Doha, Feb 21 (IANS) Carlos Alcaraz had to dig deep against defending champion Andrey Rublev on Friday at the Qatar Open, but the top seed eventually sealed his place in the final after converting his sixth match point in a tense finish.
The World No. 1 claimed a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory in Doha, stretching his unbeaten run in 2026 to 11 matches. Although he failed to close out the opening set on two separate occasions and saw a 3-0 advantage slip in the second, Alcaraz kept his nerve in the key moments to book his first appearance in the Doha ATP 500 final after two hours and two minutes on court.
“I know what I am able to do every time I step on the court, what I am capable of doing. The way that I am approaching every match, I'm just really proud about it. It's something I am trying to be better at, and it's paying off. I'm proud of myself (for) getting better and maturing,” Alcaraz said when asked if he is ever amazed by himself, as quoted by ATP.
The win improved Alcaraz’s head-to-head record against Rublev to 5-1. In Saturday’s final, the Spaniard will take on France’s Arthur Fils as he chases the title.
Since capturing the Australian Open in January, becoming the youngest man to complete a Career Grand Slam, the 22-year-old has carried himself with assurance. Still, his campaign in Doha has tested his resolve. After battling past former champion Karen Khachanov in a three-set quarter-final, Alcaraz was again pushed to his limits by Rublev.
“If you want to find a solution to a problem, you should find it in a calm place. It's something I am working on. When I am playing and getting mad, seeing I'm not at my best, I just get frustrated. That is not the place you will find solutions. In these matches, I have been really calm, thinking clearly and being positive. It's in those places where you can find the solutions to a problem,” Alcaraz added.
Carlos Alcaraz watched a 3-0 cushion disappear in the second set and squandered three match points while serving at 5-3, but he refused to let the momentum shift decisively. When Andrey Rublev threatened with one last surge and earned a break, Alcaraz responded immediately, breaking back without hesitation.
Maintaining his composure in the closing stages, the World No. 1 finally capitalised on his sixth match point to seal victory and advance to his 34th tour-level final. He now holds a 25-8 record in championship matches, ATP reports.
Earlier, Arthur Fils secured his place in the final by overcoming sixth seed Jakub Mensik 6-4, 7-5. The win sends the Frenchman into his first tour-level final since capturing the ATP 500 title in Tokyo in 2024.
Mensik, the reigning Miami champion who stunned World No. 2 Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals, was unable to reproduce that level against Fils. The 21-year-old is playing just his third tournament since returning from an eight-month layoff due to a back injury.
“It’s been a tough journey. Eight months without playing tennis, just watching the other guys battling… Staying in my bed and doing recovery was very long. My team knows how tough it was, but now it feels even better when I am coming back like this. To be back in a final, it means a lot,” Fils said.
Although Mensik erased a break deficit in the second set to push it to a tie-break, Fils, a former World No. 14, held firm to close out the match in straight sets. The Frenchman has recently bolstered his coaching staff by adding Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, to his team.
“If you believe, then maybe you can do it, so I believe 100 per cent. Let's see tomorrow on the court, but for sure I am coming on court to fight,” Fils said ahead of his final with Alcaraz.
--IANS
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