World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz fought back from a set down to beat Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in Tokyo, booking his place in the Japan Open final and matching a milestone last achieved by Rafael Nadal.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, already the US Open champion, has now reached his 10th final of the season — the first player to do so since Nadal in 2017.
“Following his steps in making 10 finals in a season is something great,” Alcaraz said. “Hopefully it’s not going to end here — a few tournaments ahead, hopefully (I’ll) get to the finals there as well.”
Despite carrying an ankle injury from earlier in the tournament, Alcaraz dug deep after losing the first set. He blasted nine aces in the second and broke Ruud midway through the third to seal the win with one of his trademark forehands.
“Emotionally it was really tough to deal with everything today,” he admitted. “I’m really happy to turn it around and finish playing great tennis. I’m excited to be in another final.”
Alcaraz will face Taylor Fritz in Tuesday’s final. The American world No. 5, who beat him two weeks ago at the Laver Cup in San Francisco, defeated compatriot Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3 in the other semi-final.
Alcaraz acknowledged Fritz as a tough opponent but said he had gained useful insight after practicing with him in Tokyo before the tournament began.
“That practice gave me really good feedback on how I should approach the match,” Alcaraz said. “I will try to play my best tennis tomorrow — my Plan A — because his level is pretty high right now.”
The Spaniard has now notched 66 wins this season, a personal best, and aims to cap his remarkable run with yet another title.
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