Thiem ruled out of Qatar Open semi final
World Number 5 pulls out of Doha semi final with Gael Monfils with a fever
Gael Monfils is set to partake in his fourth Qatar ExxonMobil Open final. After top seed, Dominic Thiem pulled out of their semifinal match through Illness. The news was confirmed by the Qatar Tennis Federation just a few hours before Theim was to take part in his match at the Khalifa tennis & squash complex in Doha.
Thiem had not dropped a set in the tournament so far and had looked firm favourite to lift his maiden Qatar ExxonMobil Open crown, especially after all of the seeded players had been eliminated by the quarter-final stage. However, sickness has sidelined the Austrian ranked fifth in the world from taking part in what would have been his first ever semifinal at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
With Thiem ruled out, it means that Monfils who has appeared in the Doha final on three previous occasions will grace the Doha final for the fourth time. The flamboyant French star, who is appearing in his first major tournament since the 2017 American open, has never won the Qatar Open, and will be hoping for better luck when he takes on either Guido Pella or Andrey Rublev in the Saturday final.