World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz added another trophy to his growing collection today, defeating American Taylor Fritz in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, to win the Japan Open final in his tournament debut.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who had been struggling with a minor ankle injury throughout the week, delivered a solid performance and secured his ATP Tour-leading eighth title of the season.
The victory also got revenge for Alcaraz, who had suffered a defeat to Fritz at the Laver Cup exhibition event in San Francisco just two weeks ago.
“It’s been a pleasure to be able to play here in Tokyo in front of Japanese fans. I’ve enjoyed every single second I was on the court (apart from) the five minutes I was on the floor after I hurt my ankle,” Alcaraz said.
In a tightly contested final at the Ariake Coliseum, Alcaraz level proved too high for the 2022 Japan Open champion. He broke Fritz late in the first set, capitalising in the ninth game before confidently serving out the set, 6-4.
The momentum carried into the second set as Alcaraz immediately broke his opponent, quickly establishing a 4-1 lead with a series of trademark forehands. Although Fritz managed to claw one break back, it was ultimately too little, too late. Alcaraz sealed the championship on his next service game, concluding the match with a cleverly disguised drop shot (as we’ve seen a few times before).
Watch highlights of the ATP Tokyo final below:
The win marks Alcaraz’s 24th career singles title (and 8th this year) and improves his season record to an exceptional 67-7 as he continues his push to secure the year-end No. 1 ranking. The final in Tokyo was also the first Japan Open final in 14 years to feature the tournament’s top two seeds.
“It’s been great, my best season so far without a doubt,” the Spaniard continued.
Both Alcaraz and Fritz are now scheduled to compete in the Shanghai Masters, with the Spaniard looking to maintain his sensational form. Can Fritz surprises there or will we see another Sinner-Alcaraz final once again?
