Carlos Alcaraz defeated Karen Khachanov 6–7, 6–4, 6–3 in the Qatar Open quarter-final on hard court in Doha on 19 February 2026, confirming his status as the heavy favourite with odds of 1.07 to Khachanov's 7.96. The Spaniard was forced to work for victory, losing a tight opening set via tiebreak before asserting control in the second and third frames to progress to the semi-finals. Alcaraz's comeback from the first-set loss demonstrated his resilience against a competitive opponent, though Khachanov's inability to capitalise on the momentum gained from the opening tiebreak proved costly. The result maintains Alcaraz's strong form at the ATP Masters 1000 level and sets up a significant semi-final clash.