ATP Tour

Alcaraz exacts quick Fritz revenge, captures Tokyo title on debut

Carlos Alcaraz served Taylor Fritz some quick revenge on Tuesday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he ousted the American to win his eighth title of the season.

Just nine days removed from his Laver Cup defeat to Fritz, the World No. 1 stamped his authority with a classy 6-4, 6-4 championship-match performance in Tokyo, capping a remarkable debut run at the ATP 500 event. Now boasting a Tour-best 67 wins and eight trophies in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz is threatening to better his rival Jannik Sinner’s tally of 73 wins from last year.

“It’s been my best season so far without a doubt,” Alcaraz said. “Eight titles, 10 finals… That shows how hard I’ve worked just to be able to experience these moments and accomplish my goals. I didn’t start the year that good, struggling emotionally, so how I came back from that, I’m just really proud of myself, and of all the people around me who have helped me to be in this position.”

Another city, another crown 👑🏆@carlosalcaraz defeats Fritz 6-4 6-4 to conquer Tokyo for the first time and claim his 8th title of the season.@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/qhUBaSQpTp

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2025

Since losing to Sinner in the Wimbledon final in July, Alcaraz has responded with three consecutive titles at the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, the US Open and now Tokyo. With his 24th career tour-level crown, the 22-year-old Spaniard tied Alexander Zverev for the most among men born since 1990.

Although Fritz, who twice took a medical timeout to receive treatment on his left thigh, was unable to contain Alcaraz’s trademark firepower in the final, he has strengthened his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. Last year’s runner-up has jumped one spot to fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

In the first ATP 500 final between two Top-5 players since October last year, there was no shortage of breathtaking winners and early entertainment. Yet it did not come without drama, and more fitness concerns for Alcaraz, who suffered an injury scare in his first-round win over Sebastian Baez.

After a nine-shot exchange in the fourth game, which ended with Alcaraz planting a high backhand volley into the net, the Spaniard stooped at the back of the court in a bid to regain his breath. He received a time violation warning from ATP umpire Fergus Murphy before taking a few extra seconds to regroup, but he then found a trademark lob over Fritz to hold serve in the ensuing point.

Watch Alcaraz leave Fritz out to dry with lob perfection: 

Armed with his typically explosive forehand and instinctive returns, Alcaraz overwhelmed Fritz from all corners of the court and eventually converted his sixth break point to serve for the opener. During the first set, the Spaniard clocked a 9.7 Shot Quality on his forehand wing, from which he fired seven winners to just four unforced errors.

“I enjoyed every single second, [apart from] the five minutes I was on the floor after I hurt my ankle,” Alcaraz joked about his Tokyo debut. “I’m really happy with the level that I played, with everything. Starting the week not good with the ankle, and the way that I came back from that, I’m just really happy about it.”

Fritz took a medical timeout at the end of the first set to receive treatment on his left thigh, which was strapped after three games of the second. The American’s movement was significantly hindered, and he struggled to cope with Alcaraz’s variety throughout the second set.

Even though Fritz drilled a low backhand winner down the line to earn one of the breaks back late on, Alcaraz recovered by serving out the match on his second attempt after 93 minutes. He now leads Fritz 4-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

{{player.PlayerFirstName}} {{player.PlayerLastName}}

{{player.PlayerCountryCode}}

{{player.PlayerLastName}}

{{player.PartnerLastName}}

{{player.Record}}

Vs
wins

{{opponent.Record}}

Show H2H Detail

{{opponent.PlayerFirstName}} {{opponent.PlayerLastName}}

{{opponent.PlayerCountryCode}}

{{ opponent.PlayerLastName }}

{{opponent.PartnerLastName}}

• {{player.Ranking}} Rank {{opponent.Ranking}}
• {{player.Age ? player.Age : '-'}} Age {{opponent.Age ? opponent.Age : '-'}}