Carlos Alcaraz expressed surprise at Jannik Sinner's quarter-final loss to Jakub Mensik at the 2026 Qatar Open. The world No. 1 also commented on reaching Sinner's tally of 66 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. Alcaraz advanced to the final after defeating Andrey Rublev.
The 2026 Qatar Open in Doha saw an unexpected turn when world No. 1 Jannik Sinner fell to world No. 16 Jakub Mensik in the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 event. Sinner, who had been heavily favored alongside Carlos Alcaraz to contest the final, exited earlier than anticipated, marking a surprise for the tournament.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, secured his place in the final with a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory over world No. 14 Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals. He is set to face Arthur Fils, who advanced after beating Mensik in the other semi-final. In his post-match press conference, Alcaraz addressed matching Sinner's achievement of 66 weeks as world No. 1, a milestone his rival had reached previously.
"Well, it’s going to be a great number, obviously," Alcaraz said. He emphasized his focus on maintaining his position at the top for as long as possible and reaching finals consistently. "A goal for me is just to stay in the top as many weeks as I can and trying to play the finals of every tournament, which I’m just really happy that I’m able to do it in the last tournaments."
Alcaraz has held the No. 1 ranking for the last 15 weeks and 23 of the past 24 weeks since his US Open win in September. Sinner briefly occupied the top spot for one week in November. Reflecting on Sinner's loss, Alcaraz admitted, "I mean, I was surprised, I’m not going to lie, I was surprised that Jannik lost. But at the same time, I know what the players are capable of."
He noted Mensik's potential, stating, "There are some players that are really dangerous when they have their day... But when they have their days, they are really, really dangerous and they can beat anybody, including myself. So I was surprised in a way, but at the same time, I wasn’t at all."
Alcaraz expressed satisfaction with his points lead, saying, "I’m just happy to see myself with a big gap on points, but I will try to still focus on it." The seven-time Grand Slam winner continues his strong 2026 season undefeated so far.