carlos alcaraz rallies past Khachanov after on-court spat with umpire, advances to Doha semis
World No. 1 carlos alcaraz fought through a testing night in Doha, overturning Karen Khachanov 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the ATP 500 event. The match featured a tight opening set, a tactical turnaround from the Spaniard and a fiery confrontation with the chair umpire over a time-violation call. Earlier in the tournament Alcaraz had moved into the quarters with a straight-sets win over Hamad Medjedovic Royer, keeping momentum alive as he hunts another title in the Middle East.
Dramatic comeback and on-court confrontation
The contest against Khachanov began as an even chess match, with Alcaraz narrowly dropping the first set in a tiebreak. Instead of folding under pressure, he shifted gears in the second and third sets, tightening his serve placement and finding cleaner opportunities to attack the Russian’s backhand. The scoreboard ultimately flipped to 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 in Alcaraz’s favor, a scoreline that underlines both the quality of the opposition and Carls’ resilience.
Tension flared beyond baseline rallies. After an extended point late in the match, an interaction while retrieving his towel led to a time-violation warning. Alcaraz argued the decision forcefully, calling the timing rules unfair and letting his displeasure be heard on court. The disagreement with the chair umpire punctuated a match in which the world No. 1 had to battle not only Khachanov’s power and court craft but also the match-day environment. Despite the distraction, Alcaraz kept his composure at key moments and closed out the victory to book his place among the last four.
Building momentum: Royer straight-sets win and an extended unbeaten run
The Doha run did not begin against Khachanov. In an earlier round Alcaraz disposed of Royer in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, a win that served as a reminder of his baseline consistency and ability to close out matches efficiently. That victory, combined with the comeback over Khachanov, extended Alcaraz’s winning streak to ten consecutive matches — a sequence that underlines his current form and confidence heading deeper into the ATP 500 draw.
With the semifinal spot secured, Alcaraz now faces Andrey Rublev for a place in the final. Their head-to-head favors the Spaniard 4-1, and Rublev will present a stern test with his flat groundstrokes and aggressive returning. Alcaraz has not lost to Rublev since Madrid 2024, a stat that will bolster his belief but which the field knows can count for little once they step on court in Doha.
What to expect next
Alcaraz’s path through the tournament has combined clinical victories with hard-fought survival matches, a mix that often sharpens contenders for the business end of an event. The semifinal against Rublev will be as much a mental examination as a physical one: managing emotions after the Khachanov episode, maintaining discipline on time management and sustaining the level that produced his straight-sets win over Royer.
As the ATP 500 heads into its final weekend, the spotlight will remain on Alcaraz. If he carries his recent form and his ten-match winning streak into the semis, he will be the clear favorite to advance — but the late-match friction and the stern test from Khachanov are reminders that nothing comes easy, even for the top-ranked player in the world.
