ALCARAZ WINS JAPAN OPEN, CLAIMS FIRST TITLE SINCE WRIST INJURY

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By: Fasasi Hammad

Carlos Alcaraz has successfully defended his Japan Open title, defeating Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka in the final to claim his first trophy since returning from a right wrist injury.

The Spaniard overcame Lehecka 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in Tokyo to win the tournament for a second consecutive year.

The victory marked Alcaraz’s first tour-level title since his triumph in Doha in February and his first appearance in a final since losing to Jannik Sinner at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April.

The 23-year-old returned to competitive tennis in late August following his injury lay-off and reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, where he was beaten by Ben Shelton in a match that finished at 3:33am.

Lehecka, ranked 19th in the world, made the stronger start in Tokyo, breaking Alcaraz to take a 3-1 lead. However, Alcaraz quickly fought back to level the set at 3-3 before dominating the tie-break.

The Spaniard won five straight points after trailing 4-2 to take the opening set 7-6.

Alcaraz then secured the decisive break in the seventh game of the second set to move 4-3 ahead before serving out the match and completing the victory.

The triumph made Alcaraz the first man since Pete Sampras in 1994 to successfully defend the Japan Open title.

“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 in impressive fashion by winning the Australian Open, completing a career Grand Slam and claiming his seventh major title, before adding another trophy in Doha.

However, a wrist injury subsequently forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon.

Reflecting on his time away from competition, Alcaraz admitted that he had doubts about whether he would return to his best form.

“Obviously a lot of negative thoughts come to your mind,” he said.

“If you are going to come back healthy, if you are going to come back the same as I was before. If I will be able to hit the ball normally without pain at all. A lot of thoughts came to my mind, but I tried to put those thoughts away all the time.”

The Spaniard said he relied on his team and himself throughout his rehabilitation.

“My team and I knew that if I come back I was going to feel 100 per cent. If I feel something, [the comeback is] not going to be anything, so I just have to go full for every shot, every ball, and I trust [my team], I trust myself, and it worked out.”

Former British tennis player Liam Broady said the victory could provide Alcaraz with valuable momentum for the remainder of the season.

“You might forgive them for not being too bothered about winning an ATP 500 but everything he’s been through the last few months, I’m sure this is a very special one for him,” Broady said on Sky Sports Tennis.

“This is exactly what the future opponents of Alcaraz do not want to see is him gathering momentum whilst not potentially playing his best tennis.”

Alcaraz’s victory also drew congratulations from Real Madrid, who celebrated the Spaniard’s success on social media.

Meanwhile, Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova survived a dramatic encounter with Naomi Osaka to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA China Open.

Muchova saved several match points before overcoming Osaka 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (9-7) in a contest that lasted nearly three hours.

The Czech was broken in both the first and third sets but recovered strongly to eventually convert her ninth match point.

“I honestly didn’t even believe I will finish the match,” Muchova said after the victory.

“I was shaking. I’m happy that I made the last volley and it was really so close. Naomi could be standing here. It’s me, and I’m really grateful for it.”

Fourth seed Mirra Andreeva also advanced to the quarter-finals after defeating Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 6-2, 6-2 at the National Tennis Center in Beijing.

The 19-year-old Russian will face compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 19th seed, in the next round.