WATCH: Jakub Mensik in tears after tough loss to Karen Khachanov at Qatar Open finals

Mensik was playing in his first-ever Tour final but it was Khachanov's day as he fought his way to capture the Qatar Open title.

WATCH: Jakub Mensik in tears after tough loss to Karen Khachanov at Qatar Open finals

Jakub Mensik in tears after his loss in the Qatar Open finals (Image via: Tennis TV's X account)

It is heartbreak and a terrible one for the young Jakub Mensik. Having received a wildcard to enter the main-draw at the 2024 Qatar Open, he justified his wildcard in a fine fashion as he took down big names right from the first round.

He defeated French veteran Gael Monfils 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to reach his maiden finals on the ATP Tour. This guaranteed him a spot inside the Top-100 having played the event ranked 116th. He took on second-seeded Karen Khachanov in the finals and despite a brilliant fight, he couldn’t stop the Russian.

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Khachanov won the tie 7-6(12), 6-4 to win his sixth career title. He saved four set points in the first set and proved why he was the deserving winner in Doha this week. Playing in his eighth final, he did not drop a single set throughout the week and continued the streak in the finals as well.

The two-set match lasted for 1 hour and 49 minutes before the Russian emerged victorious. Having come so close to his maiden title, Mensik was understandably heartbroken and broke down in tears upon the match’s conclusion. The 18-year-old wrapped his head in his towel to contain his tears as he took some time for himself.

Jakub Mensik becomes the youngest player in the Top-100 despite his finals loss

While he will be gutted to return home without the champion’s trophy, there are still positives to take away for the Czech. With his entry into the Top-100, he is now the youngest player in the current crop of players ranked inside the Top-100.

Jakub Mensik
Jakub Mensik (Source: IMAGO)

Apart from this, he had a stellar week. He defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round in three sets before knocking out former World No. 1 Andy Murray in straight-sets. He showed brilliant sportsmanship against the Scot when he suffered a terrible fall on the court.

In the quarter-finals, he took down the top-seed Andrey Rublev in straight-sets. The win made him the youngest player to defeat a Top-5 opponent since Carlos Alcaraz‘s win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2021 US Open.

He can surely hold his head high despite not being the event’s champion.

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