Jannik Sinner’s Qatar Open campaign was brought to an early end when he lost to Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals.
Seeded second at the ATP 500 competition, Sinner only went as far as the last eight, where he fell to Mensik in three sets.
The Italian picked up just two wins in Doha, having beaten Tomas Machac and former Masters champion Alexei Popyrin.
Mensik secured the decisive third set to come through the test against Sinner, but was knocked out in the next round by Arthur Fils.
Is Arthur Fils a genuine threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
A day after the defeat, Sinner took to social media to send a message to his conqueror.
Jannik Sinner’s message to the Qatar Open fans and Jakub Mensik
In a post on Instagram, Sinner said: “Thank you, Doha. Congrats to @mensik.jakub on a great match.
“The journey continues. See you all soon again.”
The clash between Sinner and Mensik was the very first in their head-to-head, with the Czech star earning his fourth top five win.
Mensik also became the first player ranked outside the top ten to beat Sinner on a hard court since Ben Shelton at the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
Is it time to start worrying about Jannik Sinner yet?
He has not looked himself in 2026…
Jannik Sinner’s next best chance to close in on Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings
Following the conclusion of the Middle East swing, Sinner’s next best chance to close in on his rival, Carlos Alcaraz, at the top of the ATP rankings will come in the ‘Sunshine Double’ of the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open.
Sinner did not compete in either Indian Wells or Miami last year due to a suspension, meaning there will be plenty of points up for grabs for him.
Though Alcaraz did appear at both events, the Spaniard was knocked out in the semifinals of Indian Wells and the second round in Miami.
Alcaraz is currently ranked first with 13,150 points, while Sinner trails behind in second with a total of 10,300.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
