DOHA/WASHINGTON, February 21, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
Carlos Alcaraz capped an impressive, near-perfect week in Doha and became just the fourth player to win the ATP 500 Qatar ExxonMobil Open while ranked World No. 1.
On Saturday evening, the 22-year-old Spaniard won his first title in the Qatari capital city with his 6-2, 6-1 victory over 40th-ranked Arthur Fils of France. To the winner went the iconic golden falcon trophy, less than three weeks after winning his seventh major title in Melbourne.
Following his run to the Australian Open crown last month, in which he became the youngest man in the tennis history to complete a career Grand Slam, the top-seeded Alcaraz increased his winning streak to 12 – he’s undefeated in 2026 – with his convincing and one-sided title victory over the unseeded Fils. It was his third career triumph over the Frenchman in three meetings.
Another one. @carlosalcaraz #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/GaP1uEVTU4
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 21, 2026
Alcaraz, who has compiled a 68-5 win-loss record since last April, including 30-0 on outdoor hard courts, has become the fifth player to win nine ATP 500 titles since the series began in 2009.
“I came this year hungry for more,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview after his title triumph, in reference to being eliminated in the quarterfinal round at Doha last year. “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. I feel like the job’s finished.”
Undefeated in 2026.@carlosalcaraz #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/kfFsQkujhU
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 21, 2026
En route to garnering his first the Doha title, Alcaraz compiled impressive wins over No. 30 Arthur Rinderknech of France; No. 60 Valentin Royer of France; World No. 17 and ninth seed Karen Khachanov of Russia, the only player to win a set against Alcaraz ; World No. 14 and fifth seed Andrey Rublev, and Fils.
As it happened, the first set was completed very quickly by Alcaraz, who raced to a double-break 5-1 lead by performing at such a high level, both from the baseline and at the net. He closed out the 27-minute set by dropping just two points on his first serve while compiling five winners.
Then, Alcaraz broke Fils in consecutive service games to jump out to a set and double-break 3-0 lead after just 36 minutes. It prompted an outburst from the angry Frenchman, who broke his racquet in frustration after slamming it several times into the hard court. He drew a warning from chair umpire Nico Helwerth but the damage was already done – literally and figuratively.
OUT OF THIS WORLD!
Carlos Alcaraz finishes with a flourish to capture his crown in Doha @carlosalcaraz #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/F8E5r5N9zc
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 21, 2026
Soon, Alcaraz consolidated another break for a 4-0 lead in the second set before Fils finally held serve and received polite applause from the Center Court fans at Khalifa Tennis Complex – and he raised his arms in trying to pump up the crowd even more. Then, ahead 5-1, Alcaraz set up match point on Fils’ serve with a blistering forehand winner. At last, he won the 50-minute final with an eighth-shot cross-court winner. It was his 18th winner of the final – and, arguably, his most emphatic one of the evening.
By the conclusion of the championship final, Alcaraz had won 89 percent (24 of 27) of his first-serve points, hit five aces and 18 winners overall, and committed just nine unforced errors. He faced no break points on his serve, converted five of seven opportunities and outpointed Fils 52-24. Meanwhile, Fils ended the title match with just three winners to his credit while making 19 unforced errors. He won just 45 percent (14 of 31) of his first-serve points.
16 – @rogerfederer
15 – @RafaelNadal
14 – @DjokerNole
9 – @carlosalcaraz
9 – @andy_murraySome elite company in ATP 500 title leaders @QatarTennis | #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/4awZwZeil0
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 21, 2026
While it may be premature to compare Fils with other French greats of the Open Era like Yannick Noah, Richard Gasquet and Henri Leconte, it’s not too early to elevate the 21-year-old up there among the current generation of French men’s players such Gaël Monfils, Ugo Humbert and Adrian Mannarino. Fils has won three ATP Tour titles – he’s now 3-2 in finals – and two of his titles have come at the ATP 500 level – both in 2024 at Hamburg and Tokyo.
Although his play against Alcaraz was below par compared to his earlier wins this week against No. 56 Kamil Majchrzak of Poland, No. 72 Quentin Halys of France, No. 22 and eighth seed Jiri Lehecka of Czechia and World No. 16 and sixth seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia, Fils seems mostly headed on the right track after returning to the ATP Tour after missing eight months due to a stress fracture in his lower back. It will be interesting to see how his season progresses under the tutelage of Goran Ivanisevic, who joined the Fils team on a trial basis this week in Doha. He’ll head to Dubai next week ranked No. 33, which puts him just behind Rinderknech as the French No. 2.
So good to have you back, Arthur! #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/4TxRhUpZYV
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 21, 2026
Meanwhile, Alcaraz improved to 26-8 in ATP Tour title matches. He’s 12-0 versus younger opponents and 25-3 versus Frenchmen in his career. He’s the fourth Spanish champion in tournament history and the first since Robert Bautista Agut won in 2022.
“It been a great start to the year,” Alcaraz said during the trophy ceremony. He will take some time off before returning to the Tour at Indian Wells for the ATP Masters 1000 in the California palm desert. “It wasn’t easy, to be honest. I had to be strong mentally with my team. I’m really happy with everything I’ve [accomplished] during the season so far. I’m playing great tennis and this week was a great one on and off the court. This trophy means a lot to me and I want to say thank you to my team.”
World No. 1 Vibes @carlosalcaraz | #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/LrpyVCurBJ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 21, 2026
Around the Khalifa Tennis Complex
• With Carlos Alcaraz advancing to this year’s Doha final, it represented the ninth time in tournament history that a Spaniard played for title and Alcaraz was the fifth different Spaniard.
Besides Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut was a three-time finalist (2019, 2021-22) and so was Rafael Nadal (2010, 2014, 2016). David Ferrer was a 2015 finalist and Felix Mantilla reached the final in 2002.
• Among Spanish men, Alcaraz is seventh in most finals reached during the Open Era with 33. Rafael Nadal is the leader with 131.
By the numbers
Carlos Alcaraz improved his career head-to-head against Arthur Fils to 3-0. He’s also won 30 straight outdoor hard-court matches – a run which includes two major titles at the 2025 US Open and 2026 Australian Open.
“Quotable …”
“I want to thank the crowd. I’m very sorry about the final. I know it was a bit short. … It’s been eight long months with my injury, a long time. In times like this, you just have to think about the last eight months, where I was struggling and not playing tennis. I just want to thank my team. Today was not the day but I think we’ve done a hell of a job.”
– Finalist Arthur Fils of France, from his runner-up speech during the trophy ceremony.
