Carlos Alcaraz Reaches Semifinals of Tokyo ATP 500 Tournament

Tokyo, Japan — Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the semifinals of the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo after defeating American Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday. Alcaraz will now face Norwegian Casper Ruud for a spot in the final.

Alcaraz, who twisted his ankle during a Thursday match against Argentine Sebastián Báez, showed no signs of injury in this match. He did not face a single break point and completed the match in one hour and 21 minutes. This victory marked his ninth consecutive semifinal appearance on the tour.

Starting strong, Alcaraz took a quick 2-0 lead and broke serve again in the seventh game of the first set. He closed out the set with his serve. In the second set, he only needed one break in the fifth game to secure the win, although he had to wait for his fourth match point.

With this victory, Alcaraz notched his 65th win of the season, matching his career-best record from 2023. He aims to finish the year as the number one player for the second time in his career, having previously achieved this in 2022. Additionally, he hopes to join the ranks of previous Spanish champions in Tokyo, including Manolo Orantes, David Ferrer, and Rafael Nadal.

In the semifinals, Alcaraz will meet Ruud, who defeated Australian Aleksandar Vukic 6-3, 6-2. Alcaraz holds a 4-1 head-to-head advantage over Ruud, although Ruud won their last matchup at the 2024 ATP Finals.

Meanwhile, Alejandro Davidovich was eliminated in the round of 16 at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, losing to Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3, complicating his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin at the end of the year.