After completing the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the Spanish player continued to maintain impressive form with a 11-match winning streak from the beginning of the season. Against Rublev, Alcaraz had a not-so-easy match when winning with a score of 7-6, 6-4 to participate in the final of an ATP tournament for the 34th time in his career.
In this semi-final, Alcaraz twice missed the opportunity to finish the first set despite serving, and also lost the 3-0 lead in the second set. The world No. 1 player also missed three match points in the 5-3 game before successfully taking advantage of the sixth opportunity to close the match.
Previously in the quarterfinals, Alcaraz also had to play all three sets to overcome Karen Khachanov to advance to the round for the four strongest players.
Alcaraz's opponent in the final is Arthur Fils, who defeated Jakub Mensik with a score of 6-4, 7-6 in the remaining semi-final. Previously, Mensik surprised by eliminating Jannik Sinner - a direct competitor on the ATP rankings with Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
Currently ranked 40th in the world, Fils has just returned after 8 months of rest due to a back injury and has just added former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic to the coaching staff. The French player admitted that the journey was not easy, but is confident that he can create a surprise when facing Alcaraz in the championship match taking place on February 22.
This is also the first time both Alcaraz and Fils have reached the final of the tournament in Doha, in which the Spanish player is temporarily leading 2-0 in head-to-head record.
