Carlos Alcaraz saves 2 points in Doha opener, but spins magic with win in strong field of 150 | ATP Tour

Doha

Alcaraz saves 2 points in opening Doha, but spins magic to win on strong 150 court

Spanish books collide with R2 and Royer; Khachanov, Tsitsipas advance to Qatari ATP 500

February 17, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz ensured he matched rival Jannik Sinner’s fast start at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, although the top seed was forced to go deep in his opening test on Tuesday in Doha.

Competing in his first outing since becoming a junior to complete the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the 22-year-old battled Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 7-6(5). Alcaraz saved two match points in a tense second set before winning in a break to secure his victory on the tough 150-level court and extend his unblemished start to the 2026 season to 8-0.

Another week, another surprising step 🤯@carlosalcaraz #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/4ydoRtmeyH

– ATP Tour (@atptour) February 17, 2026

“It was really tough,” Alcaraz said after his one-hour, 47-minute win. “Arthur is a really dangerous player. Nobody wants to play him in the first round… I’m happy with the level. I’m glad I got through the tough times in the game. I’m glad I stayed down [and] beautiful, and played good tennis.”

Alcaraz showed off the full range of his shots, but it was his signature drop volley that stole the spotlight. He hit three impressive winners with a critical touch in the opening set alone and won an impressive 76 percent (16/21) of his total points.

In the second set, Rinderknech picked up his intensity and served with precision to push the match into the break. The 6’5” Frenchman couldn’t keep up that momentum, however, as Alcaraz tightened his focus to secure his fourth straight stoppage victory.

This week, Alcaraz aims to improve on last year’s result in Doha, where he fell to Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals. The number 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will next meet Frenchman Valentin Royer. Alcaraz can only meet the second seed Sinner – past Tomas Machac on Monday – in the championship match, which will be the 17th chapter of their exciting rivalry.

Before that, Alcaraz could face a quarter-final match with Karen Khachanov – one of the tournament’s three champions – after the 2024 winner battled lucky loser Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. Seventh-seeded Khachanov meets Marton Fucsovics in the second round.

Stefanos Tsitsipas kicked off his Doha campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Tunisian wildcard Moez Echargui, booking a popcorn second-round match with 2023 winner and long-time rival Daniil Medvedev. Tsitsipas is 4-10 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series, although they haven’t met since Shanghai in 2024.

Jiri Lehecka, Zizou Bergs, Fabian Marozsan and Zhang Zhizhen also improved on Tuesday. Lehecka got past Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-3, Bergs defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, Marozsan defeated Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-1 and Zhang defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-4.