ATP Tour

Alcaraz, tested by movement concerns & Ruud, sets Tokyo final vs. Fritz

Carlos Alcaraz faced perhaps the sternest examination of his debut run at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Monday, but he emerged with flying colours to book his spot in the final.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings overcame a resilient Casper Ruud and his own fitness concerns to secure a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory at the ATP 500 event. Alcaraz, who displayed limited movement at times during the opening set, eventually rediscovered his sharpness to set up a title showdown with former Tokyo champion Taylor Fritz.

“I had a lot of chances in the first set,” said Alcaraz. “I had four break points if I'm not wrong. It’s just about details, so I just tried to be more positive than the first set. I was a little bit mad with myself, so I just tried to play with joy again, putting a lot of positive thoughts in my mind.”

With his two-hour, eight-minute victory, Alcaraz notched his personal-best 66th win in a season. On Tuesday, the 22-year-old Spaniard will seek revenge against Fritz, who defeated him at the Laver Cup last week.

“I know he’s playing great tennis lately,” Alcaraz said of Fritz, who also defeated Alexander Zverev in San Francisco. “Since the Laver Cup against me, against Zverev, and here in this tournament, he’s feeling great and really comfortable on the court. Everything is different since San Francisco... But it’s another challenge for me and I’m looking forward to it.”

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Since tweaking his left ankle in his Tokyo opener against Sebastian Baez, Alcaraz had downplayed concerns and proved it with assertive wins. Yet against Ruud, who tested him relentlessly with heavy topspin and court-stretching angles, the Spaniard’s discomfort was more apparent.

Facing break point in the seventh game, Ruud attacked with a deep approach into Alcaraz’s backhand corner. Though he got the ball back at his opponent’s feet, Alcaraz hesitated when stretching for that ball and chasing the ensuing drop volley — a moment of vulnerability that underscored his struggles in the first set.

Watch Alcaraz struggle to deal with Ruud on break point:

Alcaraz’s aggressive, risk-heavy tactics in the first set yielded 15 unforced errors, but he recalibrated in the second, finding consistency on serve: He dropped just four of 24 points behind his delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to overwhelm Ruud and level the match.

From there, Alcaraz carried that momentum into the deciding set, where he showcased his freedom of movement and fearless shotmaking, silencing any injury doubts. To overcome Fritz in the final, however, the Spaniard will need another commanding serving performance against one of the Tour’s most formidable servers.

Despite defeat, Ruud has risen two spots to 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as the former finalist seeks to return to the Nitto ATP Finals.

Earlier on Monday, Fritz powered his way into the final by serving his way past countryman Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3. Though outplayed at times from the baseline, Fritz compensated for 13 aces to secure his first hard-court final of 2025 and climb to fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

“Honestly, just by botting,” Fritz said when asked how he was able to triumph. “I served insanely well: High percentage first serves and spots too. It felt like any game that I didn’t hit three aces, he was really outplaying me from the baseline. I was able to hang in on my serve, and then capitalise on that scoreboard pressure. My serve got me through it.”