Carlos Alcaraz wore down Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 in the Japan Open final in Tokyo to win his eighth title of a spectacular year.
World No 1 Alcaraz is also a step closer to ensuring he ends the year at the top of the ATP rankings, having won seven of the last nine events he’s entered – reaching the final in the other two tournaments he did not win since April.
The Spaniard joins Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Jannik Sinner as the only men’s players to win eight titles in a single season.
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Highlights from the Japan Open final match between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz.
Victory also earned Alcaraz revenge for a stunning loss to Fritz at the Laver Cup in San Francisco this month, the Spaniard’s first defeat by the American in four clashes, which came shortly after his triumphant US Open campaign.
“This is one of the great seasons in men’s tennis we are watching here. All smiles for Carlos Alcaraz!” said Sky Sports Tennis commentator Jonathan Overend.
After a high-quality beginning to the match under the roof of the Ariake Colosseum, Alcaraz edged ahead when Fritz sent his shot long to drop serve for the first time, and the top seed was in no mood to relent as he went on to seal the opening set.
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Former tennis star Andy Murray joked about Carlos Alcaraz’s golfing ability claiming he is better than the world number one by some distance
Fritz received treatment for a thigh problem before the start of the next set and Alcaraz immediately heaped pressure on the second seed by hitting a blistering forehand to break in the opening game.
The six-time Grand Slam champion quickly built a 4-1 lead, prompting Fritz to throw his racket to the floor in frustration. Fritz did fight back from 5-1 down though by winning three games in a row but Alcaraz served out the 10th game of the second set, utilising the drop shot to win his first Tokyo title.
“It’s always tough to play Taylor,” said Alcaraz, who suffered an injury scare in his first match last week.
“I’m really grateful to my team. It’s my first year coming to Tokyo and it feels like home! I can see how special this tournament is, so thanks to everyone for the support. The fans have been amazing.”
Sinner to play Tien in China Open final
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Jannik Sinner is into the final of the China Open in Beijing
Jannik Sinner reached his third China Open final with victory in three sets over Australian third seed Alex de Minaur.
Sinner dropped the second set against De Minaur but prevailed in the third to take a 6-3 4-6 6-2 win.
“I have one night to recover. I’m going to be fine. In the finals you have even more adrenaline and more will to play as best as you can. I’m looking forward to it, finals are very special,” said Sinner.
“It’s another final for me this season. It’s a great result again. Let’s see who it’s going to be.”
In what will be his ninth straight final on hard courts, Sinner will play American Learnier Tien who beat Daniil Medvedev after the Russian withdrew during the deciding set of their contest.
Medvedev was 7-5 5-3 up but a resilient Tien won four games in a row to claim the second set before his opponent started to struggle with cramp and pulled out when going 4-0 down in the final set.
Gauff into China Open quarter-finals with Bencic win
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Coco Gauff battles past Belinda Bencic to reach the China Open quarterfinals and not only keep her title defence alive but also secures her place at the WTA Finals for a fourth consecutive season
Coco Gauff broke Belinda Bencic’s serve to open the first set and went on to beat the Swiss player 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to advance to the China Open quarter-finals.
The second-seed Gauff improved her head-to-head career record against the 28-year-old Bencic to 4-2.
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Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic clash in a heated exchange during their match at the China Open
Three of those matches have come this year, including Gauff’s win at the Australian Open in January. But Bencic won at Abu Dhabi, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist made the Indian Wells quarter-finals and advanced to the Wimbledon semis.
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