Carlos Alcaraz Reacts to Potential Clash with Jannik Sinner in the Final of the Qatar Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are projected to face off in the final of the Qatar Open for the first time.

Carlos Alcaraz Reacts to Potential Clash with Jannik Sinner in the Final of the Qatar Open

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

In Short
  • Carlos Alcaraz is projected to face Jannik Sinner in the final of the Qatar Open, marking their first meeting this season.
  • Alcaraz aims to continue his winning streak after his Australian Open victory and has a head-to-head record of 10-6 against Sinner.
  • Sinner seeks redemption at the Qatar Open following his semi-final loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open.

Carlos Alcaraz is projected to face Jannik Sinner in the final of the Qatar Open. If it happens, the match will be the first meeting between the duo on tour this season as they seek to win their first ATP 500 title in Qatar. However, Alcaraz enters the tournament fresh off his Australian Open victory.

Alcaraz delivered an excellent display to beat Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open, making him the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam on tour. The 22-year-old withdrew from the Rotterdam Open last week, citing that he needed to rest after a hectic Melbourne Grand Slam campaign.

The Spaniard arrived in Doha on Saturday (February 14) ahead of the tournament kick-off on Monday (February 16). He is seeking to continue his winning streak at the tournament and possibly win the title. However, he will have to go past a host of good players, including Daniil Medvedev and Sinner, before winning the title.

He faced Sinner six times on the court last season, winning four of them and losing two, with all their meetings coming in tournament finals. He defeated the Italian star at the Italian Open, French Open, US Open, and Cincinnati Open, but lost to Sinner at Wimbledon and the ATP Finals in Turin.

Currently, Alcaraz leads their head-to-head record 10-6 on tour and will be seeking to extend his supremacy over Sinner in Doha should they meet in the final. During his press conference at the Qatar Open, he revealed that he’s not focused on facing Sinner, rather hopes to take the event one win at a time:

Well, neither. I know how difficult is every match. Every match is so different, our play is totally different. I think this draw is a really tough one for a 500 tournament. We can see the first matches how good matches that we have in the first round. So just thinking about, you know, a match at a time, and let’s see how far I can go. Obviously, my mind is trying to go as far as I can. You know, if it’s possible to play a final, obviously that would be great.

Sinner will be eager to earn a rebound at the Qatar Open following his disappointing Australian Open campaign. The 24-year-old fell to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the tournament, despite being the favorite to win the title for the third consecutive time. He has never been to the final of the Qatar Open.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner draw at the Qatar Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been handed an easy draw at the ATP 500 tournament in Qatar. Alcaraz will kick off his campaign against French No 1 Arthur Rinderknech in the second round. It will be the fifth time that he will face Rinderknech on tour and has won their four previous encounters, including the round of 16 during his title run at the 2025 US Open.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (5)
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Should he beat the Frenchman, he will face Valentin Royer or a qualifier in the second round, with a projected quarter-final battle against Karen Khachanov. On the other hand, Sinner opened his campaign on Monday (February 16) with an easy straight-sets win over Tomas Machac.

He will face Alexei Popyrin in the second round of the tournament before a possible quarter-finals clash against Jakub Mensik. Mensik is returning to tour after withdrawing from the Australian Open last month. He was supposed to face Novak Djokovic in the round of 16, but suffered an abdominal injury.

Djokovic will not compete at the Doha Open having withdrawn from the tournament last week. The 38-year-old has been spotted on numerous occasions enjoying the Winter Olympics in Italy. There’s no report about his return to tour, but he’s likely to be back on the court during the Sunshine Doubles.

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