Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the final of the Japan Open on Monday after a comeback win over fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar.
Alcaraz won 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in 2 hours and 31 minutes at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo.
The world No. 3 was leading 5-4 in the first set and serving for it before dropping the set. Munar, ranked 49th, won 16 straight points to take the opener as Alcaraz struggled with four double-faults.
Alcaraz recovered in the second set, breaking Munar’s serve in the first, third and ninth games. He dominated the final set with aggressive forehands, big serves and drop shots that had the crowd at Ariake cheering.
“Right now, I’m trying to get my level back. I would say it’s still far from it,” Alcaraz said after the match. He is returning from a months-long wrist injury suffered after winning the Australian Open in February. He reached the quarter-finals of the US Open last month and helped Team Europe win the Laver Cup in September.
Alcaraz said, “Last year I came here with a lot of trophies with a lot of confidence. But I’m going to fight for the same result, which I’m really happy about.”
He will face Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka in the final on Tuesday. Lehecka, ranked 19th, beat Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2 in the other semi-final.
Alcaraz is bidding for his first singles title since his comeback and to retain the Tokyo title he won in 2025.
Leave a comment