Carlos Alcaraz is proving yet again why he’s so worthy of being the current men’s world No. 1.
The Spanish superstar progressed through to the Japan Open final on Monday after coming back against a resilient Casper Ruud.
Despite dropping the first set, Alcaraz recovered to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and set up a title clash with American Taylor Fritz in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The victory against Ruud also takes his tally up to 66 wins on tour this year, the most he’s ever recorded in a single season. His previous best was 65 wins back in 2023.
A win didn’t always look on the cards against Ruud, though, with Alcaraz appearing to struggle physically at times in the early exchanges.
The Spaniard suffered a small ankle injury last week and didn’t look entirely comfortable on court as his opponent seized on the opportunity.
But, as every true champion does, Alcaraz kept his cool and started being more aggressive in the second set, carrying that momentum through to the end of the match.
“It’s just about details, so I just tried to be more positive than the first set,” Alcaraz said after the win, per ATP.
“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.”
Tokyo magic
While Alcaraz is no stranger to a final, it’s the manner in which he played at times in Tokyo which has been so impressive.
Most notably, his quarterfinal win against Brandon Nakashima on Sunday was simply breathtaking, with Alcaraz reeling off several shots which made for a spectacular highlights reel.
His level appeared to peak in the final game of that quarterfinal, with Alcaraz serving for the win.
The first point of the game really set the tone and is arguably one of the shots of the year.
When Nakashima looked to test the Spaniard with a drop shot, Alcaraz was forced to sprint to the ball in order to return cross court.
Nakashima was there to meet it with a delicate slice back across Alcaraz’s body, a shot which would have normally won the point under ordinary circumstances. Only the man from Murcia is no normal player.
Instead of conceding the point, the 22-year-old stretched every sinew in his body to reach the ball and produced a quite incredible backhand slice which zipped across a stunned Nakashima.
The crowd was left laughing at what they had just seen, with Alcaraz puffing his cheeks out as he tried to recover his body from such an impressive feat of flexibility.
Alcaraz then made it 30-0 with a formidable forehand cross court which echoed around the stadium. He then brought up match point with a delicate volley at the net, before wrapping up the match with another remarkable forehand which left his opponent with no chance.
“What have we just watched? I don’t think it’s stretching a point to say that is one of the best games to win a match of tennis this sport has ever seen,” said the commentator on Tennis TV.
Alcaraz himself was very pleased with his performance and agreed that the final game was something special.
“I don’t think I’ve played a last game like this, so I’m really happy about it,” he said after the match, per ATP.
And while his semifinal win against Ruud didn’t quite produce the same level of brilliance, the Spaniard is surely favorite for the Japan Open final against Fritz.
The American won this tournament back in 2022, though, and Alcaraz knows he’s in for a tough battle – Fritz also beat him during the Laver Cup earlier this month.
“I know he’s playing great tennis lately,” Alcaraz said about Fritz. “It’s another challenge for me and I’m looking forward to it.”
