Carlos Alcaraz battled back to defeat Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in Tokyo, reaching his 10th final of the season and following in the footsteps of fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
The world number one and US Open champion will face Taylor Fritz, who beat him at the Laver Cup two weeks ago, in Tuesday’s decider at the Japan Open. No player has reached 10 finals in a season since Nadal in 2017.
“Following his steps in making 10 finals in a season is something great,” Alcaraz said, adding that he has also set a personal best of 66 wins this year. “Hopefully it’s not going to end here — a few tournaments ahead, hopefully I’ll reach the finals there as well.”
Alcaraz faced early resistance from Norway’s world number 12 Ruud, who pulled off a series of spectacular winners to claim the first set. Adding to the challenge, Alcaraz was playing with an ankle injury sustained during his opener on Thursday.
“Emotionally it was really tough to deal with everything today,” Alcaraz admitted. “I’m really happy to be able to turn around everything and end the match playing such great tennis. I’m excited to be in another final.”
Alcaraz regained control in the second set, hitting nine aces and unleashing a series of powerful forehands. He broke Ruud midway through the third set and closed out the match with another forceful forehand, demonstrating resilience and attacking prowess despite his injury.
“Physically, it can be better, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I’m just doing the best work I can with my team and physio, and hopefully tomorrow it will be even better.”
Alcaraz will face world number five Fritz in the final, who defeated fellow American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3 in the other semi-final. Having practised with Fritz in Tokyo before the tournament, Alcaraz said he is prepared for a tough challenge.
“That practice gave me really good feedback on how I should approach the match,” he said. “I will try to play my best tennis tomorrow, my Plan A, if I want to beat him — because his level is pretty high right now.”
