Doha tennis: Alcaraz beats Royer, Sinner tops Popyrin, Tsitsipas outlasts Medvedev
Carlos Alcaraz rallies past Valentin Royer 6-2, 7-5 in Doha, faces Karen Khachanov in semis. Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Carlos Alcaraz advance in Doha quarterfinals.
“There were some moments when I thought about a third set, I'm not going to lie...”
Carlos Alcaraz keeps winning. The world No. 1 rallied from 5-2 down in the second set to beat Valentin Royer 6-2, 7-5 in Doha, maintaining his perfect start to 2025.
Alcaraz, fresh from becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, showed his resilience to notch his ninth straight win.
“There were some moments when I thought about a third set, I'm not going to lie, but obviously it was just a small place in my mind that was thinking that,” Alcaraz said.
“The rest was working to find solutions, to find the right way again.”
Carlos Alcaraz, the 22-year-old sensation, takes on Karen Khachanov, the Russian seventh seed, in the semi-finals today. Alcaraz is on a roll against Khachanov, having won all five of their previous encounters, dropping just one set along the way.
Alcaraz blitzed through the opening set, breaking twice without facing a break point. Royer stepped up in the second, though, and was soon 3-1 up.
Royer was in control, but Alcaraz fought back to win 6-2, 7-5.
Make than NINE straight wins 📈@carlosalcaraz shows his class, reeling off five games in a row to defeat Royer 6-2 7-5 in Doha!#QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/REdadjmCgi
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 18, 2026
Alcaraz fought back, breaking Royer in game nine after the Frenchman failed to close out the set. That shift sparked Alcaraz's surge – he won five straight games to seal the win.
Alcaraz's comeback was impressive, turning the match around after Royer had taken control.
Jannik Sinner kicked off his Doha campaign with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Alexei Popyrin, looking sharp in his first tournament since the Australian Open semi-finals loss to Novak Djokovic.
Stefanos Tsitsipas snapped a 10-month drought without a quarterfinal appearance, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4, while France's Arthur Fils continued his resurgence, edging out Quentin Halys 6-1, 7-6 (9/7).
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