ATP Tokyo: Alcaraz rallies past Ruud to face Fritz in the final

The ATP 500 Tokyo men's singles final lineup is confirmed as world No. 1 Alcaraz came from behind to beat 4th seed Ruud 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals, advancing to his 10th final of the season and 31st career tour final.

Alcaraz profile image

"I really had plenty of opportunities in the first set," Alcaraz confessed, "If I’m not mistaken, there were four break points. Matches are decided by details, so I tried to play more aggressively than in the first set. I was a bit frustrated at first, but then I tried to enjoy the match again and let positive thoughts fill my mind."

After two hours and eight minutes of intense battle, Alcaraz set a personal best with 66 wins in a single season. The 22-year-old Spaniard will face Fritz in the final, who had defeated Alcaraz last week at the Laver Cup.

Regarding this, Alcaraz said: "I know he has been playing very well recently. From the Laver Cup matches against me and Zverev to this tournament, he’s been feeling great on court. Everything has changed since the Laver Cup, but this is a new challenge for me, and I can’t wait."

Fritz profile image

In the other semifinal earlier, Fritz defeated fellow American Brooksby 6-4, 6-3 to power into the final. Although sometimes outplayed in baseline rallies, Fritz compensated with 13 aces, securing his first hard-court final of 2025 and climbing to fifth place in the Turin champion points live ranking.

When asked about the key to his victory, Fritz candidly stated: "Honestly, it was my serve. My serving was excellent: the first serve percentage and placement were flawless. It felt like whenever I didn’t hit three aces in a service game, he dominated the baseline rallies. I relied on my serve to stay steady and used the pressure of the score to find chances. It was my serve that helped me win."

(Text and editing by Wang Fei, images courtesy of Visual China)