Carlos Alcaraz Battles Past Casper Ruud to Reach Japan Open Final After First Set Scare

World number one Carlos Alcaraz lost his first set of the tournament, but rallied to beat Norway’s Casper Ruud 3-6 6-3 6-4 to secure a final spot in Japan. 

Alcaraz has thrilled fans throughout the week, but for a time it looked as though world number 12 Ruud might steal the spotlight, producing a string of stunning winners, while reeling off three games in a row to claim the opening set.

Despite carrying an ankle injury from his first match on Thursday, Alcaraz came roaring back in the second, wrestling back momentum by winning the first three games, going on to force the game to a deciding set. 

The Spaniard broke midway through the third set, asserting his control from there on to set up a final against American Taylor Fritz, marking the first time in 14 years that the top two seeds will contest the Tokyo title.

Meanwhile, Fritz made short work of his compatriot Jenson Brooksby with a 6-4 6-3 win. 

The world number five made his class show late in the first set to go 1-0 up, before taking charge in the second with a dominant display, breaking in the fourth game. 

Data Debrief: Alcaraz's record-breaking pace 

Monday’s win also marked a new career-best 66th in a single season for the six-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.

Since the ATP Tour’s launch in 1990, Alcaraz has reached 275 career match wins, faster than any player before him, needing just 338 matches to hit the milestone.

Not since Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in 2011 have the top two seeds at the Japan Open met in the final.