Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz among the stars in action in Doha, Rio and Delray Beach | ATP tour | Tennis

Scouting report

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

A recap of what every fan needs to know in the week ahead
February 15, 2026

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

The top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings form a strong field at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, a hard-court ATP 500 event. Meanwhile, Buenos Aires champion Francisco Cerundolo heads the draw at the Claro-presented clay court Rio Open, 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 first Australian Open crown, a triumph that saw the 22-year-old become the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam. Last year, Alcaraz fell prey to Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals in Doha on his debut. This year he starts against Arthur Rinderknech.

2) Sinner’s debut: Second seed Sinner is set to make his debut in Doha. The Italian will be eager to bounce back 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 the 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; Title list 2023 Daniil Medvedev; and 2024 champion Karen Khachanov.

4) Fils continues comeback: Former world number 14 Arthur Fils continues his comeback after an eight-month layoff due to a back injury. The unseeded Frenchman was competing in his third tournament since his return and could meet third seed Alexander Bublik in the second round.

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

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN RIO DE JANEIRO:
1) Cerundolo in shape: Fresh from winning his first title on home soil in Buenos Aires, where he did not drop a set, Cerundolo heads into the ATP 500 event in Rio with confidence. The Argentinian reached the semi-finals in 2022 and 2024, but the top players hope to go deeper during this campaign. He opens against compatriot Mariano Navone.

What it means 🥹

The moment @FrancCerundolo won the Buenos Aires title in 2026 🏆 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 chasing his eighth ATP Tour title. After a semi-final appearance in Buenos Aires – where he fell to Luciano Darderi – a potential rematch in Brazil could loom at the same stage.

3) Fonseca aims for first victory of 2026: Joao Fonseca endured a stop-start early in 2026, withdrawing from Brisbane and Adelaide before being knocked out in the first round at the Australian Open and beaten in the opening match in Buenos Aires, where he was the defending champion. The 19-year-old Brazilian will take confidence from his breakthrough moment in Rio in 2024, when he claimed his first tour-level victory against Fils.

4) Can Darderi continue? Luciano Darderi has had 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. The Italian will move up to a career-high No. 21 on Monday and will seek his fifth ATP Tour title in Rio, where he is the second seed.

5) Fonseca/Melo function in doubles: Fonseca plays doubles together with veteran Marcelo Melo, giving the home crowd plenty of cheering. Melo won the trophy last year together with Rafael Matos. French duo Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul are the top seeds.

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

2) Ruud’s return: Second seed Casper Ruud is participating 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 seems to rediscover that level in his Delray debut.

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

4) Strong American Presence: Thirteen Americans play in the main tournament. The leading seeds include former champion Frances Tiafoe, 2024 finalist Tommy Paul and former 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 participation in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. The pair are fifth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and are the leaders in the doubles competition.