Carlos Alcaraz is the new champion in Qatar, having beaten Arthur Fils in record time.
Having struggled his way to the final by his standards, the Spaniard was clearly saving his best performance for last.
Sadly for his opponent, he was powerless to stop the world number one, who played a faultless match. It was over in just 50 minutes.
He spoke after the match and had sympathy for Arthur Fils after what remains a very impressive week as he continues his return from injury.
However, Carlos Alcaraz was unsurprisingly elated with his own level.
Carlos Alcaraz’s championship speech after winning the Qatar Open title
Alcaraz began by rating his sensational start to the 2026 season, having now extended his winning run to 12 matches: “Yeah, it’s been a great start to the year.
“It wasn’t easy, to be honest, because I had to be strong mentally with my team. I’m just really happy and really proud about everything that I’ve done and the positions in the first tournaments of the year.
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“Just playing great tennis, really happy about this week. I think we’ve had a great week. Not only on the court but off the court, it means a lot to me, this trophy. I really want to say thank you to my team over there who make you know a great job.”
He then turned his attention to Fils, claiming: “Arthur. It is a pleasure to share the court with you, man.
“I told you, more than making results and everything, for me, it makes me really happy that I see you on the court once again.
“As you said, I know you struggled physically, you’ve struggled with injuries. I’ve been through that, so, yeah, to be able to, let’s say, forget that and start again, playing such a great day, making finals, makes me really, really happy to share the court, share a locker room, to share the tournament with you. Great job with your team and your family as well.
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“So keep going, and I am sure we’re going to share great moments.”
Alcaraz concluded by expressing his gratitude to the Qatar Open organisers: “Obviously it’s my second time here in Doha, you know, my second year, last year I left the court, you know, a little bit unhappy. leaving in the quarter finals.
“But one thing that I can remember from last year is the love, the love of the people, the support that I received every day that I stepped on the court. It’s amazing.
“So for me, that’s the most important thing, and that’s what I’m going to keep, you know, the warm welcome that I receive every year that I come here, they make me feel at home.
“So I can’t wait to come back next year, for sure.”
Can anybody stop Carlos Alcaraz in this kind of form?
Fils, before this match, was enjoying a sensational run of form in just his third tournament back from injury.
Few expected him to win, but with the physical gifts and technical brilliance he boasts, many are justifiably tipping the 21-year-old to perhaps make the step up to challenge Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the coming years.
However, today, he was light-years away from the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
He didn’t even play poorly, but simply had the racket taken out of his hands.
It begs the question: can anybody stop Alcaraz in this kind of form?
The top-ranked player in the world has yet to lose in 2026, and given Sinner’s patchy start to the year, it really feels like this could be a landmark campaign for Alcaraz where he truly establishes himself as the dominant force on the ATP Tour.
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