Carlos Alcaraz confronted the chair umpire during his quarterfinal match against Karen Khachanov at the 2026 Qatar Open after receiving a time violation. The Spaniard expressed frustration with the ruling and the serve clock rule itself following his 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory. Alcaraz advanced to the semifinals against Andrey Rublev.
In the quarterfinals of the 2026 Qatar Open in Doha, Carlos Alcaraz faced Karen Khachanov in a competitive match marked by a controversial time violation. After saving a breakpoint with a strong rally and celebrating, Alcaraz walked to his towel before serving. The chair umpire issued a time violation, prompting an immediate argument.
The umpire explained, “I stopped the time,” but Alcaraz replied, “No, you didn’t.” The official clarified that she halted the clock at 25 seconds when Alcaraz reached the towel and restarted it afterward. Alcaraz questioned, “How much time did you stop the clock? Tell me,” and the umpire responded, “Carlos, I stopped it till you reached there. I stopped it at 25 seconds until you actually reached the towel.” Frustrated, Alcaraz stated, “Alright. So I’m not allowed to go to the towel,” and later added, “I’m not allowed to go to the towel. I’m not allowed.” The umpire maintained, “Yes, I understand. But I can’t do anything.”
Khachanov approached the chair to request cancellation of the violation, but the decision stood. Alcaraz won the subsequent point to hold serve and continued arguing during the changeover.
Khachanov took the first set 7-6(3), but Alcaraz leveled it 6-4 and won the decider 6-3. Post-match, Alcaraz criticized the rule: “Honestly, I think the time rule is absurd. After a very demanding point, finishing at the net, sprinting to my towel, I practically had no time left. She told me she stopped the clock when I was on my towel, but from then until I called for the balls and prepared to serve, I had no time to spare. To me, that makes no sense. Besides, the crowd was still shouting and cheering, which also caused delays.”
He described the situation as “ridiculous” and suggested more leniency, noting it happens repeatedly in tough matches. Alcaraz also remarked, “The ATP says it wants to attract more people, to broaden its audience. If they don’t allow us time to recover between points to offer the best possible level, everything goes too fast, and it’s difficult to engage the crowd.” He urged adding a few more seconds to the clock.
At the net, Khachanov asked, “You never get tired? You never get tired?” Alcaraz replied jokingly, “I try not to,” with Khachanov adding, “One time, get tired. One time.” This marked Alcaraz's sixth win over Khachanov.
Reflecting on the match, Alcaraz said, “It was a really close and tight match. In the first set, I had a few breakpoints, and I couldn’t make them. One set point and I couldn’t make it, so it was really tough. I think Karen was playing great, but I knew I’d had my chances. I just didn’t take them in the first set, so it was time to keep going and try to keep fighting.” He expressed pride in his fightback, maintaining a 10-0 record in 2026 and now 12-0 in tour-level quarterfinals since his last loss in Doha. Alcaraz noted that recurring matchups against players like Khachanov aid his development.
