Andrey Rublev, the reigning champion at the Qatar ExonMobil Open, was never going to relinquish his title easily as Carlos Alcaraz discovered during their semi-final clash at this year’s event.
I know what I am able to do every time I step on the court, what I am capable of doing Carlos Alcaraz
And despite his strong defence, the Russian had to eventually concede it as the Spanish world No.1 rolled through to claim his 11th consecutive win of the season.
The first set was crucial as he had two chances to serve it out and failed but he battled through and eventually claimed it on the tie break, Alcaraz then slowly gained the ascendancy in the second though he let slip a 3-0 advantage before advancing the final 7-6(5) 6-4 closing it out on his sixth match point after two-hours and two-minutes.
“I know what I am able to do every time I step on the court, what I am capable of doing,” Alcaraz said when asked if he is ever amazed by himself. “The way that I am approaching every match, I’m just really proud about it. It’s something I am trying to be better at and it’s paying off. I’m proud of myself [for] getting better and maturing.”
Commenting on the strong challenge Rublev put up, he added: “If you want to find a solution to a problem, you should find it in a calm place
“It’s something I am working on. When I am playing and getting mad, seeing I’m not at my best, I just get frustrated. That is not the place you will find solutions. In these matches, I have been really calm, thinking clearly and being positive. It’s in those places where you can find the solutions to a problem.”
Having reached his 34th tour-level final, Alcaraz is now chasing his 26th title but the young Frenchman, Arthur Fils, back from a long injury lay-off, is showing enough form to prevent him from achieving that to inflict what would be the Spaniard’s 9th loss in a final.
Arthur Fils isn his first final since recovering from a back injury
(Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
To make the championship match Fils defeated the sixth seed and 2024 finalist Jakub Mensik, last year’s Miami Masters champion who ousted Jannik Sinner in the quarter finals, 6-4 7-5
However, Mensik could not replicate that level against Fils, who is playing just his third event since returning from a back injury, which kept him out for eight months.
“It’s been a tough journey,” said Fils. “Eight months without playing tennis, just watching the other guys battling… Staying in my bed and doing recovery was very long. My team knows how tough it was, but now it feels even better when I am coming back like this. To be back in a final, it means a lot.”
The 21-year-old Frenchman has recently bolstered his team by adding 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic to his coaching staff.
“If you believe, then maybe you can do it, so I believe 100 per cent,” Fils said ahead the final. “Let’s see tomorrow on the court, but for sure I am coming on court to fight.”
