COMPETING for the first time since his grueling Australian Open semifinal loss last month, second-seeded Jannik Sinner cruised into the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Czechia’s Tomas Machac on Monday (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, PH time), according to a report from Reuters.
Sinner, who entered the year as the two-time defending champion in Melbourne before falling in a five-set epic to Novak Djokovic, showed no signs of a “hangover” in his return. The Italian was clinical throughout the match, committing only nine unforced errors and never facing a single break point.
Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, the 2023 Doha champion, also cruised through the first round with a 6-4, 6-2 win over China’s Shang Juncheng.
Sixth seed Jakub Mensik defeated British qualifier Jan Choinski 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-4.
Meanwhile, Alexei Popyrin, Arthur Fils, and Valentin Royer also advanced to the next round, Reuters also reported.
Lajovic advances
Over in Brazil, Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic reached the Rio Open last 16 with a 6-4, 7-6 (7) victory over seventh seed Daniel Altmaier of Germany.
Lajovic, who earned a place in the main draw as a lucky loser, won 79 percent of points on his first serve and took 12 of 14 points at the net to prevail in two hours and two minutes on the outdoor clay court of the Jockey Club Brasileiro.
World No. 54 Altmaier hit eight aces but made 38 unforced errors and won just 39 percent of points on his second serve.
Lajovic, who is ranked 129th, will meet either Tomas Barrios Vera of Chile or Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the next round of the ATP 500 event.
In other first-round matches, Czech Vit Kopriva overcame local favorite Gustavo Heide 6-2, 7-6 (5), Alejandro Tabilo of Chile beat American Emilio Nava 6-3, 6-3, and Argentine Thiago Tirante defeated Chile’s Cristian Garin 7-5, 6-3. / LBG with Xinhua