Japan Open 2025: Carlos Alcaraz defeats Casper Ruud, sets up final with Taylor Fritz

Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the final of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships after a hard-fought victory over Casper Ruud. The world No. 1 secured a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win at the ATP 500 event, overcoming fitness concerns and a resilient opponent. He will face former Tokyo champion Taylor Fritz in the title match.

Alcaraz struggled with movement early in the match, particularly during the opening set, but regained his sharpness to prevail. He acknowledged missed opportunities in the first set, saying, “I had a lot of chances in the first set. I had four break points if I'm not wrong. It’s just about details, so I just tried to be more positive than the first set. I was a little bit mad with myself, so I just tried to play with joy again, putting a lot of positive thoughts in my mind.”

The victory, which lasted two hours and eight minutes, marked Alcaraz’s 66th win of the season, a personal best. He now looks ahead to the final against Fritz, who defeated him at the Laver Cup last week. Speaking about his opponent, Alcaraz said, “I know he’s playing great tennis lately. Since the Laver Cup against me, against Zverev, and here in this tournament, he’s feeling great and really comfortable on the court. Everything is different since San Francisco... But it’s another challenge for me and I’m looking forward to it.”

Since sustaining a minor left ankle injury in his Tokyo opener, Alcaraz has downplayed fitness concerns and demonstrated resilience with assertive wins. However, against Ruud, whose heavy topspin and angled shots tested him, the Spaniard’s discomfort was more evident. A moment of hesitation in the seventh game, when Alcaraz struggled to reach a drop volley, highlighted his early struggles.

Alcaraz’s aggressive play in the first set resulted in 15 unforced errors, but he adjusted his game in the second set, improving his serving consistency by dropping only four of 24 points on serve. This shift allowed him to level the match. In the deciding set, Alcaraz displayed greater freedom of movement and confident shotmaking, dispelling doubts about his injury.

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Ruud, despite the loss, moved up two spots to 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin as he aims to return to the Nitto ATP Finals. Earlier in the day, Taylor Fritz secured his place in the final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over fellow American Jenson Brooksby. Fritz, who hit 13 aces, reached his first hard-court final of 2025 and climbed to fifth in the Race to Turin.

Commenting on his performance, Fritz said, “Honestly, just by botting. I served insanely well: High percentage first serves and spots too. It felt like any game that I didn’t hit three aces, he was really outplaying me from the baseline. I was able to hang in on my serve, and then capitalise on that scoreboard pressure. My serve got me through it.”

(With inputs from ATP Tour)

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