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Alcaraz, Sinner, Fritz among stars in action in Doha, Rio & Delray Beach

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner headline a busy week on the ATP Tour, with three tournaments unfolding across Doha, Rio de Janeiro and Delray Beach, respectively.

The top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings spearhead a strong field at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, a hard-court ATP 500 event. Meanwhile, Buenos Aires champion Francisco Cerundolo leads the draw at the clay-court Rio Open presented by Claro, and two-time Delray Beach Open champion Taylor Fritz is the top seed at the ATP 250 event in Florida.

ATPTour.com looks at five key storylines at each stop.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DOHA:
1) Alcaraz the man to beat: Alcaraz returns to competition for the first time since capturing his maiden Australian Open crown, a triumph with which the 22-year-old became the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam. Last year in Doha, Alcaraz fell to Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals on debut. This year, he begins against Arthur Rinderknech.

2) Sinner’s debut: Second seed Sinner is set for his Doha debut. The Italian will be eager to rebound from his painful five-set semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic in Melbourne and arrives chasing his 25th tour-level title — and first since lifting the Nitto ATP Finals trophy on home soil in November.

3) Former champions in draw: The draw features three past winners: defending champion Andrey Rublev, who also claimed the title in 2020 when the event was an ATP 250; 2023 titlist Daniil Medvedev; and 2024 champion Karen Khachanov.

4) Fils continues comeback: Arthur Fils, the former World No. 14, continues his comeback after an eight-month layoff due to a back injury. Competing in just his third tournament since returning, the unseeded Frenchman could meet third seed Alexander Bublik in the second round.

5) Cash/Glasspool eye response: Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool aim to regroup after their surprise second-round defeat at the Australian Open to James McCabe and Li Tu. The top seeds open against singles standouts Ugo Humbert and Arthur Rinderknech.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN RIO DE JANEIRO:
1) In-form Cerundolo: Fresh from winning his maiden title on home soil in Buenos Aires, where he did not drop a set, Cerundolo enters the ATP 500 event in Rio brimming with confidence. The Argentine reached the semi-finals in 2022 and 2024, but the top seed will hope to go deeper during this campaign. He opens against countryman Mariano Navone. 

What it means 🥹

The moment @FranCerundolo clinched the 2026 Buenos Aires title 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1CuuKGy04M

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 15, 2026

2) Baez eyes three-peat: Sebastian Baez made history last year by becoming the first man to successfully defend the Rio crown. Now, the two-time reigning champion is pursuing his eighth ATP Tour title. After a semi-final showing in Buenos Aires — where he fell to Luciano Darderi — a potential rematch could loom in Brazil at the same stage.

3) Fonseca seeks first win of 2026: Joao Fonseca has endured a stop-start beginning to 2026, withdrawing from Brisbane and Adelaide before a first-round exit at the Australian Open and opening-match defeat in Buenos Aires, where he was defending champion. The 19-year-old Brazilian will draw confidence from his breakthrough moment in Rio in 2024, when he earned his first tour-level win against Fils.

4) Can Darderi push on? Luciano Darderi has enjoyed a strong start to the season by reaching the quarter-finals in Auckland, the fourth round at the Australian Open and the final in Buenos Aires. Set to rise to a career-high World No. 21 on Monday, the Italian will chase his fifth ATP Tour title in Rio, where he is the second seed.

5) Fonseca/Melo feature in doubles: Fonseca teams with veteran Marcelo Melo in doubles, giving the home crowd plenty to cheer. Melo lifted the trophy last year alongside Rafael Matos. French duo Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul are the top seeds.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DELRAY BEACH:
1) Fritz targets third title: Taylor Fritz arrives in Florida riding high after a positive run to the Dallas final. The top seed is aiming for a third Delray Beach trophy, having won back-to-back editions in 2023 and 2024. He holds a 12-6 event record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

2) Ruud’s return: Second seed Casper Ruud competes for the first time since he and his wife, Maria, welcomed their first child. The Norwegian reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and now looks to rediscover that level in his Delray debut.

3) #NextGenATP Jodar: The 19-year-old Rafael Jodar recently turned professional after one season at the University of Virginia. The Spaniard impressed at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah and entered Delray Beach through the Next Gen Accelerator, designed to expand opportunities for rising stars aged 20 and under.

4) Strong American presence: Thirteen Americans feature in the main draw. Among the leading seeds are former champion Frances Tiafoe, 2024 finalist Tommy Paul and past Next Gen ATP Finals winners Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima.

5) Johnson/Zielinski top seeds: Luke Johnson and Jan Zielinski return for the first time since their run to the Australian Open semi-finals. The pair sit fifth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and headline the doubles competition.

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Shelton saves 3 championship points for gripping Dallas final win vs. Fritz

Ben Shelton brought the thunder when it mattered most on Sunday at the Nexo Dallas Open, where he saved three championship points to defeat Taylor Fritz and capture his first title of the season.

The 23-year-old roared back to earn an explosive 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory for his second ATP 500 trophy, saving all three championship points in a nervy 10th game of the decider. After that pivotal hold, Shelton dropped just three more points en route to winning his fourth ATP Tour title, and first indoors.

Big Ben strikes in Dallas 🤠@BenShelton claims the title on home soil after saving three match points to defeat compatriot Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 7-5! @NexoDallasOpen | #DALOpen pic.twitter.com/rVSowg1Zj7

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 15, 2026

In a high-octane matchup between the top two seeds that ebbed and flowed right until the last ball, Shelton showed supreme composure under pressure. He let slip a break lead in the final set and then looked down and out, but showed some gutsy tennis at the dying embers to dish Fritz a painful defeat.

With the one-hour, 51-minute victory, Shelton improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Fritz.

More to follow…

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De Minaur downs Auger-Aliassime for Rotterdam title: 'Third time lucky!'

Persistence eventually paid off for Alex de Minaur at the ABN AMRO Open on Sunday.

The top-seeded Australian fittingly produced his sharpest performance of the week to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-2 and secure his maiden indoor title at the ATP 500 event. De Minaur fell in the past two Rotterdam finals, but he was crisp and clinical in all departments against Auger-Aliassime, who required an off-court medical timeout midway through the second set.

Going home with some new hardware 🏆@abnamroopen | #abnamroopen | @alexdeminaur pic.twitter.com/9wyZxSPPuD

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 15, 2026

“That’s what it’s all about: just doing my best to rise to the occasion,” De Minaur said of his final performance, in which he did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “As the tournament goes on, you try and find ways out of solutions and try to give yourself the best chance to play better the following day, and I did exactly that. I’m super pleased with the performance today.

“Third time lucky… I’m super stoked, super happy. It ended up being a great week here in Rotterdam. It’s a place where I always feel really good. I was just a step short in the previous years, so it feels great to finally be able to lift the title.”

Auger-Aliassime was on an eight-match winning streak having lifted the title in Montpellier last week. The Canadian was targeting a ninth career indoor title to further strengthening his reputation as one of the most dangerous players under a roof. De Minaur, however, has been a consistent force at ATP 500 level in recent years, and his title charge in the Rotterdam final proved too much for the Canadian.

“Congrats to Alex and your team,” Auger-Aliassime said during the trophy presentation. “We’ve played a lot of matches throughout the years… I tried my best today, but you were just a little bit too good. [It’s your] third time in the final here, so congrats on the win.”

ATP 500 Win Leaders (since the start of 2023)

After a cagey start between the tournament’s top two seeds, the final ignited in the sixth game of the opening set when De Minaur struck two inspired winners to earn the decisive break — the first time Auger-Aliassime’s serve had been breached since his second-round win over Stan Wawrinka in Montpellier.

De Minaur carried his momentum into the second set and broke again in the fifth game, stepping inside the baseline and dictating rallies with increased aggression. Shortly after, Auger-Aliassime left the court for medical treatment and returned looking short of his usual explosiveness. De Minaur sensed his opportunity and remained ruthless, closing out the match to reduce his Lexus ATP Head2Head deficit against the Canadian to 2-3.

With his 78-minute win, De Minaur also jumped two spots to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

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Alcaraz taking nothing for granted on return to action: ‘I see myself with weaknesses’

Given Carlos Alcaraz is the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and has just completed the Career Grand Slam with his Australian Open win, he could be forgiven for sitting back and admiring his work so far in 2026.

The Spaniard, of course, has other ideas. Alcaraz is infused with the relentless desire to improve that has always characterised the greatest players in tennis history, and that is what will be at the forefront of his mind next week when he returns to action as the top seed at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

“Obviously I can see myself that [I have had] a lot of success so far, winning the biggest tournaments in the world,” said Alcaraz on Sunday at his pre-tournament press conference in Qatar. “But I just see myself with weaknesses. A lot of players, I know that they’re trying to catch me up in terms of they are studying my game, they study how I play, trying to beat me, trying to challenge me.

“I have to be ready for that, and I have to see where my level is, where my tennis is. I have to try to put myself in their minds and think what they could do when playing against me. So that’s what I mean about saying I have to improve some things. Obviously, you cannot be lagging in the level, you just have to keep it going.”

One obvious example of the rivals Alcaraz was referring to is Jannik Sinner. The Italian lines up as the second seed in the Doha field, presenting the possibility of a 17th chapter of the pair’s electric Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry in the championship match. Yet the 22-year-old Alcaraz has no intention of getting ahead of himself as he looks to better the quarter-final run he forged on Doha debut a year ago.

“I know how difficult every match is. Every match is different, our play is totally different,” said the Spaniard, who takes on Top 30 star Arthur Rinderknech in his opener. “I think this draw is a really tough one for a 500 tournament. We can see the first matches how good matches that we have in the first round.

“So [I’m] just thinking about a match at a time, and let’s see how far I can go. Obviously my mind is trying to go as far as I can. If it’s possible to play a final, obviously that would be great, and that’s what I’m looking for, so let’s see. I’m not thinking about playing or just putting myself in the final too early. I want to think day by day.”

Alcaraz headed to Doha with a 7-0 record for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, following his Melbourne title run. He first enjoyed a stopoff in Bahrain, where he visited his fellow Spanish sporting superstars Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz at F1 pre-season testing, but his focus has now fully shifted to trying to take his game to even greater heights in the Qatari capital.

“Coming here, these days, my team and I, just we set up some goals for this tournament,” revealed the 25-time tour-level champion. “We are not talking about results at all. It’s just more about the process to be better, still in the process to grow up. There are some things that I really want to be better and [I want to] develop my game in a way that I really want to show up and to pull off here in this tournament.

“That would be a really successful week for me, besides results. I [want to] see myself that I’m just doing the right things on and off the court.”

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Ben Shelton & Trinity Rodman get dancing after Dallas win

When Ben Shelton advanced to the Nexo Dallas Open quarter-finals earlier this week, the American was asked about his girlfriend, football star Trinity Rodman, who recently got her U.S. Women’s National Team coach Emma Hayes to do a celebratory dance with her after scoring a goal.

Would Shelton ever get his father and coach, Bryan Shelton, to do the same?

“I think there’s a better chance of a lot of things in life,” Shelton said. “I think that’s one thing that would never happen, so that’s not something I would even ask.”

But the second seed never said anything about himself. So when Rodman arrived for Shelton’s semi-final at the ATP 500 event in Dallas and the lefty battled past defending champion Denis Shapovalov, she did the same celebratory dance in the stands.

What was Shelton’s response? To smile and do the same.

“This is the second tournament that my girlfriend has shown up on the semi-finals day,” Shelton said. “I’m 2-0 in semis when she shows up for that, so happy Valentine’s Day!”

POV: Your Valentine’s date just made the @NexoDallasOpen final 🥰 pic.twitter.com/PomO0KEHEX

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 15, 2026

Shelton will play Taylor Fritz Sunday for the trophy. They have split their two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.

It is safe to say if Shelton emerges victorious, another dance could be on the cards.

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History! This will happen for the first time in more than 44 years Sunday…

It has been more than 44 years since the first and second seeds have played in the final of three ATP Tour events in the same week. That will change on Sunday.

At the Nexo Dallas Open, the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam and the IEB+ Argentina Open, the first and second seeds will clash for the trophies. It will be the first time that has happened since the week of 19 October 1981 in Melbourne, Tokyo and Vienna. The only other time on record it has happened was the week of 6 October 1980 in Barcelona, Brisbane and Tel Aviv.

Ivan Lendl, one of 29 members of the ATP No. 1 Club, was involved in both weeks and both times claimed glory (Barcelona in 1980 and in Vienna in 1981). 

Week Of 19 October 1981

Week of 6 October 1980

This week, four members of the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings will play for a title, with two championship clashes exclusively featuring Top-10 players.

Top seed Taylor Fritz will take on second seed Ben Shelton in the Dallas final. They have split their two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head series meetings, including Shelton’s win in last year’s Toronto semi-finals en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 title.

Top seed Alex de Minaur is the first man to make the Rotterdam final in three consecutive seasons in tournament history and will try to finish the week on a high note against second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Top seed Francisco Cerundolo hopes his third Buenos Aires final will be the charm. The Argentine will try to claim his maiden title on home soil against second seed Luciano Darderi.

Week of 9 February 2026

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Cerundolo one win from banishing Buenos Aires heartbreak

One more win.

That is all that separates Argentine Francisco Cerundolo from his first title on home soil after the top seed defeated countryman and seventh seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday to reach the final of the IEB+ Argentina Open.

Twice before Cerundolo had reached the final of the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires and on each occasion he fell just short. Now the 27-year-old will try to take advantage of his third opportunity to lift the trophy Sunday when he takes on second seed Luciano Darderi.

“Just win the last match. I think that’s the only thing I have to do now,” Cerundolo said in his on-court interview. “My first final here [was] against probably peak [Diego] Schwartzman in his best moment of his career, [ninth] in the world. I wasn’t mature enough to play those matches. He killed me.

“Then last year I played an incredible [Joao] Fonseca. I think we played an amazing final, but he was a little bit better than me. So tomorrow I will try to be a little bit better than the opponent.”

Cerundolo is now 15-7 at the Buenos Aires event according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Although he made the final in 2021 and 2025, this is the first occasion in which he made the championship match without losing a set.

In an all-Argentine battle against Etcheverry, Cerundolo leaned on his big forehand in critical moments and won 39 per cent of his return points to put consistent pressure on Etcheverry, taking a 3-2 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“Super happy. It was really difficult conditions today, super windy. Really tough to play. I think we both tried to play our best. It was difficult. We managed to play good points. I think I served really well, played my service games amazing… I think that was the key. I didn’t let him play with so much confidence in his service games.”

Darderi, who won three titles last season, will play for his first of 2026 on Sunday. The second seed, competing on his 24th birthday, surged past fourth seed Sebastian Baez 7-6(2), 6-1 in one hour and 18 minutes.

“I think the first set was really tough. He played a really good level. But I stayed focused in the tie-break. I think that was the key. I served really well all the match,” Darderi said. “Today is my birthday, so it’s really special here playing in Buenos Aires. All of my family is here, my team, everyone is here, so I’m very happy.”

The No. 21 player in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, the Italian will crack the Top 20 for the first time if he beats Cerundolo.

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Fritz hammers 22 aces to beat Cilic, reaches Dallas final

Taylor Fritz halted the run of a resurgent Marin Cilic in the semi-finals of the Nexo Dallas Open on Saturday.

In a match decided by fine margins, the top seed held his nerve to edge the Croatian 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in a gripping two-hour, two-minute clash, hammering 22 aces past the 37-year-old.

“Just really calm serving. I think that’s the biggest thing when I feel calm and relaxed, I serve well,” Fritz said in his on-court interview.

Both players dominated with big deliveries in a match that featured no breaks. Fritz did not face a break point and struck 22 aces to Cilic’s 16, including four in the first-set tie-break, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Although he failed to convert any of his five break-point chances, Fritz’s composure on serve ultimately made the difference as he won 86 per cent (48/56) of his first-serve points.

“That’s something every tennis player experiences when you’re the one in the opponent’s service games,” Fritz said. “You have some chances, you’re cruising on your service games and all of a sudden they get one break point, you’ll probably win it. You’ll go to the tie-break, all of a sudden some returns came back and I just told myself to be really ready in that tie-break.”

With the win, Fritz took a 3-1 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and advanced to his first final on home soil after reaching the US Open final in 2024. He will face countryman Ben Shelton or defending champion Denis Shapovalov in the title match.

Cilic was hoping to reach his first final above the ATP 250 level since winning the Queen’s Club title in 2018. With his semi-final run in Dallas, the Croat is up 18 spots to No. 43 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

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What are the draws in Rio de Janeiro and Delray Beach?

Top seed Francisco Cerundolo and two-time defending champion Sebastian Baez have discovered their paths at the 2026 Rio Open presented by Claro following Saturday’s draw.

Cerundolo launches his clay-court ATP 500 campaign against fellow Argentine Mariano Navone, with their Lexus ATP Head2Head level at 1-1. Cerundolo could then face #NextGenATP Brazilian Joao Fonseca in the quarter-finals.

Baez, who last year became the first man to successfully defend the Rio title, opens against Carlos Taberner. Second seed Luciano Darderi, a three-time clay champion in 2025, begins his bid against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

View the Rio draw

The former No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Matteo Berrettini will play just his second tournament of the season. The Italian withdrew from the Australian Open with an abdominal injury before returning this week in Buenos Aires. He faces countryman Lorenzo Sonego in an intriguing first-round matchup.

Fritz aims for third Delray Beach title

Taylor Fritz begins his quest for a third Delray Beach Open title against Ethan Quinn or Rafael Jodar, who enters the main draw via the Next Gen Accelerator.

Fritz, who lifted consecutive trophies at the ATP 250 event in 2023 and 2024, is the top seed in a field featuring 12 other home players. Among them are fourth seed Learner Tien, 2024 finalist Tommy Paul and 2018 champion Frances Tiafoe.

View the Delray Beach draw

Second seed Casper Ruud returns to Tour action after welcoming the birth of his daughter with wife Maria at the end of January. Making his Delray Beach debut, the Norwegian will face Marcos Giron or a qualifier in the second round.

Defending champion Miomir Kecmanovic opens against Mattia Bellucci, while former World No. 3 Marin Cilic meets seventh seed Brandon Nakashima in another first-round match of interest.

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Muchova defeats teenager Mboko to win Qatar Open

Karolina Muchova clinches her first title since 2019 as she overcomes Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the Qatar Open final.

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