Alcaraz rallies past Khachanov in Doha, hits perfect 10 for 2026
Carlos Alcaraz prevailed in a Doha tussle on Thursday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open to preserve his perfect start to 2026.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings overcame Karen Khachanov 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-3 to seal his semi-final spot at the hard-court ATP 500. With both players striking the ball with relentless power from the baseline, Alcaraz held his nerve at key moments to forge a comeback victory and set a last-four meeting with defending champion Andrey Rublev.
👉👂 Carlos’ captivating comeback 👉👂@QatarTennis | #QatarExxonMobilOpen | @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/o8DheMoUfr
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 19, 2026
“It was a really close and tight match,” said Alcaraz after improving to 6-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Khachanov. “In the first set I had a few break points and I couldn’t make them. One set point and I couldn’t make it, so it was really tough.
“I think Karen was playing great, but I knew I’d had my chances. I just didn’t take them in the first set, so it was the time to keep going and try to keep fighting. Wait for my chances and try to take them in the second set. I’m just really proud about the way that I [fought].”
Having backed his Australian Open title run by reaching his maiden Doha semi-final, Alcaraz has improved to 10-0 for the season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 22-year-old is now 12-0 in tour-level quarter-finals since his defeat to Jiri Lehecka in Doha a year ago.
Both Alcaraz and Khachanov let slip three break points during a rollicking opening set that featured several stunning all-court exchanges. It was Khachanov, after saving a set point at 4-5, 40/Ad, who raised his level in commanding fashion to prevail. One of the highlights of the set was the seventh seed’s remarkable forehand dig to move 4/0 clear in the tie-break, and he closed it out to win just his second set across his six tour-level meetings with Alcaraz.
Serve dominated the early stages of the second set as the match lulled somewhat after the relentless intensity of the opening set. Alcaraz was ready to take his chance when it came, however: After Khachanov pushed a makeable forehand volley long to hand Alcaraz two break points, he closed out for a break of serve that he rode all the way to the second set.
With the momentum in his favour, Alcaraz picked out a rasping crosscourt forehand pass to break again in the fifth game of the decider, and the Spaniard ultimately won five of the final six games to wrap a two-hour, 27-minute victory in which he did not faced a break point after the opening set.
Earlier on Thursday, Rublev extended his winning streak in Doha to eight matches with a 6-3, 7-6(2) triumph against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The World No. 14, the champion in the Qatari capital in both 2020 and 2025, saved all five break points he faced against Tstisipas in their first meeting since the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals. With his 96-minute win, Rublev levelled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 6-6.