Lorenzo Musetti.
Doha: Lorenzo Musetti and Carlos Alcaraz will lead the Next Gen ATP charge in the Australian Open qualifying draw, which kicks off in Doha from today due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Doha hosts 128 players and other officials who will be converging in the Qatari capital for the 2021 Australian Open qualifiers which get underway today at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
Ahead of the four-day event, being held outside of Australia for the first time in its 116 years history, the venue has been transformed to feature a new appearance and looks splendidly radiant.
The Next Gen ATP Finals contenders will aim to reach the main draw at a Grand Slam for the first time, in just their second Grand Slam qualifying appearances. Musetti came within one victory of a place in the Australian Open main draw last year, but fell short with a straight-sets loss to Tallon Griekspoor.
Since then, the Italian has soared more than 200 positions in the ATP Rankings. During a breakthrough run on home soil last year, Musetti stunned Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, captured his maiden ATP Challenger Tour trophy in Forli and advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final in Sardinia.
Carlos Alcaraz. ATP
The 18-year-old, who is the second youngest player in the Top 200, will meet Botic Van de Zandschulp in his opening match. Musetti shares his section of the qualifying draw with 32nd seed Blaz Rola of Slovenia. Rola will face 2014 Roland Garros semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in his first match.
In one of the most exciting sections of the draw, third seed Aslan Karatsev will face Next Gen American Brandon Nakashima. Karatsev, a four-time Challenger finalist last year (2-2), and Nakashima are both aiming compete in the Australian Open main draw for the first time.
Former Australian Open finalist Robin Haase will compete in the first round of the qualifying tournament for this year's edition of the tournament against Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, the number 6 on the placement list, the official draw revealed yesterday.
A total of sixteen qualifying slots are up for grabs in Doha, with winners earning a spot in the Australian Open main draw to be held from February 8 to 21 in Melbourne.
The ticket-free tournament is open to all, and spectators will be allowed in on a first-come, first-served basis as only 30 percent stadium capacity is allowed in line with the essential health protocols and guidelines occasioned by the prevailing global COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament is scheduled to be overseen by 64 Line umpires, 18 chair umpires and five management officials drawn from across the world.
Meanwhile, the Local Organising Committee in coordination with Tennis Australia is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to ensure that the tournament is held under the strictest health and safety condition.
To ensure this, all the members of the organizing committee, staff, and volunteers have undergone a PCR test to protect all the participants’ safety.
Another round of PCR test scheduled for everyone involved in the tournament was held yesterday.
Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) Board Member, Karim Alami, said, “We are impressed with the level of our preparations and readiness for The qualifiers of the 2021 Australian Open. Qatar’s reputation as a history-maker, especially in sports, is well-known globally, and we are happy that we are about to add to the long list of our sporting achievements with this event. All the participants are assured of a safe, conducive and well-organised environment at this event, and we look forward to welcoming everyone.”
Live scoring and live streaming of qualifying where available will be hosted via ausopen.com and the AO app.
