A Dominant Win With Room to Grow
Carlos Alcaraz launched his 2026 Erste Bank Open in Vienna with a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Karen Khachanov, extending his perfect head-to-head record against the Russian to an impressive 7-0. That marks Alcaraz's most dominant personal rivalry on the ATP Tour, surpassing his 6-0 records against Alex de Minaur, Arthur Rinderknech, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The match was played in front of a packed house in the Austrian capital, and Alcaraz was genuinely moved by the reception. He described the atmosphere as "amazing" and "incredible," recalling that Vienna's crowd had left a special impression on him when he first played the event back in 2021.
Alcaraz did have match points at 5-6 down in the second set but could not convert, admitting afterward that he "overplayed" a couple of those moments. Still, he navigated a tiebreak to seal the win and credited his mental resilience for keeping him competitive when it mattered most.
Chasing Rhythm After a Lengthy Layoff
Despite the positive result, Alcaraz has been refreshingly honest about not yet operating at full capacity. He returned to competition at the US Open after roughly four and a half months away from the tour due to injury, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Ben Shelton in five sets. He won the Japan Open in Tokyo shortly after, though his form was inconsistent, and he then suffered an early exit at the Shanghai Masters, losing to Zizou Bergs in the first round.
Alcaraz took a wildcard for Vienna partly because a planned exhibition event in Saudi Arabia was pushed to December. He has acknowledged needing match rhythm and competition against top players to gradually rebuild his sharpest level, with the ATP Finals looming at season's end. His next Vienna opponent will come from a match between Nikoloz Basilashvili and Jurij Rodionov. TennisDraw users have been closely tracking Alcaraz's bracket trajectory as he works his way back to his most dangerous form.
