Ruthless Alcaraz wins Qatar Open inside 50 minutes
Carlos Alcaraz thrashed Arthur Fils inside 50 minutes to maintain his unbeaten start to 2026 and win the Qatar Open in Doha.
Spanish top seed Alcaraz was ruthless from start to finish, converting five out of seven break points, as he blew France's Fils away in a 6-2 6-1 victory.
The win – the shortest of Alcaraz's career in completed matches – was his 12th of the season as he followed up last month's Australian Open triumph with his 26th career title.
"I came this year hungry for more," said Alcaraz, 22, who lost in the quarter-final of the Qatar Open last year.
"It's been a really strong start to the year. It wasn't easy, I had to be strong mentally with my team. I'm just playing great tennis and I'm really happy about this week. This trophy means a lot to me."
Victory against unseeded Fils comes just 20 days after Alcaraz became the youngest man in history to complete the Career Grand Slam in Melbourne.
The seven-time Grand Slam-winner set the tone from the start as he broke Fils' serve in the first game before speeding through the first set in only 28 minutes.
Alcaraz's dominance continued into the second set and a double break to go 3-0 up prompted Fils' frustrations to boil over as the Frenchman smashed his racquet.
Fils got on the board in his next service game, inducing cheers from the crowd, but it proved to be a consolation as Alcaraz's dominance in the rallies saw him go on to secure the second set in only 24 minutes.
Alcaraz fired 18 winners during the course of the match, compared to Fils' three, and didn't concede a single break point.
The victory in 50 minutes eclipses last year's shortest final, when Norway's Casper Ruud beat Ugo Humbert, of France, 6-2 6-3 in 68 minutes at the Nordic Open in Stockholm.
World number 40 Fils, who missed around eight months last year with a back injury, saw the funny side as he paid tribute to Alcaraz.
"You played very good, you're a hell of a champion, it's a joke," he said.
"Congrats to your team and to you, you did an unbelievable job."
