Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare to come through his quarter-final match with Karen Khachanov at the Qatar Open.
The Spaniard lost a first set tie break to his Russian opponent, before winning the next two sets to confirm the victory.
The match wasn’t without controversy either, as Alcaraz lost his cool with the umpire after receiving a time violation.
Alcaraz was all smiles after the match, however, and Khachanov shared a joke with him after the epic battle.
Karen Khachanov joked with Carlos Alcaraz after the match
The pair battled it out for nearly three hours in the evening session of the Qatar Open, but the Spaniard was still sprightly after the match.
Khachanov, still obviously feeling the effects of the lengthy battle, joked with Alcaraz at the net during their handshake.
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“You never get tired?,” Khachanov jokingly asked Alcaraz after his defeat. “You never get tired. One time get tired. One time.”
Alcaraz has now defeated Khachanov six times in a row and he has never faced a defeat against the Russian star.
It’s no surprise Khachanov was as bemused as he was at the net following yet another defeat to the world number one.
Carlos Alcaraz’s route to the Qatar Open title
Jannik Sinner’s shock defeat to Jakub Mensik has cleared up Alcaraz’s route to yet another title, but he will still have two tough tests in Qatar.
The Spaniard will play last year’s champion Andrey Rublev in the final four, after the Russian defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals.
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Rublev hasn’t beaten Alcaraz since the 2024 Madrid Open quarter-final, which needed all three sets to decide the winner.
If Alcaraz can find a way past Rublev, he will play the winner of Arthur Fils and Mensik in the other semi-final.
Alcaraz is currently on an 8-0 winning streak in 2026 following his run to the Australian Open title in January.
