Carlos Alcaraz converted his sixth match point to seal a dramatic win over Andrey Rublev to reach the Qatar Open final as Elina Svitolina defeated Coco Gauff in a marathon encounter to reach the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.World No 1 Alcaraz battled for a gripping 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 victory under the lights to extend his perfect start to 2026 to 11 matches.
The 22-year-old, who captured the Australian Open crown in January to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, remained calm under pressure to advance to the final in Doha for the first time.
Alcaraz reaches his first Doha final
He’s now reached the final or better in 12 of his last 13 events11 wins, 0 losses in 202634th career finalA perfect start to the year!
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Alcaraz was in buoyant mood after beating Rublev to reach the Qatar Open final
“I know what I am able to do every time I step on the court, what I am capable of doing,” Alcaraz said.”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.”
A struggling Rublev made 14 unforced backhand errors in the first set, but outwitted Alcaraz with precise forehands that nicked the baseline as both players broke the other twice each to go into a tie-break.
Alcaraz held his nerve to go 6-3 up as a frustrated Rublev repeatedly smashed the racket on his left knee, breaking a string.
Seven-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz then pretended to slice but landed a forehand down the sideline to win the first set.Alcaraz broke Rublev twice to go 5-3 up in the second set and was serving for the match when the world No 14 saved three match points to break back.But Alcaraz pushed to break again for victory in the next game, and finally converted his sixth match point when Rublev’s backhand landed wide.Czech star Jakub Mensik takes on Frenchman Arthur Fils in the second semi-final later on Friday.Tale of the Tape
Gauff wins EPIC tie-break…
2026-02-20 20:35:00
