Alcaraz advances undefeated in Doha: Defeats Rublev and goes for the final

The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz continues to demonstrate his dominance in the current season. The world number one extended his winning streak in 2026 by defeating the Russian Andrey Rublev in the semifinals of the Doha tournament, with a score of 7-6 (3) and 6-4. This victory secures their place in the tournament final. This triumph marks Alcaraz’s eleventh consecutive victory of the year, in which he has only lost four sets, demonstrating his excellent form on the circuit.

A high-demand match

Despite Alcaraz’s favorite status, Rublev, the defending champion and world number fourteen, presented an intense match that lasted more than two hours. Alcaraz, although he started with some doubts, demonstrated his mental strength in the crucial moments. After exchanging service breaks in the first set, the partial was defined in a ‘tie break’, where Alcaraz showed more solidity, winning the initial set by 7-6 (3) after an hour and three minutes.

Reaction and closing of the match

In the second set, Alcaraz quickly took the lead with a 3-0, although Rublev responded to tie the score 3-3. Inconsistency affected the Russian tennis player, who conceded his serve again when the score was 5-3.

Rublev tried to resist, saving up to three match points with Alcaraz’s serve. However, the Spaniard’s perseverance prevailed: on his sixth opportunity, and with Rublev serving, Alcaraz secured the victory with a 7-6 (3) and 6-4.

New final for the number one

This result allows Carlos Alcaraz to play the thirty-fourth final of his professional career and the twelfth in the last thirteen tournaments he has played, demonstrating his outstanding consistency. In the final, he will face the winner of the duel between Frenchman Arthur Fils and Czech Jakub Menšík, who eliminated Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. With confidence, talent, and an increasingly strong mindset, Alcaraz continues to lead world tennis at the beginning of 2026.