World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz saved two set points to beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 7-6(5) in the first round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The 22-year-old Spaniard marked his return from the Australian Open with his 150th hard-court win and an 8-0 start to the 2026 season. Alcaraz next faces Valentin Royer.
Carlos Alcaraz began his Qatar ExxonMobil Open campaign with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Arthur Rinderknech on Tuesday in Doha. The top seed, competing at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, faced his first match since winning the Australian Open and becoming the youngest man to complete a Career Grand Slam by defeating Novak Djokovic in Melbourne.
Alcaraz broke Rinderknech at 2-2 in the first set and sealed it 6-4 with a deft volley. The second set proved tense, as the world No. 30 Frenchman earned two set points at 6-5 while Alcaraz served. The Spaniard saved both and won the tie-break, closing with a forehand down the line. He produced 28 winners and won 76 percent of his net points, including three drop volleys in the opener.
“It was really difficult,” Alcaraz said. “Arthur is a really dangerous player. Nobody wants to play against him in the first round… I’m happy with the level. I’m happy that I got through difficult moments in the match. I’m happy that I stayed calm [and] positive, and played great tennis.” At the net, Rinderknech lightheartedly asked, “One time you’ll let me win?” This extends Alcaraz's head-to-head edge over Rinderknech to 5-0.
The win marks Alcaraz's 150th at tour level on hard courts. He aims to surpass last year's quarter-final exit to Jiri Lehecka. In the second round, he meets Frenchman Valentin Royer, who advanced by beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-0, 6-3. Jannik Sinner, the No. 2 seed, awaits potentially in the final after beating Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4 on Monday.
Other results included Andrey Rublev's 6-4, 6-3 win over Jesper de Jong, Stefanos Tsitsipas's 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Moez Echargui, and Karen Khachanov's 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory against Shintaro Mochizuki.
