Carlos Alcaraz overcame a second-set challenge to defeat Valentin Royer 6-2, 7-5 and advance to the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. Jannik Sinner also progressed in straight sets, beating Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 7-5 in his debut at the ATP 500 event in Doha. Both players extended their strong starts to the 2026 season.
On February 18, 2026, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz secured a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Valentin Royer in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The Spaniard, who recently completed the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, raced through the first set in 34 minutes but trailed 2-5 in the second. He then won five consecutive games over the final 96 minutes of the match, converting four of eight break points according to Infosys ATP Stats.
"Obviously I had to be prepared for everything," Alcaraz said. "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. The rest was working to find solutions... I'm really pleased and really happy I was able to find good rhythm again, and good tennis."
The win marked Alcaraz's ninth consecutive victory of 2026 and extended his outdoor hard-court winning streak to 27 matches, dating back to the Cincinnati Open in August 2025. He will face seventh seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals, leading their head-to-head 5-0, including a straight-sets win in Beijing last year. Khachanov advanced by defeating Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 and is the 2024 champion in Doha.
Meanwhile, second seed Jannik Sinner made a strong debut at the tournament, defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 25 minutes. The Italian, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals, dropped just three points on serve in the first set and broke in the sixth game. He has now won 50 straight matches against players ranked outside the top 50, a streak starting from a loss to Dusan Lajovic in Cincinnati in 2023.
"I respect every player, but I always try to play my best tennis," Sinner said. "The ranking, at the end of the day, is just a number... Especially when the opponents don't have much to lose, you always have to stay very focused."
Sinner will next play sixth seed Jakub Mensik, who beat Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 6-2. In the other quarterfinal in their half, defending champion Andrey Rublev faces Stefanos Tsitsipas. Rublev defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-4, while Tsitsipas upset fourth seed Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first tour-level quarterfinal in 10 months.
Ahead of the matches, Alcaraz, Sinner, Rublev, and Medvedev participated in a lighthearted fishing outing, which Sinner described as a fun way to relax and bond. "It was very quick, it was one and a half hours, but we had a lot of fun," he said. "It was the first time that I went fishing."
