In a gripping quarterfinal at the Doha ExxonMobil Open, Carlos Alcaraz found himself in a rare moment of frustration. The world No. 1 was hit with a time violation warning after an intense rally against Karen Khachanov, sparking a heated exchange with umpire Marija Cicak.
Alcaraz, serving at 4-4 in the first set, questioned, “I’m not allowed to go to the towel?” His query came after he had just outmaneuvered Khachanov, the No. 7 seed, at the net. However, Cicak issued the warning, noting that Alcaraz had exceeded the 25-second limit between points.
The tension was palpable as Cicak explained that the clock was reset only after Alcaraz walked back to grab his towel. Despite Alcaraz's protests and request to overturn the violation, Cicak stood firm, stating, “I can’t invent more time.”
The first set slipped away from Alcaraz in a tiebreaker, but he displayed resilience, bouncing back to win the match in three sets, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-3. In a show of sportsmanship, Alcaraz shook hands with Cicak at the end, moving forward in the tournament with his characteristic determination.