Carlos Alcaraz Overcomes Umpire Dispute and Khachanov Comeback to Reach Doha Semifinals

Carlos Alcaraz booked his spot in the semifinals in Doha following a dramatic comeback against Karen Khachanov and an earlier straight-sets win over Royer that took him into the quarterfinals.

Carlos Alcaraz fights past Khachanov amid umpire dispute

Alcaraz produced a resilient performance to overturn a first-set deficit and defeat Karen Khachanov 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, securing a place among the last four in the ATP 500 event. The match featured a tense moment with the chair umpire after a long point: when Alcaraz went to retrieve his towel he was penalized with a time violation, prompting a heated exchange in which he sharply criticized the tournament rules. The interruption did not derail him; he recovered to take the second and third sets and complete the comeback.

Straight-sets win over Royer set the stage; unbeaten streak extended

Prior to the battle with Khachanov, Alcaraz had already advanced to the quarterfinals in Doha by dispatching Royer in straight sets, a result that had positioned him favorably in the draw. The victory over Khachanov extended Alcaraz's unbeaten run to ten consecutive matches, underscoring a sustained run of form as he moves deeper into the tournament.

Next challenge: Rublev looming for a place in the final

With the semifinal berth secured, Alcaraz is slated to face Andrey Rublev for a spot in the final. The head-to-head between the two stands 4-1 in Alcaraz's favor, and he has not lost to Rublev since Madrid 2024. That prior dominance adds narrative weight to their upcoming meeting, which will decide who advances from the bottom half of the draw.

Across two matches in this phase of the event, Alcaraz has shown the ability to close out routine wins and grind through tense three-set affairs. The comeback against Khachanov — coupled with the on-court disagreement over the time violation — highlighted both his emotional intensity and capacity to refocus when momentum swings against him. His straight-sets victory over Royer earlier in the week provided a cleaner path into the late stages, but it is the recovery in the longer match that defined his progress to the semifinals.

As the tournament moves forward, Alcaraz will enter the semifinal with the weight of a ten-match streak and a favorable head-to-head versus his next opponent. How he manages the aftermath of the spat and channels the intensity that fueled his comeback will be central to his chances of reaching the final in Doha.