Carlos Alcaraz’s 2025 Japan Open quarterfinals opponent praised the Spaniard on his performance in the match. This match marked the second meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, with Alcaraz improving his head-to-head record to two wins and no losses.
In the lead-up to the ATP 500 hard-court tournament in Tokyo, Alcaraz competed at the US Open, defeating Jannik Sinner in the final to capture his sixth Grand Slam title. He next represented Team Europe at the 2025 Laver Cup, playing two singles and two doubles matches, winning three out of the four matches.
What did Brandon Nakashima say after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Japan Open QF?
Alcaraz is the top seed at the 2025 Japan Open. He began his campaign by defeating Sebastián Báez 6-4, 6-2 in the first round and Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-3 in the second round, respectively. In the quarterfinals, he faced Nakashima and eliminated him with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-4.
After his victory over Nakashima, Alcaraz took to social media and shared a series of pictures of himself from the match. “SF! 🙌🏻 🔝 ,” Alcaraz captioned his Instagram post.
Reacting to Alcaraz’s performance, Nakashima described the World No. 1’s play as “too good.”
“Too good today 👏,” Nakashima commented.
Screen grab of Brandon Nakashima’s comment about Carlos Alcaraz’s performance
In addition to his singles campaign at the 2025 Japan Open, Nakashima participated in the doubles event alongside compatriot Frances Tiafoe. They won their first-round match against Alex Michelsen and Gabriel Diallo. Still, they withdrew from the tournament before their quarterfinal match against the second-seeded team of Hugo Nys and Édouard Roger-Vasselin.
Who will Carlos Alcaraz face at the 2025 Japan Open SF?
Following his victory over Nakashima in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Japan Open, Alcaraz will face Casper Ruud in the semifinals.
Leading up to the ATP 500 hard-court tournament in Tokyo, Ruud participated in the 2025 Laver Cup, representing Team Europe. He played in one singles match and one doubles match. In his singles match, he defeated Reilly Opelka. He won a doubles match alongside Alcaraz, where they triumphed over the duo of Alex Michelsen and Opelka.
Seeded fourth at the 2025 Japan Open, Ruud began his campaign by defeating wild card Shintaro Mochizuki with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the first round. He then secured his spot in the quarterfinals against Alcaraz by eliminating Matteo Berrettini, winning with a score of 7-6(4), 6-2 in the second round.
Alcaraz and Ruud have faced each other five times on the ATP Tour, with World No. 1 winning four of those matches. Their most recent encounter was during the round-robin stage at the 2024 ATP Finals, which Ruud won 6-1, 7-5.
The winner of the semifinal match between Alcaraz and Ruud at the 2025 Japan Open will advance to face either former Tokyo champion and second seed Taylor Fritz or Jenson Brooksby in the final.
AloJapan.com