Alcaraz, 17, Qualifies For Australian Open
Carlos Alcaraz will take his place in the Australian Open main draw next month after successfully qualifying on Wednesday in Doha.
The 17-year-old Spaniard got off to strong starts in both sets to beat second-seeded Bolivian Hugo Dellien 6-2, 6-3. Alcaraz won 73 per cent of his first-service points to become the first player born in 2003 to qualify for a Grand Slam championship.
The #NextGenATP Spaniard is the youngest player inside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and has built upon an impressive finish to the 2020 season. Across his final six ATP Challenger Tour events in 2020, Alcaraz compiled a 20-3 record and won three trophies from four finals.
Sergiy Stakhovsky, 35, also came through the qualifying competition, which has been held this year in Doha due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ukrainian worked his way past Dane Sweeny of Australia 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, converting four of 13 break points for a place in the main draw for the first time since 2016.
Serbia’s Viktor Troicki, 34, also clinched his main draw spot after a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 11 seed Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, but 36-year-old Dustin Brown lost out to American Maxime Cressy, who qualifies for the Australian Open for the first time, after hitting 14 aces in a 7-6(5), 6-4 win.
Former World No. 17 Bernard Tomic became the only Australian man to qualify for the main draw after he edged past his compatriot, John-Patrick Smith, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(7). The 28-year-old, who has qualified for the first time, reached the fourth round of the main draw in 2012, 2015 and 2016.
Sweden’s Elias Ymer will compete in the main draw for the first time since 2018 after he knocked out Taro Daniel of Japan 6-1, 6-2 in the final qualifying round. Portugal’s Frederico Ferreira Silva will make his Grand Slam championship debut after he beat top seed Gregoire Barrere of France 6-3, 6-4.
Belgium’s Kimmer Coppejans swept past seventh seed Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-2, 6-0 and American Michael Mmoh defeated Arthur Rinderknech of France 6-3, 7-6(3). France’s Quentin Halys got the better of Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4.