With the momentum of a champion

Carlos Alcaraz doesn't get tired of winning. The Spaniard added another victory to his spectacular start of the year, aiming to reaffirm it with the Doha title, a trophy that is still missing from his collection. At the moment, he has reached the quarterfinals after defeating a brave  Valentin Royer, who dared to confront Alcaraz but succumbed as Alcaraz sealed the win with a 6-2, 7-5 scoreline.

Back in the Doha night under its gleaming green lights, the same lights under which he triumphed two weeks ago in Melbourne, Carlos Alcaraz sought to prolong his undefeated streak at the beginning of this season. His opponent this time was another Frenchman, but quite different from Arthur Rinderknech whom he defeated yesterday. Valentin Royer was much more intense, less inclined to come to the net, and more focused on baseline rallies.

Carlos Alcaraz's hard-fought victory today in Doha against Valentin Royer

However, when you attempt to go toe-to-toe with the world number one, who is currently in one of the best phases of his career, it is a daunting mission. This was evident at the start of the match with an early break by Alcaraz putting him in a 3-1 lead in less than 15 minutes.

But Royer didn't give up; he persisted in matching the intensity, playing deep, and attacking before Alcaraz could. He managed to save several break points on his serve and came close to recovering the break. Nevertheless, Alcaraz capitalized on his opportunities.

Challenged by Royer's resistance, the world number one had to step up his game and secured a second break, winning the first set 6-2 in 36 minutes on his serve.

A Deceptive Result

Although the scoreline in the first set might have been misleading based on the gameplay, it highlighted Alcaraz's exceptional physical and tennis condition. In other words, everything is going his way at the moment.

Royer, however, continued his efforts; the 24-year-old fought hard, trying to find a way past Alcaraz's defenses. He even had a break point in the first game of the second set, which Alcaraz managed to fend off.

Despite Royer's resilience, the Frenchman started to gain momentum and broke Alcaraz's serve for the first time. Quickly, he surged to a 4-1 lead in the second set, putting pressure on Alcaraz.

Frustrated by Royer's charge and his own struggles to overturn the set, Alcaraz fought back. He managed to level the set at 5-5 just in time, showcasing his champion's spirit.

The world number one had already faced significant challenges and wasn't willing to entertain more surprises in a fiercely competitive match from start to finish. Riding on his champion mindset and capitalizing on Royer's missed opportunities, Alcaraz broke once again, finishing with a beautiful cross-court passing shot for the victory (6-2, 7-5). He closed out a match that was much tougher than it seemed, overcoming Royer's defiance.

Once again, Carlos Alcaraz proves that anyone who dares to challenge him must be ready for the consequences. Valentin Royer experienced it, and the next could be Karen Khachanov.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Con la inercia de un campeón