Jack Draper is through to the final of the Qatar Open after another comeback victory, this time defeating Jiri Lehecka 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-3.
Lehecka, who stunned top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarters to book his meeting with Draper, settled into the contest the quickest, breaking the British No 1 and getting to a position of 5-3 ahead serving for the set, where nerves then showed.
Even still, the 23-year-old Czech saved two break points as Draper attempted to remain in the set, eventually serving out a 6-3 hold after deuce.
Into the second set, Draper struck for the first break to move 3-1 ahead but failed to consolidate it as Lehecka broke straight back and then held serve to level the set up at 3-3.
The set remained on serve from there into a tie-break, which Draper stormed through with an impressive 7-2 success, pushing things into a third-set decider.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Watch Draper’s ‘outrageous’ volley against Lehecka in the Qatar Open semi-final
The third set proved tight until 3-3, where Draper forced two break points and crucially edged ahead when Lehecka double-faulted.
Consolidating a break on this occasion, Draper battled to deuce the next time Lehecka was serving and then earned a match point, which he took to secure victory.
Draper will face Andrey Rublev in the final after he edged Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-5) to reach his third Qatar Open final.
Watch Draper vs Rublev in the Qatar Open final live on Sky Sports Tennis at 3pm on Saturday.
The 10th-ranked Rublev needed four match points to close out world No 23 Auger-Aliassime for the sixth time in seven match-ups.
Rublev lost the 2018 final in Doha but won in 2020, and withstood 21 aces from the Canadian over the nearly three-hour match.
“[It took] everything. It was super tough,” Rublev said.
“He was serving well and I was just saying, ‘Okay, I cannot do much, this is one of the best servers on tour. I just need to try to guess and when I have a moment, just go for it’.”
Draper: I’m proud of how I competed and felt better and better as the match went on
Draper, who has lost all three of his previous meetings with Rublev, said on Sky Sports Tennis afterwards…
“In the first set, I put in a sloppy game and Jiri came out with power. In the second I was holding a bit easier and putting a lot more pressure behind his serve.
“I felt more and more positive about my tennis and physically better as the match went on, and I’m proud of the way I competed out there.
“At the end of last year, I started to pick up some real momentum and then all of a sudden I couldn’t play for a month. In Australia my level was all over the place, but mentally it was really good for me.
“I’m definitely a different player since I last played him [Rublev]. But he’s a top-10 player who I respect massively. He’s been top 10 for many years now.
“I watched him play this week, and he’s there every ball.”
Andreeva continues dream Dubai run with stunning semis win over Rybakina
Teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva continued her giant-slaying exploits at the Dubai Tennis Championships by upsetting sixth seed Elena Rybakina 6-4 4-6 6-3 in the semi-finals.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the Dubai Championship semi-final match between Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva
The 17-year-old French Open semi-finalist, who had stunned five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the quarters and former Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova in the round of 32, is the youngest player to reach a WTA 1000 Final.
Andreeva also becomes the youngest player to beat three Grand Slam winners at a single event since fellow Russian Maria Sharapova in 2004.
“Last time we played it was a really tough match… She went for her shots and killed me in the end. This time I knew she’d hit hard. I tried to fight for every point and kept believing,” Andreeva said.
Up next for Andreeva in the final is Clara Tauson of Denmark, after the latter defeated Czech 14th seed Karolina Muchova 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3.
Tauson, who stunned world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka earlier in the tournament, has also reached her first WTA 1000 final.
Watch Jack Draper vs Andrey Rublev in the Qatar Open final live on Sky Sports Tennis at 3pm on Saturday. Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open, live on Sky Sports Tennis in 2025 or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports App.