Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are still on the verge of clashing in the Doha final, but the quarters are following the schedule. They face Karen Khachanov and Jakub Mensik, respectively, on Thursday.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (7) Karen Khachanov
Alcaraz and Khachanov will meet for the sixth time in their careers when they compete in the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday. As with many players, this was a tough game for Khachanov. He is 0-5 overall and 1-11 in total sets, with neither player forced in his 11-set loss. However, the Russians finally managed to take a set in their most recent meeting at the 2025 Rome Masters – where Alcaraz won 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
The reigning Australian Open champion extended his season-opening winning streak to nine matches with Doha victories over Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Royer. It has been a difficult 2026 campaign for Khachanov, who is 5-3 with losses to Michael Mmoh (Hong Kong), Luciano Darderi (Australian Open), and Jaume Munar (Rotterdam). The world number 17 beat Shintaro Mochizuki and Marton Fucsovics earlier this week, but nothing in his current form suggests he is about to challenge Alcaraz.
Pick: Alcaraz at 2
(6) Jakub Mensik vs. (2) Jannik Sinner
Like Alcaraz, Sinner can just do things in the early stages of tournaments. When the competition heats up with seeded players on the opposite side of the set, Sinner’s rank almost always rises. Coming off a stunning semi-final upset of Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park, the second-seeded Italian was good enough to dispose of Tomas Machac and Alexei Popyrin in straight sets.
Next up for Sinner is a first-ever meeting with Mensik, who won his place in the last eight with a three-set loss to Jan Choinski and a straight sets victory over Zhizhen Zhang. The 20-year-old Czech is incredibly talented – as evidenced by his victory at the Miami Masters last spring – but his defensive skills can still improve and his forehand can break. Obviously, the sinner is more than capable of falling prey to that weakness.
Choose: Sinner in 2
