World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz battled back from a set down to defeat Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday, securing his spot in the Japan Open final. The victory, achieved in two hours and eight minutes, as he struggled with movement concerns and unforced errors in the opening set. Alcaraz will now seek his ATP Tour-leading eighth title of the campaign in Tuesday's final against second-seeded Taylor Fritz.
The match marked the first time Alcaraz had dropped a set in the tournament, facing relentless pressure from the Norwegian. In the first set, Alcaraz's aggressive tactics led to 15 unforced errors, and moments of hesitation suggested discomfort from a left ankle tweak sustained earlier in the tournament. However, Alcaraz quickly recalibrated his approach in the second set, focusing on consistency and rediscovering his sharpness. He lost only four of 24 points behind his serve, successfully overwhelming Ruud to level the match.
“I had a lot of chances in the first set,” he noted. “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 also notched Alcaraz's personal-best 66th match win in a single season. His movement and fearless shotmaking silenced all the injury doubts ahead of the final.
Alcaraz will face a challenge from Taylor Fritz, a former Tokyo champion who powered his way into the final by serving 13 aces to defeat countryman Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3. Fritz admitted his serve was key: “I served insanely well: High percentage first serves and spots too... My serve got me through it.” Fritz, who reached his first hard-court final of 2025, has been in excellent form, having defeated both Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the Laver Cup last week.
The final between the top-seeded Alcaraz and the second-seeded Fritz is highly anticipated. It will be the first time in 14 years that the top two seeds at the Japan Open have met for the title, a rare occurrence since Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray faced off in 2011. Alcaraz will be looking for revenge against Fritz, who dealt him a defeat at the Laver Cup, marking the Spaniard’s first loss to the American in four career meetings.