TOKYO: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame early wobbles on his serve to outclass fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the Japan Open final on Monday, taking a step towards his first singles title after his comeback from a wrist injury.
He will face Czech Jiri Lehecka in Tuesday’s final.
Alcaraz completed the career Grand Slam by capturing the Australian Open title in February but suffered the injury two months later and only came back at the US Open, where a quarter-final run hinted at a swift return to form.
The 23-year-old, who moved through the gears during Team Europe’s triumphant Laver Cup campaign last month, looked comfortable against qualifier Munar in Tokyo at 5-4 before gifting him the opening set with two shaky service games.
Alcaraz unleashed a barrage of big serves and aggressive returns to keep Munar off-balance and running along the baseline, occasionally mixing in delicate drop shots that wowed the packed crowd at the Ariake Colosseum.
Munar maintained his composure to stay competitive, especially late in the opening set, as Alcaraz hit shots wide and long and racked up four double-faults in that set alone.
Nevertheless, Alcaraz kept pressure on his opponent, showering him with precise forehands, fast volleys and drop shots, breaking Munar’s serve in the first, third and ninth games of the second set.
Alcaraz dominated the final set, wrapping up the match in two hours and 31 minutes.
“I don’t know what happened in the first set,” said top seed Alcaraz, who dropped 16 consecutive points at the end of it.
“I started the match well, got a break and was serving for the set, but I don’t know what happened. It seems like I’m struggling every first set.
“But the way that I come back every time, I think I’m just really happy about it. Jaume’s a pretty tough player and these conditions suit him pretty well. I just tried to stay there as much as I could.
“I made a couple of breaks that helped a lot to get a bit of confidence, then I started to play more aggressively.”
Lehecka beat eighth seed Valentin Vacherot of Monaco 6-4, 6-2 to make the final and stay on course for his first trophy of the season.
Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026
