- WORLD NO. 1 WINS NINTH ATP 500 TITLE AS HE FLIES PAST FILS FOR HIS MAIDEN DOHA WIN
He came. He saw. He conquered. Top seed Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Doha last week seeking his first Qatar Open title. Six days into the hugely popular tournament on the ATP Tour, Alcaraz stormed to his maiden trophy in Doha yesterday when he crushed young Frenchman Arthur Fils in straight sets in the one-sided final.
Producing winners almost at will, Alcaraz won 6-2, 6-1 in just 50 minutes at a packed centre court of the iconic Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Alcaraz fired five aces in his slick display of attacking tennis from the baseline.
Alcaraz, 22, got richer by a staggering amount of $529,945 reserved for the Doha winner.
Fils took home $285,095 for his brilliant run to the final watched by around 7,000 fans yesterday.
It was Alcaraz’s 26th title win on the ATP Tour. By virtue of his impressive tactics yesterday, Alcaraz is now 12-0 for the 2026 season that also includes the Australian Open win three weeks ago.
Yesterday’s title triumph marked Alcaraz’s ninth ATP 500 trophy. Alcaraz has now drawn level with former World No. 1 Andy Murray of Great Britain for the fourth-highest tally in the category that was launched in 2009.
“I came this year hungry for more,” said Alcaraz, who fell in the Doha quarter-finals in 2025. “I think after every tournament, we just have to set new goals. I’m just really happy and proud of everything I have done with my team on and off the court,” Alcaraz said before the fireworks show at the Centre Court.
“It’s been a really strong start to the year. It wasn’t easy… I had to be strong mentally with my team. I’m just playing great tennis and I’m really happy about this week. This trophy means a lot to me,” Alcaraz said with his trademark smile across his face.
NOT AN EASY FIELD IN DOHA
The Doha field wasn’t an easy one to conquer but Alcaraz didn’t seem too bothered.
With three past champions in Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev in the field besides the presence of arch-rival Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz was only stretched in the quarter-finals.
In the last-eight clash on Thursday, Khachanov pulled a set off Alcaraz but apart from that blip, the Spaniard stormed to his maiden Qatar Open glory with sublime ease.
Alcaraz yesterday received the trophy from Olympic Council of Asia President and Chairman of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani.
Qatar Tennis Federation president Nasser al-Khelaifi was also present at the trophy ceremony held on the Centre Court.
Despite the crushing defeat in the final yesterday, French tennis standout Fils will remember his week at the Qatar Open.
The tournament marked a significant milestone in Fils’ ongoing comeback as he reached his first Tour-level final since winning the Tokyo title in 2024.
Despite falling to the world No. 1 in yesterday’s championship match, the former World No. 14 demonstrated a strong return to form following his extended injury layoff.
“It’s been eight long months with my injury,” said Fils. “So in a time like this, you just have to think about the last eight months when I was struggling, not playing tennis. I just want to thank my team… Today was not the day but I think we did a hell of a job,” Fils added.
Fils will next travel to the United Arab Emirates to compete in the ATP 500 in Dubai. The draw has set up an immediate rematch with Jiri Lehecka, whom the Frenchman recently defeated in the Doha quarter-finals.