Qatar Open: How Jannik Sinner can close gap to Carlos Alcaraz in world No 1 battle
Carlos Alcaraz has a commanding lead at the very top of the ATP Rankings, though Jannik Sinner will be eying up the opportunity to chase down his leading rival in the coming months.
World No 1 Alcaraz initially regained the top spot from Sinner after his victory in the US Open final last September, and — after briefly losing the top spot in the tail end of 2025 — extended his lead following his Australian Open triumph earlier this month.
However, with Sinner having no points to defend until May after his three-month suspension in 2025, the Italian now has the chance to close the gap on the Spaniard.
The world No 1 ranking cannot change hands at the Qatar Open this week, though this starts the period where world No 2 Sinner can begin to gain some ground.
As it stands
Alcaraz is spending a 59th week as the world No 1, already the thirteenth-highest week tally of the 29 men to occupy the top spot since the rankings were introduced in 1973.
The Spaniard currently holds a staggering 13,150 points in the ATP Rankings, though he was on 13,650 points before withdrawing from his Rotterdam Open title defence, dropping 500 points as a result.
Meanwhile, Sinner is currently significantly back on 10,300 points, having dropped 1,200 points following his Australian Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic — after entering the tournament as the reigning champion.
Sinner defeated Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4 to start his Qatar Open campaign on Monday, and the world No 2 remains on 10,300 points in the live rankings.
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He now has the chance to make up ground — though he could also fall further back from Alcaraz.
Qatar Open ramifications
Sinner’s suspension came in just before the Qatar Open last year, meaning he has zero points to defend at the event, and will earn ranking points for every win he picks up at the tournament from this point.
Alcaraz starts his campaign against Arthur Rinderknech on Tuesday, and he will be looking to better his quarter-final run from 2025.
After his defeat to Jiri Lehecka in the last eight in 2025, the Spaniard has 100 points to defend at the event.
While that puts him under a little pressure, he also has a significant chance to boost his ranking points tally with a deep run at the ATP 500 event.
With 500 points on offer for winning the title and just 100 points to defend, Alcaraz would hold 13,550 points if he were to win the title — a result that would also see him marginally extend his lead over the world No 2.
If Sinner were to win the title, he would hold 10,750 points when the ATP Rankings update next Monday.
Should Sinner win the title and beat Alcaraz in the final, the gap between the two in the rankings would be 2,670 points, down from the current gap of 2,850 points.
He would still be significantly behind Alcaraz, regardless of the Spaniard’s result, though it would set in place a fascinating battle between the two in the coming months.
Jannik Sinner potential ranking points from Qatar Open
Champion: 10,750 points
Runner-up: 10,580 points
Semi-final: 10,450 points
Quarter-final: 10,350 points
Round 2: 10,300 points
Carlos Alcaraz potential ranking points from Qatar Open
Champion: 13,550 points
Runner-up: 13,420 points
Semi-final: 13,250 points
Quarter-final: 13,150 points
Round 2: 13,100 points
Round 1: 13,050 points
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