Doha
Alcaraz plays at Royer in Doha, sets Khachanov QF clash
Tsitsipas takes down Medvedev, he will face champion Rublev in the semi-finals
February 18, 2026
Karim Jaafar/ AFP via Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz playing against Valentin Royer on Wednesday in Doha.
Written by Andy West
Carlos Alcaraz sparked a big finish to secure progress in straight sets on Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings defeated Valentin Royer 6-2, 7-5 to seal his place in the quarter-finals at the tough ATP 500. Alcaraz reeled off five straight games from 2-5 in the second set, raising his level in style to complete the 96-second round of the second.
World Ways No.1 🗣️💪@carlosalcaraz lost to Royer 6-2, 7-5 to return to the quarterfinals in Doha@QatarTennis | #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/wX6PGzjSF7
– ATP Tour (@atptour) February 18, 2026
“Obviously I had to prepare for everything,” said Alcaraz, when asked if he ever doubted that he could win. “There were times when I thought about the third set, I’m not going to lie, but obviously it was a small place in my mind that thought that.
“I’m very happy and I’m very happy that I was able to find a good rhythm again, and good tennis. It’s about fighting. I know tennis. It’s about one point, and sometimes it’s really difficult to close out a set or a match. I had to hang in there, and I’m glad I turned it around and got a win in straight sets.”
Now on a nine-match winning streak after backing up her Australian Open title by reaching the quarter-finals in Doha, Alcaraz will face Karen Khachanov in the last four on Thursday. Seventh-seeded Khachanov, who downed Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 earlier on Wednesday, was the 2024 champion in the Qatari capital.
Alcaraz is now on a 27-match winning streak on outdoor hard courts, dating back to his title at the Cincinnati Open last August. The 22-year-old is chasing his first trophy in Doha, where he fell in the quarter-finals to Jiri Lehecka in the first match last year.
Despite the loss, Royer will have plenty of positives to take from his Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Alcaraz, moving up seven spots to No. 53 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings after reaching the second round in Doha. The 24-year-old Frenchman showed some composure as he waved through the second set, but was unable to withstand Alcaraz’s late charge.
After Alcaraz broke first to break back on serve and level at 5-5, the Spaniard produced a superb forehand to earn a second break in a row at 6-5. From there, he had no problems closing out the win where he converted four of his eight points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Alcaraz will bid to extend his unbeaten record against Khachanov on Thursday in Qatar. He leads 5-0 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series, including a straight-sets win in their meeting on the hard court in Beijing 2024.
Another quarter-final in the Alcaraz section of the draw will feature defending champion Andrey Rublev taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas. Rublev brushed past Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-4, while former World No. 3 advanced to the tour-level quarterfinals for 10 months defeating fourth seed Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4.
