After the bad defeat suffered in Marseille last week, the former world number 1 had played two good matches in Doha this week. Daniil was very close to defeat against his compatriot Karen Khachanov, but he was able to react in the most difficult moment and played excellent tennis in the second and third sets.

Felix Auger-Aliassime will compete in the semi-final of the ATP 500 event in Doha. The 24-year-old Canadian played only one sets in the second round and quarter-final, preserving energy for the latter stage of the tournament.

Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime faced off for the seventh time in the semifinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, but they weren’t the only star athletes spotted in Doha on Friday. Formula 1 star George Russell was seen watching the three-set battle from the best seat in the house on Center Court.

Aliassime will face Andrey Rublev in the Qatar Open semifinals after he beat fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev when the latter retired after losing the first set 6-3 on Thursday in Doha.

Aliassime outlasted Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik 7-6(7), 6-7(4), 6-3 during a heated opening-round match Tuesday at the Dubai Tennis Championships. During a first-set tiebreak, Auger-Aliassime called for a video review due to interference from a ball boy.

Felix Auger-Aliassime is into the Doha semifinals after Daniil Medvedev retired from the quarter-final on Thursday with an illness.

Day 3 at the ATP 500 event in Dubai will feature all round of 16 matchups, with quite the star-studded lineup, including last year’s champion Ugo Humbert among many other interesting names.

Third-seeded Andrey Rublev followed up his Qatar Open title with a first-round exit at the Dubai Championships, losing to qualifier Quentin Halys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)