Carlos Alcaraz battled back from a set down to defeat Karen Khachanov 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday and secure a place in the semi-finals of the Qatar Open.

The opening set stayed on serve throughout, with neither player able to carve out a decisive break. It ultimately went to a tense tie-break, where Khachanov surged into a 6-1 lead before converting his third set point to edge ahead.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz responded strongly in the second set, breaking Khachanov to 15 in the fifth game to seize control. The Spaniard carried that momentum into the decider, striking again on the Russian’s serve at 2-2 to move in front.

The world number one sealed victory in emphatic fashion, breaking the seventh seed once more in the ninth game of the third set to wrap up the match and book his spot in the last four.

Competing in his first tournament since completing a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this month, Alcaraz will next face Andrey Rublev for a place in the final. Rublev advanced after defeating former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (2) in his quarter-final.

“It was a really close and tight match,” Alcaraz said afterwards. “I think Karen was playing great, but I knew I had my chances. I just didn’t take them in the first set, so it was time to keep going and keep fighting.

“I’m just really proud of the way that I fought.”