Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz could square up  in the Qatar Open final after they both claimed straight-set wins today.

The No. 1 player in the ATP Rankings won 6-2, 7-5 against France’s Valentin Royer but needed a strong finish to win in straight sets

Alcaraz reeled off five consecutive games from 2-5 down in the second set, raising his level in typically forceful fashion to deliver a second-round win in 96-minutes.

Alcaraz and Sinner met in six finals last year, three times at Grand Slam level with world number one Alcaraz winning the French and US Opens.

“Obviously I had to be prepared for everything,” said Alcaraz, when asked if he ever doubted he could secure the win. “There were some moments when I thought about a third set, I’m not going to lie, but obviously it was just a small place in my mind that was thinking that.

The rest was working to find solutions, to find the right way again.

“I’m just really pleased and really happy I was able to find good rhythm again, and good tennis.

It’s just about fighting. I know tennis. It’s just about one point, and sometimes it is really difficult to close out the set or the match. I just had to stay there, and I’m happy I turned it around and got the win in straight sets.”

British No. 1 Emma Raducanu was knocked out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in a first round  shock defeat to Antonia Ruzic.

She came back from a set and a break down against her Croatian opponent to force a decider but the Croatian ran out the 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 winner.

Ranked 67th in the world and one of seven lucky losers from qualifying to fill the main draw following the withdrawal of several players through injury, illness or a schedule change.

Raducanu was originally  due to meet  Elisabetta Cocciaretto but she ruled herself out a with a thigh problem.

Ruzic won the first set in 30 minutes having twice broken Raducanu.

The world No. 25 then sought medical attention, just as she did in last week’s Qatar Open when she had to retire from her first-round match.

Despite falling 5-3 down after being broken again in the second set, Raducanu fought back to claim two breaks and make it one set all.

The Briton won six consecutive games at the end of the second set and start of the third to go 2-0 up in the decider, but faded rapidly and Ruzic won the next six to clinch victory.

Australian Open runner-up Aryna Sabalenka has joined the growing exodus of top player from next week’s WTA 1,000 event in Doha which kicks off the February sweep through the Gulf.

Sabalenka, the world No. 1, looks like coming good on her vow to skip required tournaments if necessary in order to preserve her body – and perhaps, sanity – amid a Tour which hardly stops.

She withdrew less than a week after losing her second straight final in Melbourne, going out to Elena Rybakina after leading 3-0 in the final set.

The Doha field will also be missing WTA No. 6 Jessica Pegula, a semi-finalist st last week 

Other notable absentees include four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, who will miss the entire Middle East swing and 2025 Aussie Open champion Madison Keys

US teen Iva Jovic, a surprise Melbourne quarter-finalist, will also be missing, joined by Marta Kostyuk, recovering from injury.

Main photo:- Aryna Sabalenka runner up in Melbourne – by ISF Ltd