Alcaraz defeats Rublev and maintains his perfect run towards the final in Doha

Sports writing (EFE). – Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz continues to be unstoppable at the start of this season. The world number one extended his unbeaten streak in 2026 after defeating Russian Andrey Rublev in the semifinals by 7-6 (3) and 6-4, securing his place in the final of the Doha tournament.

You may be interested in: Carlos Alcaraz receives in Turin the trophy that accredits him as number 1 in the world in 2025

With this triumph, the player from Murcia has a total of eleven consecutive victories this year, in which he has also barely lost four sets, confirming the great moment he is experiencing on the circuit.

A demanding and high-level duel

Far from being intimidated by his rival’s status as favorite, Rublev — defending champion and world number fourteen — proposed an intense match that exceeded two hours of play. Alcaraz started with some doubts and took time to settle on the court, a situation that the Russian tried to take advantage of. However, the Spaniard once again showed the mental strength that characterizes him in decisive moments. After exchanging service breaks in the first set, the partial was resolved in a ‘tie break’ in which Alcaraz showed himself to be more solid and mature, closing the initial set by 7-6 (3) after an hour and three minutes.

Answer and sentence

In the second set, the player from El Palmar quickly took a 3-0 lead, although Rublev reacted to even the match at 3-3. Inconsistency once again penalized the Muscovite, who conceded his serve again when the score was 5-3.

Rublev still offered resistance and managed to save up to three match points with Alcaraz’s serve. However, the Spaniard’s consistency ended up prevailing: on the sixth opportunity and with the Russian serving, Alcaraz sealed the victory with 7-6 (3) and 6-4.

New final for the number one

The result allows Carlos Alcaraz to play the thirty-fourth final of his professional career and the twelfth in the last thirteen tournaments he has played, figures that reflect his extraordinary consistency. In the final, he will face the winner of the match between Frenchman Arthur Fils and Czech Jakub Menšík, who eliminated Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. With confidence, talent, and an increasingly consolidated mindset, Alcaraz continues to set the pace of world tennis at the start of 2026.