Carlos Alcaraz advances to the second round of the Qatar Open with hard-fought victory over Rinderknech By Bruna
3 min read
 |
Carlos Alcaraz debuted with victory at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, ATP 500 tournament held in Doha. The world ranking leader defeated the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-4 and 7-6 (7/5) in the first round, in a game played on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Essa was the Spaniard’s first match since winning the Aberto of the The match lasted 1 hour and 47 minutes and kept Alcaraz undefeated for the season, now with eight consecutive victories.
The match started evenly in the first set. Alcaraz achieved the decisive break in the fifth game and managed the advantage to close the partial at 6-4. In the second set, the Frenchman increased the pressure and created two break opportunities when the Spaniard served to take the decision to a tie-break. Alcaraz saved both break points and took the set to a tiebreaker, where he won 7/5 with a parallel forehand at the decisive point.
After the game, Alcaraz recognized the difficulty of the confrontation. Ele highlighted the quality of the opponent and the importance of maintaining focus in the debut after an Grand Slam. The victory represented the Spaniard’s 150th triumph on hard courts on the ATP Tour and reinforced his consistency at the start of 2026.
Main numbers of the match
- Alcaraz converted 76% of the points at the net in the first set
- The Spaniard won the fourth tie-break in a row against Rinderknech
- No breaks occurred in the second set other than the initial break
- The match had 12 aces in total (7 from Rinderknech and 5 from Alcaraz)
- Alcaraz hit 28 winners against his opponent’s 22
Technical performance and strengths
Alcaraz showed good use of the net and varied his shots well during the match. Ele used running forehands to open the game and exploited the Frenchman’s backhand at important moments. Rinderknech responded with powerful serves and aggressive plays, but failed to convert the chances created in the second set.
The Spaniard remained calm in the decisive points. The parallel right on the match point of the tie-break was decisive in ending the match. The audience at Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex watched a high-level technical match.
Next opponent in the bracket
Alcaraz will face Frenchman Valentin Royer in the second round, currently 60th in the rankings. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18th at Doha local time. Royer advanced after winning the first phase and arrives motivated for the duel against the number 1 seed.
The Spaniard’s path could include Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals if both advance. Alcaraz seeks to surpass last year’s performance in the tournament, when they stopped in the quarterfinals. The bracket brings together several elite players and promises intense clashes throughout the week.
Rivalry with Sinner and context of the tournament
Second seed Jannik Sinner also won his opening match against Tomas Machac. Desde May 2024, only Alcaraz and Sinner have won ATP titles in events attended by both. An eventual final between them would be the 17th clash in the rivalry.
Alcaraz chose to skip the Rotterdam tournament the previous week to better prepare for Doha. Qatar Open continues with second round games and daily sessions starting in the morning local time. Andrey Rublev, defending champion, Karen Khachanov and Stefanos Tsitsipas also advanced in the first round.
