Carlos Alcaraz opened his run at the Qatar Open with a straight sets victory over Arthur Rinderknech, winning 6–4, 7–6.
The match was Alcaraz’s first since completing the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, and the Spaniard maintained his perfect start to the 2026 season. He is now 8–0 for the year and has beaten Rinderknech in all five of their meetings.
Alcaraz edged the opening set before being pushed into a tight second set tiebreak, where he stayed composed to close out the contest. The win sends him into the round of 16 in Doha for the second time.
After the match, Alcaraz acknowledged the challenge posed by his opponent.
“It was really difficult. Arthur is always a really dangerous player. Nobody wants to play him in the first round,” he said.
“I’m happy with the level and happy I got through. There were difficult moments, but I stayed calm, stayed positive and played good tennis.”
Alcaraz will now look to build on a solid opening performance as he continues his run in Doha.
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