Carlos Alcaraz has safely navigated his way through to yet another ATP Tour final at the Qatar Open.
Alcaraz has beaten Karen Khachanov, Andrey Rublev, Valentin Royer, and Arthur Rinderknech to reach the final in Doha.
The Spaniard will play Arthur Fils in the final, who has been equally impressive against the likes of Jakub Mensik and Jiri Lehecka.
Alcaraz’s final against the Frenchman will see him do something he is yet to do in any of his previous 33 ATP Tour finals.
Carlos Alcaraz hits first time feat against Arthur Fils in Qatar
At 22 years old, Alcaraz is younger than most of the players he competes against at the top-end of the ATP Tour.
The star’s previous 33 ATP Tour finals have seen him compete against stars who are older than him, but that will change in Qatar.
What do you think is Carlos Alcaraz’s best surface and why?
Fils, at 21 years old, will be the first player younger than Alcaraz to play the world number one in an ATP Tour final.
The closest player previously was Holger Rune, who was born just one month before Alcaraz, during their Barcelona Open final.
Both Fils and Alcaraz won their first ATP titles at the age of 18, with the Frenchman winning in Lyon and Alcaraz winning Umag.
Carlos Alcaraz has already highlighted Arthur Fils’ biggest threat
Alcaraz holds a 100% record against Fils heading into their much-anticipated clash in the Qatar Open final, but he is fully aware of the threats posed by the Frenchman.
Speaking after his victory against Fils in the Monte Carlo Masters last year, Alcaraz said: “I think his level is pretty high.
Do you believe Carlos Alcaraz is already the greatest tennis player of all time?
“The strength that he hit the ball, it is amazing. Physically he is one of the most physical players on the tour, one of the best ones, for sure.”
Fils has long been considered one of the prospects who could challenge Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, especially before his injury.
After returning to the ATP Tour as if nothing has happened, the Frenchman now has his best chance yet to prove those predictions are correct.
