Russian players keep coming forward to challenge the world number one, Alcaraz.

At 12:30 AM tomorrow, the first semifinal of the ATP500 Doha tournament will see the world number one, Spain’s versatile warrior Alcaraz, face the world number 14 Russian "Golden Monkey" Rublev. Following the French players Lindgren and Ruaye in the first two rounds, Russian players, former champion Khachanov and Rublev, continue to challenge the top-ranked Alcaraz, creating quite an exciting atmosphere!

In the Doha quarterfinal early today, 2024 champion and Russian thunder Khachanov faced world number one Alcaraz. Although Khachanov had lost all five previous encounters against Alcaraz, his powerful serve and fierce forehand and backhand proved formidable. Relying on his serving strength and solid defense, and committing far fewer unforced errors than his opponent, he saved multiple break points and a set point, pushing the first set to a tiebreak, which he won 7-3 with great determination.

The world number one Alcaraz showed extraordinary resilience, never discouraged after falling behind. He knew he had plenty of chances in the first set but failed to convert them. He kept pushing forward, fighting hard to create and seize opportunities in the following sets. Alcaraz did not disappoint his fans, conceding no more break points in the last two sets and winning them 6-4 and 6-3, overturning the match to defeat Russian thunder Khachanov. After the match, Alcaraz said emotionally, “I am very proud of how I fought.”

After a hard-fought victory over 2024 champion Russian thunder Khachanov in the quarterfinal early today, Alcaraz will face a tougher challenge tomorrow at 12:30 AM in the semifinal against defending champion, Russian "Golden Monkey" Rublev, making the competition even fiercer.

Born in October 1997, Rublev won the French Open junior title in 2014 and turned professional the same year. By 2018, he reached the US Open quarterfinals. In 2019 at the Cincinnati Masters, after qualifying, he defeated then world number three and Swiss legend Federer in just 63 minutes with a 6-3, 6-4 score, handing Federer his quickest career defeat. In 2020, Rublev won five titles, topping the tour’s championship list and breaking into the top ten for the first time. After finishing runner-up at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021, he reached his career-high ranking of world number five on September 13.

Rublev won the Monte Carlo Masters in 2023 and the Madrid Masters in 2024. At the 2024 Rogers Cup in Canada, he defeated the then world number one and Italian rising star Sinner in the quarterfinals. The last time Rublev beat a current world number one was against Djokovic at the 2022 ATP250 Serbia final.

Despite reaching five Masters finals and winning two titles, Rublev holds an unfortunate Grand Slam record: since the start of the Open Era in 1968, he has the worst performance in Grand Slam quarterfinals, losing all ten quarterfinal matches from the 2021 US Open to the 2024 Australian Open. Even more regrettably, from the 2024 French Open to the 2026 Australian Open, Rublev failed to reach the quarterfinals in eight consecutive Grand Slams. In 2025, ranked 16th at year-end, his streak of five consecutive ATP Finals appearances ended.

Although Rublev has not achieved his goals at Grand Slams, he has claimed 17 titles in lower-tier tournaments and earned the reputation as the king of ATP500 events. Notably, he won the Doha tournament twice, once in 2020 when it was ATP250 and again in 2025 after it was upgraded to ATP500.

In his career, Rublev has faced Alcaraz five times, losing four matches. His only victory came in the 2024 Madrid Masters quarterfinals, where he overturned Alcaraz, ending Alcaraz’s dream of a three-peat at Madrid Masters.

Tomorrow at 12:30 AM in the ATP500 Doha semifinal, Alcaraz and Rublev will meet for the sixth time in their careers. Will the defending champion Rublev perform brilliantly again and defeat the world number one for the second time? Or will world number one Alcaraz triumph over the defending champion, avenging his lost chance at a Madrid Masters three-peat in 2024?

(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Qicai Doufen)