Carlos Alcaraz into Qatar Open final as Elina Svitolina defeats Coco Gauff in a Dubai classic to set up showdown with Jessica Pegula
Carlos Alcaraz continued his unbeaten run in 2026 as he beat defending champion Andrey Rublev to reach the Qatar Open final; watch the ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app
Friday 20 February 2026 20:43, UK
Carlos Alcaraz converted his sixth match point to seal a dramatic win over Andrey Rublev to reach the Qatar Open final as Elina Svitolina defeated Coco Gauff in a marathon encounter to reach the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
World No 1 Alcaraz battled for a gripping 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 victory under the lights to extend his perfect start to 2026 to 11 matches.
The 22-year-old, who captured the Australian Open crown in January to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, remained calm under pressure to advance to the final in Doha for the first time.
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"I know what I am able to do every time I step on the court, what I am capable of doing," Alcaraz said.
"The way that I am approaching every match, I'm just really proud about it. It's something I am trying to be better at and it's paying off. I'm proud of myself [for] getting better and maturing."
A struggling Rublev made 14 unforced backhand errors in the first set, but outwitted Alcaraz with precise forehands that nicked the baseline as both players broke the other twice each to go into a tie-break.
Alcaraz held his nerve to go 6-3 up as a frustrated Rublev repeatedly smashed the racket on his left knee, breaking a string.
Seven-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz then pretended to slice but landed a forehand down the sideline to win the first set.
Alcaraz broke Rublev twice to go 5-3 up in the second set and was serving for the match when the world No 14 saved three match points to break back.
But Alcaraz pushed to break again for victory in the next game, and finally converted his sixth match point when Rublev's backhand landed wide.
Czech star Jakub Mensik takes on Frenchman Arthur Fils in the second semi-final later on Friday.
Tale of the Tape
Gauff wins EPIC tie-break but goes down to Svitolina
Coco Gauff suffered an agonising 6-4 6-7 (13-15) 6-4 defeat to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Svitolina secured her second consecutive victory over the world No 4 in a gruelling three-hour encounter, having previously beaten Gauff in straight sets at last month's Australian Open quarter-finals.
Gauff won a nail-biting 15-13 tie-break in the second set - the longest tie-break on the WTA Tour since Barbora Krejcikova defeated Taylor Townsend at the US Open - in which she saved four match points in it before converting her seventh set point.
The momentum swung back and forth in the decider, with the ninth game proving pivotal as it repeatedly went to deuce. Svitolina eventually held her nerve to edge ahead 5-4 before serving out the match to seal a hard-fought victory.
"I'm speechless after that fight. I was really trying to put myself out there, playing as if there was no tomorrow," said Svitolina.
"It's really special to be in the final again after a few years. Coco is such a big fighter. I was expecting her to come back in the match. She's won so many big tournaments. I'm very pleased with the fight and the win."
Pegula fights back to beat Anisimova
Jessica Pegula battled back from the brink to defeat fellow American Amanda Anisimova 1-6 6-4 6-3, reaching the eighth WTA 1000 final of her career.
Wimbledon and US Open finalist Anisimova took less than half an hour to win the first before building a 3-1 lead in the second set.
But Pegula held her nerve and broke Anisimova three times in a row to win the second set, before securing victory in the decider.
"It's not like we have really easy matches," world No 5 Pegula said after her fifth straight win over Anisimova.
"I do think that I'm able to take some time away from her. I'm able to hit a low, flat ball, and not let her set up and go for her big shots, which is what she's good at. I try to utilise that the best I can and then mix in some variety, change things up.
"We had a lot of cat-and-mouse points, and they mostly went my way. So that was good."
Venus Williams returns to Indian Wells with wild-card entry
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams has been awarded a wild-card entry into Indian Wells.
Williams, 45, will compete in both singles and doubles at the Southern California desert event.
"It's great to be heading back to Indian Wells and returning home to California," Williams said.
"There's nothing like competing in front of these incredible fans. I've made so many fun memories here over the years, and I'm grateful to the tournament for having me back."
The four-time Olympic gold medallist and former world No 1 has reached the Indian Wells semi-finals three times. She last competed there in 2024, also as a wild card.
Williams played at this year's Australian Open and reached the US Open doubles quarter-finals last year with partner Leylah Fernandez.
The tournament will be held from March 1-15 - live on Sky Sports Tennis.
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