Upset! Menšík defeats Sinner in three sets to reach Doha semifinals again

In the early hours of February 20, 2026, Beijing time, the ATP 500 Doha quarterfinals produced an upset. The 6th seed and 20-year-old Czech prospect Menšík overcame 2nd seed Sinner with a scoreline of 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3. This marked their first encounter and halted Sinner’s recent hard-court supremacy, heightening the rivalry among emerging talents in the sport.

The first set was tightly contested, with Menšík controlling the pace through powerful serving and aggressive returns. Even when down 0-40, he saved break points with his serve and took the tiebreak 7-3. In the second set, Menšík’s energy dipped, his first serve success dropped to 43%, allowing Sinner to level comfortably at 6-2. The deciding set was crucial: Menšík secured two key breaks at the start and end, regaining strong serving form; meanwhile, Sinner showed rare emotional lapses, increasing unforced errors and failing with his drop shots, eventually losing 3-6.

Menšík’s serving throughout the match was top-notch, frequently saving critical points with fast first serves, reminiscent of his performance against Djokovic in last year’s Miami final. After the match, he admitted he played with a winning mindset, adapting his serve stability as the night slowed the court’s pace, defining the victory as a tough mental battle won.

This defeat marks one of the rare occasions since the 2023 ATP Finals that Sinner has lost on hard courts to anyone other than Alcaraz or Djokovic. Before this match, Sinner had just knocked out Poplin, riding a 12-match winning streak at ATP 500 events and reaching at least the quarterfinals in 28 of his last 30 matches, demonstrating his hard-court dominance. However, this match exposed weaknesses such as vulnerability to aggressive returns on his serve and inconsistency on crucial points, issues his team must address quickly.

Menšík, advancing to the semifinals, continues his hot streak with 11 wins this season and has now defeated top-10 players nine times in his career. He will face French rising star Fils in the semifinal. Notably, renowned coach Ivanisevic recently joined Fils’s team to support his comeback from injury, making this semifinal even more intriguing.

Menšík previously reached the Doha final in 2024, where he lost to Khachanov.

As their first-ever meeting, Menšík’s victory demonstrates the new generation’s impact and adds more suspense to the upcoming matches at Doha.

[Look at me][Bow][Rose]

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