Qatar Open: Carlos Alcaraz defeats Arthur Fels in 50 minutes to win the title

Carlos Alcaraz crushed Arthur Fels in the 50th minute to maintain his unbeaten start until 2026 and win the Qatar Open in Doha.

The Spanish first seed, Alcaraz, was tough from start to finish, and took advantage of five out of seven break points to beat Frenchman Fels 6-2, 6-1.

The win – the shortest of Alcaraz’s career in full matches – was his 12th of the season, as he followed up his Australian Open victory last month with his 26th career title.

“I came this year hungry for more,” said Alcaraz, 22, who lost in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open last year.

“It’s been a really strong start to the year. It wasn’t easy, I had to be mentally strong with my team. I’m playing great tennis and I’m really happy with this week. This cup means a lot to me.”

The win over unseeded Fels comes just 20 days after Alcaraz became the youngest player 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 in the first game before racing through the first set in just 28 minutes.

Alcaraz’s dominance continued in the second set and he broke double serve for a 3-0 lead, compounding Fels’ frustration when the Frenchman smashed his racket.

Fels got the ball on his next service game, drawing cheers from the crowd, but that proved to be little consolation as Alcaraz’s dominance in the exchanges saw him go on to secure the second set in just 24 minutes.

Alcaraz fired 18 winners during the match, compared to three fils, and did not concede a single break point.

The victory in 50 minutes surpasses the shortest final achieved last year, when Norwegian Casper Ruud defeated Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-3 in 68 minutes at the Nordic Open in Stockholm.

The world number 40, who missed nearly eight months last year due to a back injury, saw the funny side as he praised Alcaraz.

“You played very well, you are a great champion, it’s a joke,” he said.

“Congratulations to your team and to you, you have done an incredible job.”