Crime and punishment: what the Jannik Sinner saga tells us about tennis, doping and inequality

The sport is split in its reaction to the circumstances surrounding the World No. 1s suspension. At the heart of the debate is the perceived opaqueness and favouritism that many players feel the issue reeks of. Is such a strong reaction justified? And can the playing field be levelled?

Alexis Galarneau knocks out defending champion Valentin Vacherot

Carlos Alcaraz dumped out by Jiri Lehecka in Qatar Open quarters

DOHA: Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of the Qatar Open in the quarter-finals on Thursday after losing to Jiri Lehecka, the Spaniard heading for the exit along with second seed Alex de Minaur. Top seed Alcaraz dropped the first set before recovering to level, and then led by a break in the decider, but world number 25 Lehecka won the final four games for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Alcaraz entered the clash on a seven-match winning streak following his triumph in Rotterdam earlier this month but ran into trouble against a confident Lehecka, who won his second career title in Brisbane to start the year. Honestly, I don't know what I could have done better, said Alcaraz. I have to give credit to him as well, because when he was down, especially in the third set, he didn't give up. He was returning pretty well, really aggressively, no mistakes, or almost no mistakes. The 23-year-old Lehecka will play British eighth seed Jack Draper on Friday for a place in the final. The Czech is through to the last four in Doha for the second time. I feel great, said Lehecka. To win a match like that against a player like this is a super big achievement. I believed in myself and knew I had the level to produce this kind of tennis. I think the most important part was I believed in my game and did not back down. Draper battled back to beat Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the last of the quarter-finals. Berrettini, a former world number six and Wimbledon runner-up, had knocked out Novak Djokovic in the second round. Andrey Rublev converted his eighth match point against De Minaur to take his place in the semi-finals. The Russian, a Qatar winner in 2020, had to dig deep to down the Australian 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (10/8). Fifth-seeded Rublev let slip a 5-2 lead in the final set as De Minaur scrambled back into contention to force a tiebreak. Rublev finally got over the line, the 27-year-old saving a match point himself in a memorable quarter-final clash. When I had my first match point, I played really well, said Rublev. I did everything amazing and he just played an unreal rally. He made the backhand down the line and I played a good volley. Then he makes a forehand pass down the line. In most of the matches, normally after these points, they win - it's a turning (point). I then started to get a bit more tight and more emotional, I was a bit unlucky. Then when I lost my serve, I said 'Okay, whatever, if I'm gonna lose, at least just try to do your best until the end'. This was his first win against a top-10 player since August last year. Rublev's reward for his fourth semi-final appearance in Qatar is a meeting with Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian was leading his quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev 6-3 when the Russian had to retire.

Ugo Blanchet ousts Kyrian Jacquet

Murray to continue as Djokovics coach likely through French Open

Djokovic and Murray joined forces ahead of the Australian Open in what initially was seen as an unlikely pairing.

Emma Raducanu approaches umpire in tears and a man is ejected during a second-round match in Dubai

DUBAI: It was concern over a man who'd exhibited fixated behavior that caused Emma Raducanu to approach the chair umpire in tears and take an unscheduled break in her second-round match at the Dubai Championships. There was no immediate explanation Tuesday when the 2021 U.S. Open champion walked over to the umpire after the second game, said a few words and then stood in a small space between the back of the official's chair and the area separating the court from spectators. Raducanu, who was still a teenager in 2022 when a man in Britain was convicted of stalking her at her family home the previous year, returned to play after a brief pause at 2-0 down and eventually lost 7-6 (6), 6-4 to 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova. Several hours later, organizers of the women's tennis tour issued a statement explaining that Raducanu was approached in a public space Monday y a man who exhibited fixated behavior and his same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma's match on Tuesday ... and subsequently ejected. He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment. The chair umpire called tournament organizers immediately when Raducanu reported her concerns in the first set and Muchova walked over to console the 22-year-old British player. Raducanu then picked up a towel, wiped her face, nodded and continued the match. She didn't immediately comment on the incident. The WTA said it was working with Raducanu and her team o ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support. Raducanu rose to fame in 2021 by winning the U.S. Open as a qualifier, one of the the most unlikely achievements in tennis. She hasn't advanced past the third round at a major since then and has spent long stints recovering from injuries.

Manas goes down fighting to top seed Harris

Alcaraz beats Cilic in straight sets to advance at Qatar Open

Alcaraz will play either Zhang Zhizhen of China or Italy's Luca Nardi next.