World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz overcame Andrey Rublev 7-6(3), 6-4 in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open semi-final on Friday evening. The 22-year-old Spaniard maintained his perfect 11-0 start to the 2026 season with the victory. Alcaraz will face either Arthur Fils or Jakub Mensik in Saturday's final.
Carlos Alcaraz secured his place in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final by defeating defending champion Andrey Rublev 7-6(3), 6-4 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. The match, which lasted 2 hours and 3 minutes, featured 25 break point opportunities, with Alcaraz converting 13 and Rublev 12.
In the opening set, Alcaraz took an early lead at 5-3 but lost two consecutive service games. He steadied himself to win the tiebreak 7-6(3) after 63 minutes. The second set saw Alcaraz serve for the match at 5-3, only for Rublev, ranked No. 14, to break back and level at 5-5. Alcaraz then held firm, converting his sixth match point to clinch the win.
The victory marks Alcaraz's 34th career final, tying his former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero for the sixth-most finals by a Spanish man in the Open Era. He has now reached the final or better in 12 of his last 13 tournament appearances, with the Rolex Paris Masters as the exception.
Reflecting on his performance, Alcaraz said: “I know what I’m able to do every time that I step on court... For me it’s great. Obviously, the way I’m approaching every match, I’m just really proud about it. I’m trying to be better at that… it’s paying off. All the focus and attention. I’m just happy and proud about myself with how I’m getting better and getting mature I guess.”
Alcaraz, who is within one victory of a 10th consecutive match win, will compete for the title on Saturday against the winner of the match between Frenchman Arthur Fils and Czech Jakub Mensik.
