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Boris Becker reacts after Carlos Alcaraz breaks one of his records in the Doha final

Originally posted on HITC | By Cameron Greenlees | Last updated Feb 22, 2026 2:00 PM ET

Carlos Alcaraz put on a dominant display in the Qatar Open final against Arthur Fils.

Alcaraz defeated Fils in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1 to secure the 26th title of his career, still aged just 22.

The Spaniard remains undefeated in 2026, following his Australian Open triumph earlier this month, where he became the youngest man ever to complete the Career Grand Slam.

During his campaign at the Qatar Open, Alcaraz dropped just one set, which came in his quarterfinal match with Karen Khachanov.

His match with Fils lasted just 50 minutes; one of the quickest finals of all time.

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Boris Becker reacts to his own record after Carlos Alcaraz’s win

Excluding retirements, since 1991, Alcaraz’s victory ranks 12th in the shortest finals of all time on the ATP Tour.

The match was one minute shorter than Boris Becker’s win over Goran Ivanisevic in the Grand Slam Cup final back in 1996.

Astonishingly, Becker’s match was played in a best-of-five format, with the German legend coming out on top in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, in 51 minutes.

Reacting to seeing his own record on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “I played 3 sets in 50min against Goran…”

I played 3 sets in 50min against Goran … https://t.co/URWB010nNT
— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) February 22, 2026

The shortest finals since 1991 on the ATP Tour

Ivansevic holds the record for the shortest final on the ATP Tour since 1991, having beaten Pete Sampras in the 1991 Manchester final in 44 minutes.

The next two quickest were both 46 minutes: Mark Philippoussis’ win over Jiri Novak in the 2003 Shanghai final and Radek Stepanek’s triumph in the 2006 Rotterdam final against Christophe Rochus.

Andy Murray’s 48-minute win in the 2011 Bangkok final against Donald Young is the most recent in the top ten.

During Alcaraz’s victory, Fils failed to create one break point opportunity, winning just three games, and 24 points altogether.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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