Alcaraz Survives 16-Point Collapse to Beat Munar and Reach Japan Open Final
The defending champion rallies 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to set up a Tokyo title match against Jiri Lehecka
2 min read
File photo: Carlos Alcaraz at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires in February 2024. Photo: OMAR.ERRE, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
TOKYO — Carlos Alcaraz lost 16 consecutive points across the end of the first set and the start of the second, then recovered to beat fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 on Monday and reach the Japan Open final, the Associated Press reported.
The top seed and defending champion will face Jiri Lehecka in Tuesday's final. It will be his first final since losing to Jannik Sinner at the Monte Carlo Masters in April, and his first since returning from a right wrist injury that kept him out for four and a half months, according to AP.
From 5-3 up to a set down
Alcaraz broke midway through the opening set and led 5-3, but his form suddenly collapsed. He hit consecutive double faults to hand Munar the set, AP said, then dropped the first two points of the second set before finally ending the run.
The ATP Tour reported that Alcaraz answered with an ironic celebration towards the crowd. He broke in the opening game of the second set and controlled the rest of the two-hour, 30-minute match.
"I don't know what happened in the first set," Alcaraz said, according to the ATP. "I started the match well. I was up a break and serving for the set. It seems that I'm struggling in every first set… But I've come back every time and I'm really happy about it."
Munar, ranked 64th and playing as a qualifier, had upset 12th-ranked Taylor Fritz in the first round. "Jaume is a pretty tough player to play against and these conditions suit him well," Alcaraz said, according to AP.
Lehecka arrives in form
Lehecka beat eighth seed Valentin Vacherot of Monaco 6-4, 6-2 in 68 minutes, losing only four of his 40 points on serve, the ATP said. The 24-year-old Czech is on a six-match winning streak after also winning both of his singles matches as the Czech Republic beat the United States to qualify for the Davis Cup Final 8, AP reported.
Alcaraz leads Lehecka 3-1 in their head-to-head and has won nine straight matches in Tokyo since lifting the trophy on his debut last year.
"It's one of the top challenges in our sport right now: To play a guy like him," Lehecka said.
Sources: Associated Press (via Fox Sports); ATP Tour
