Overview

• World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz rallied past Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Japan Open title match, notching his 66th win of 2025.
• Taylor Fritz advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 semifinal win over Jenson Brooksby to reach his first hard-court final of the season in a tournament he won in 2022.
• The final comes a week after Fritz beat Alcaraz at the Laver Cup, a result viewed as a confidence boost in conditions different from Tokyo’s ATP event.
• Alcaraz said practicing with Fritz on arrival in Japan after sharing a flight from San Francisco provided tactical clues for the rematch.
• Some outlets report Alcaraz has been competing with an ankle issue picked up in his first Tokyo match, with no formal medical confirmation.