By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Picture credit score: Tennis TV Display Shot
Carlos Alcaraz solid strains with rival Jannik Sinner on a Doha fishing trip final weekend.
Confronting a short tennis tempest at 2-5 in the present day, Alcaraz rode a wave of winners to succeed in his second straight Doha quarterfinal.
World No. 1 Alcaraz reeled off 5 video games in a row subduing Valentin Royer 6-2, 7-5.
It’s Alcaraz’s ninth straight win and vaults him into his fifty fifth quarterfinal.
Seventeen days after Alcaraz powered previous Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to seize his first AO championship and make historical past because the youngest man to finish the profession Grand Slam 16 days in the past, he continues to tame all challengers.
Since final April, Alcaraz has gained 64 of 69 matches, together with an ideal 27-0 on outside onerous courts, that included a streak of 11 finals in 12 tournaments.
The 22-year-old Spaniard will face Karen Khachanov for a spot within the Qatar ExxonMobil Open semifinals.
Earlier, the seventh-seeded Khachanov cranked seven aces and saved 5 of six break factors topping Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. It’s Khachanov’s first Tour-level quarterfinal since he superior to the Toronto last final August dropping to Ben Shelton.
The 2024 Doha champion Khachanov is winless in 5 prior conferences towards Alcaraz. Of their most up-to-date conflict on the 2025 Rome spherical of 16, Alcaraz prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
Going through former junior opponent Royer for the primary time as a professional in the present day, Alcaraz lunged for a full-stretch forehand volley that helped him break within the third recreation.
Denying a pair of break factors, together with whipping an inside-out forehand winner on the second break level, Alcaraz slid an ace down the T to consolidate for 3-1.
Alcaraz broke once more for 5-2. Serving for the set, the Spaniard swooped ahead, guessed proper on a pair of passes and knocked off successive forehand volleys to shut the 36-minute opening set.
Although Royer carried a meager 1-5 document on the season into this conflict, he delivered a degree of tennis far larger than his present rank of No. 60 within the second set.
Moving into his groundstrokes, Royer ceaselessly went toe-to-toe with Alcaraz in some crackling baseline exchanges early within the second set.
A strong strike and fortuitous fall helped Royer register the primary break of the second set. Royer bolted a backhand return into the highest of the tape and the ball dribbled over on Alcaraz’s facet of the courtroom giving the Frenchman the break and a 3-1 lead.
Royer erased a break level when Alcaraz sailed a forehand broad. The world No. 60 backed up the break extending his result in 4-1. Alcaraz climbed out of a Love-30 gap to carry within the sixth recreation earlier than Royer stamped a strong maintain at 30 for 5-2.
Serving for the second set, Royer tried to assault however paid the value as Alcaraz zapped a forehand move crosscourt. Two factors later, Alcaraz drilled a diagonal forehand winner for triple break level.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion hammered heavy forehands to interrupt for 4-5. A pointy Alcaraz gained 12 of 14 factors to degree at 5-all.
Stepping right into a backhand bolt, Alcaras spun a move for his second straight break for a 6-5 lead. Firing his seventeenth forehand winner of the day helped Alcaraz shut in 95 minutes, elevating his 2026 document to 9-0.
