Carlos Alcaraz secured a decisive victory against Arthur Fils in under 50 minutes, preserving his perfect record for 2026 and clinching the Qatar Open title in Doha.
The top-seeded Spaniard, Alcaraz, displayed an unyielding performance throughout the match, capitalizing on five of his seven break point opportunities to overpower France’s Fils with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 scoreline.
This triumph, marking Alcaraz’s swiftest victory in any completed match of his professional career, signifies his twelfth win of the current season and his twenty-sixth overall championship, building on his Australian Open success from the previous month.
“I arrived this year with a stronger ambition,” commented the 22-year-old Alcaraz, who had been eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open during the previous year’s tournament.
“This has been a particularly powerful beginning to the year. The journey wasn’t simple; I needed to maintain mental fortitude alongside my team. My tennis performance is excellent, and I’m genuinely pleased with this week’s outcome. Securing this trophy holds significant personal value.”
His triumph over the unseeded Fils occurs merely three weeks after Alcaraz etched his name in history as the youngest male player ever to achieve a Career Grand Slam in Melbourne.
The player, who now boasts seven Grand Slam titles, established his dominance immediately by breaking Fils’ serve in the opening game, then rapidly concluding the initial set in just 28 minutes.
Alcaraz maintained his overwhelming control into the subsequent set, and achieving a double break to lead 3-0 caused Fils’ temper to erupt, resulting in the French player destroying his racquet.
Fils managed to win a game in his subsequent service turn, eliciting applause from the spectators, yet this proved to be merely a minor relief as Alcaraz’s commanding performance in the exchanges allowed him to ultimately claim the second set in a mere 24 minutes.
Throughout the contest, Alcaraz executed 18 winning shots, significantly more than Fils’ three, and remarkably, he did not allow his opponent any opportunities to break his serve.
This 50-minute triumph surpasses the brevity of the previous year’s fastest final, where Casper Ruud from Norway defeated France’s Ugo Humbert with a 6-2, 6-3 score in 68 minutes at the Nordic Open held in Stockholm.
Fils, currently ranked 40th globally and having been sidelined for roughly eight months last year due to a back ailment, found humor in the situation as he offered praise to Alcaraz.
“Your performance was exceptional; you are an incredible champion, truly astounding,” he stated.
“My congratulations to your entire team and to yourself; you’ve accomplished something extraordinary.”
