DOHA/WASHINGTON, February 20, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
Two years ago, Arthur Fils of France won the 2024 ATP 500 Bonus Pool after going 17-4 on the ATP 500 level during the season, which was highlighted by titles won in Hamburg and Tokyo.
Now, after missing much of the second half of the 2025 season due to a stress fracture in his lower back that required surgery, Fils has mounted a nice comeback in the past three weeks since his return to the ATP Tour. It began with a quarterfinal finish in Montpellier, continued with a tough but competitive first-round loss to eventual-champion Alex de Minaur in Rotterdam, and this week, the 21-year-old Frenchman has reached the final of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. He’s won four straight matches without dropping a set. He also added Novak Djokovic’s former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, to his team on a trial basis – and it’s already paying dividends for the young French player.
On Friday evening, the 40th-ranked Fils garnered his first Top-20 victory of the season over World No. 16 and sixth seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in one hour and 35 minutes on Center Court at the Khalifa Tennis Complex.
He’s back!
Arthur Fils defeats Jakub Mensik 6-4 7-6 to reach a 5th ATP Tour final #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/iwRcZaULgL
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 20, 2026
Fils hit 19 winners – including five aces – made only 11 unforced errors and saved seven of eight break points he faced from Mensik, this year’s Auckland titlist, who upset World No. 2 and second seed Jannik Sinner of Italy a day earlier. Fils broke Mensik’s serve twice in five tries and outpointed his opponent 75-69. The Czech No. 1 countered with 21 winners – including eight aces – and committed 13 unforced errors.
“It’s been a tough journey,” Fils said during his on-court interview. “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.”
What it means! #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/Y7FlFSPRze
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 20, 2026
The victory leveled Fils’ career win-loss record at 19-19 against Top-20 opponents. His win over Mensik represents his first Top 20 victory since defeating then-No. 19 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the third round at Rome last year.
Now, Fils, who has risen to No. 33 on the PIF ATP Live Rankings, is through to his fifth career ATP Tour final – and first one since winning the Tokyo title in 2024, his last tour-level final appearance. He’s the first French finalist at Doha since Corentin Moutet in 2020.
Alcaraz dethrones defending champion Rublev
On Saturday evening, Fils will face World No. 1 and top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain for the Doha title. The 22-year-old Spaniard remained undefeated (11-0) in 2026 after defeating World No. 14 and defending champion Andrey Rublev of Russia, 7-6 (3), 6-4, in two hours and two minutes, in the first semifinal Friday evening.
Alcaraz overcame his inability to twice serve out the opening set, then saw a 3-0 lead evaporate in the second set. Still, he remained calm and showed his ability to exude steadiness under pressure.
By the end of the semifinal clash, Alcaraz fought through 33 unforced errors by hitting 29 winners, compared with 21 winners and 30 unforced errors by Rublev. Alcaraz converted five of 11 break points and saved nine of 13 break points he faced from Rublev. Alcaraz outpointed his opponent 91-83.
What a match that was
Alcaraz takes out Rublev 7-6 6-4 in an shotmaking EPIC!@carlosalcaraz #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/pX92anTTIC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 20, 2026
“I know what I am able to do every time I step on the court, what I am capable of doing,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview after being asked if what he does ever amazes himself. “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.”
Meanwhile, it took Alcaraz six match points to finally put away Rublev, a two-time Doha champion, who won Doha titles in 2020 and 2025 and was attempting to reach his fourth final in Qatar. Had he been successful, it would have joined him with Andy Murray (5) and Gaël Monfils (4) as the only players to have reached that magical figure. Had he won, he would have been the 10th player in tournament history to reach back-to-back title matches. Instead, Alcaraz’s triumph insures that a new Doha champion is crowned Saturday evening.
As for Alcaraz, he’s through to his 34th tour-level final, where he’s compiled a 25-8 win-loss record. Since March 2024, the 22-year-old Spaniard is 18-1 in semifinals. By advancing to the Doha final, he’s the fifth different Spanish finalist in Doha.
2025:
Monte-Carlo
Barcelona
Rome
Roland-Garros
Queen’s
Wimbledon
Cincinnati
US Open
Tokyo
Paris 2R
Nitto ATP Finals2026:
Australian Open
Doha /TWELVE finals in 13 tournaments for @CarlosAlcaraz pic.twitter.com/92Xh18RXxw
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Fils looks forward to the challenge of facing Alcaraz, whom he has lost both of his previous meetings against the seven-time major champion.
“If you believe, then maybe you can do it, so I believe 100 percent,” Fils said. “Let’s see tomorrow on the court, but for sure I am coming on court to fight.”
Heliovaara and Patten win second doubles title of young season
Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten of Great Britain capped a perfect week in Doha by capturing their second ATP Tour doubles title of the season on Friday afternoon. The No. 3 seeds saved seven break points and defeated No. 1 seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool of Great Britain, 6-3, 6-3, in the 69-minute final to finish with a 4-0 week in which they did not drop any sets en route to winning the ATP 500 title.
It was the sixth meeting between the Finn/British duo and the Great Britain pair and after Friday’s title victory, Heliovaara and Patten improved to 2-4.
DOUBLES DELIGHT IN DOHA
Heliovaara and Patten secure the trophy #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/EpZJ5PpTSy
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 20, 2026
Heliovaara and Patten, who have won 10 ATP Tour crowns since debuting as a team in 2024, improved to 10-1 this season and have won both of their 2026 titles on hard courts. They began the season by winning the Adelaide crown. They joined Montpellier and Dallas title winners Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti of France as the only teams to win multiple doubles titles. Meanwhile, Cash and Glasspool, who won seven titles last season, dropped to 8-4.
“We finished the end of 2025 really strong and just to keep that form in 2026, it’s been a dream six months for us,” Heliovaara said. He and Patten won their first Nitto ATP Finals trophy last November. “With Henry, it’s always lovely to play. I had my family here in Doha this week — my wife and two kids — so it’s always special to travel with them.”
By the numbers
While it’s been a year and a half since Jannik Sinner lost before the final at two consecutive tournaments – in 2024 at Wimbledon and the ATP Masters 1000 in Montreal – the World No. 2 from Italy has gone 138-14 since the start of the 2024 season. That’s a 90.8 percent winning percentage.
Since losing in the Montreal quarterfinals in 2024, Sinner has played in 19 tournaments and advanced to the final in 15 of them – winning 10 titles. His five championship-match defeats all came against Carlos Alcaraz.
“Quotable …”
“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.”
– Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, during his post-match on-court interview after advancing to the Doha final with his semifinal victory over Andrey Rublev on Friday.
