassime is of course a different matter. He only allowed two breaks in total, but his two opponents had a combined 15 opportunities to do so.
The 23-year-old is still not making enough of his opportunities. At the Australian Open, he delivered five sets, but was eliminated in the second round by Tommy Paul. In Rotterdam he won a set against Daniil Medvedev, but was also eliminated against a no-name.
Fokina can have very good days, but also very bad ones. Last year he also reached the quarter-finals in Doha, but lost to compatriot Roberto Bautista-Agut, the eventual winner.
My Fokina Auger-Aliassime Tip
Felix Auger-Aliassime is looking to reach his first semi-final in 2023. The slight difficulties against Jason Kubler were not too tragic, after all, the Canadian’s performance was spot on.
From Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina we can sometimes expect everything, but sometimes very little. Since the direct duels were very close and both can serve well, I decide for the following tip:
There will be at least one tiebreak!
