By Adegboyega Adeleye Carlos Alcaraz has won the Japan Open for a second consecutive year, claiming his first title since returning from a right wrist injury. The Spaniard defeated Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in the final in Tokyo to successfully defend the title he won last year.
It was Alcaraz’s first tour-level trophy since winning in Doha in February and his first final since losing to Jannik Sinner at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April. The 23-year-old returned to competitive action in late August after his injury lay-off and reached the US Open quarter-finals, where he lost to Ben Shelton in a match that ended at 3:33am.
Lehecka, ranked 19th in the world, made the brighter start in Tokyo, breaking Alcaraz to lead 3-1. But Alcaraz quickly recovered to level at 3-3 before taking control of the first-set tie-break, winning five consecutive points from 2-4 to take the opener. The Spaniard then made the decisive breakthrough in the seventh game of the second set, breaking Lehecka to lead 4-3 before serving out the match.
The victory made Alcaraz the first man to successfully defend the Japan Open title since Pete Sampras in 1994. “It’s extra special to win a title again. It’s been a while,” Alcaraz said. “To win a trophy in my second tournament back is amazing. I didn’t find my best tennis all week, but I found the right solutions to win. Today I played the best match of the entire tournament.
I’m really happy.” Alcaraz began the season by winning the Australian Open, completing a career Grand Slam with his seventh major title, before adding another trophy in Doha. His subsequent wrist injury forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon. Reflecting on his time away from the court, Alcaraz admitted he had doubts