Carlos Alcaraz showed grit and resilience on Monday in Tokyo, rallying from a set down to defeat Norway’s Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and secure his place in the Japan Open final.
The victory earned him a milestone 10th final of the season, matching the feat last achieved by fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in 2017.
The world No. 1, who also lifted the US Open earlier this year, will battle Taylor Fritz for the title on Tuesday.
Fritz, who defeated Alcaraz at the Laver Cup in San Francisco two weeks ago, advanced after a 6-4, 6-3 win over compatriot Jenson Brooksby.
“No man since the legendary Rafael Nadal in 2017 has reached 10 finals in a season,” Alcaraz said after his win. “Following his steps in making 10 finals in a season is something great. Hopefully it’s not going to end here — a few tournaments ahead, hopefully (I’ll) get to the finals there as well.”
Alcaraz, who has set a personal record with 66 wins this season, had to withstand a strong start from Ruud.
The world No. 12 unleashed a string of brilliant winners to claim the opening set, leaving Alcaraz searching for answers.
The Spaniard, still carrying an ankle injury picked up in his opener last week, regrouped in the second set and began dictating with his trademark explosive forehands.
He sent down nine aces to level the contest and then broke Ruud midway through the deciding set before powering to victory with another thunderous forehand.
“Emotionally it was really tough to deal with everything today,” Alcaraz admitted. “I’m really happy to be able to turn around everything and I ended that match playing such great tennis. I’m excited to be playing in another final.”
His opponent Fritz, currently ranked world No. 5, has been in strong form and already tested Alcaraz during a practice session in Tokyo before the tournament began.
“That practice gave me a really good feedback to how I should approach the match,” said Alcaraz. “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.”
Despite his ankle still strapped, Alcaraz expressed confidence in his preparation, “Physically, it can be better, I’m not going to lie. Just doing the best work that I can with my team, with my physio, and hopefully tomorrow it will be even better.”
