Alex de Minaur will face former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Roman Safiullin as he sets off on his quest to go one better than in Rotterdam and set up another ATP 500 tournament final showdown at the Qatar Open with Carlos Alcaraz.
De Minaur has been seeded No.2 in the Doha hardcourt event, with Spain's top-seeded Alcaraz again his principal hurdle, as the pair set off on their quest to meet each other in a final for the second time in the space of a fortnight.
But there's no guarantees in what looks a loaded field - even in the absence of now banned world No.1 Jannik Sinner - with Alcaraz scheduled to meet Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals in what would be their first clash since their quarter-final epic at the Australian Open, won by the Serb.
