Carlos Alcaraz needed two hours and 31 minutes of hard work at the Ariake Coliseum on Monday, but the defending champion will contest the Japan Open final after fighting back from a set down to beat fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in Tokyo.
FAKTA
- Result: Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) beat Jaume Munar (ESP) 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
- Event: Japan Open semi-final, Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, October 5, 2026
- Duration: two hours and 31 minutes
- Final: Alcaraz faces Czech Republic’s Jiří Lehečka on Tuesday, October 6
- Context: the 23-year-old world No. 3 is the defending champion and a seven-time Grand Slam winner chasing his first singles title since returning from a wrist injury
Alcaraz survives a costly first-set collapse in Tokyo
For most of the opening set, Alcaraz looked in complete control. He broke Munar’s serve and stepped up at 5-3 to serve for the set. Then the match flipped with almost no warning. Two shaky service games turned into a run of 16 consecutive points lost, and Munar — ranked 49th in the world — seized the opening to take the set 7-5.
The world No. 3 was candid about the lapse afterwards. “I don’t know what happened in the first set… the first sets in general, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “I started the match well, got a break and was serving for the set, but I don’t know what happened. It seems like I’m struggling every first set. But the way that I come back every time, I think I’m just really happy about it.”
Japan Open final: Alcaraz sets up showdown with Lehecka
The turnaround arrived in the second set. Alcaraz started hitting through the ball more aggressively, mixed in drop shots to drag Munar forward, and broke serve to take the set 6-3. From there, the momentum was one-way traffic: the deciding set lasted only briefly, with Alcaraz winning it 6-1 to seal the comeback.
Awaiting him in Tuesday’s title match is Jiří Lehečka of the Czech Republic, who secured his place in the championship match by defeating Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2 in the other semi-final. Follow the closing stages of the tennis season on Watan News.
For Alcaraz, the final is a milestone in his comeback. He completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open in February, but a wrist injury then sidelined him for four months. He returned to action at the US Open in August, where a quarter-final run hinted at a swift return to form, and the Tokyo run suggests the rhythm is coming back.
Conclusion
Alcaraz’s 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 win over Munar keeps the defending champion on course to retain his Japan Open crown. The first sets keep getting away from him, but his ability to reset, raise his aggression and close out matches is the hallmark of a champion rediscovering top gear. Against Lehecka in Tuesday’s Japan Open final, another slow start may not be so easily forgiven — and Watan News will bring you the result as it happens.
