The 21-year-old Spaniard let his guard down in the second set, when his Italian opponent fought back from trailing 1-4 to force a decider.

Carlos Alcaraz withstood a spirited fightback from Italian qualifier Luca Nardi to seal his place in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open on Wednesday. At the Australian Open he bumped up against eventual winner Jannik Sinner in the last eight and in Rotterdam earlier this month he went all the way to the final before succumbing in three sets to Alcaraz.

In the Round of 16 at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday, Carlos Alcaraz (ranked No. 3) takes on Luca Nardi (No. 85).Alcaraz secured a two-set victory over Marin Cilic (6-4, 6-4) in the Round

Alcaraz claimed an entertaining point in the fourth game of the second set, landing a volley winner and moving 3-1 in front. The four-time Major winner held at love for a 6-1, 4-1 advantage in 57 minutes. Nardi faced deuces on the return in game six, standing on the verge of exit door.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz was made to work hard at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open yesterday, but the 21 year old held his nerve to fend off a

Carlos Alcaraz (No. 3 ranking) will meet Luca Nardi (No. 85) in the Round of 16 of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday, February 19.Alcaraz has -2500 odds to earn a spot in the quarterfinals

ATP Doha promises plenty of entertaining action with eight second-round matches scheduled and a number of star names in action. As always, we at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate,