Carlos Alcaraz retained the Japan Open title in Tokyo on Tuesday 6 October, beating Jiri Lehecka 7-6(4) 6-4 in the ATP 500 final at the Ariake Coliseum. The win, completed in 96 minutes, was the Spaniard's first trophy since Doha in February and only his second tournament back from a wrist injury.
How the final was won
Lehecka made the stronger start, earning three break points in the opening game and converting the third. Alcaraz broke back in the sixth game, but the Czech, ranked No 19, kept the set level and led 4-2 in the tie-break. From there the top seed won five points in a row to take the opener. The second set turned on one break, which Alcaraz secured in the seventh game, and he won 85 per cent of his first-serve points across the match, according to the ATP.
"It's been a while, and obviously it is extra special after my injury," Alcaraz told atptour.com. He had not played between Barcelona in April and the US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing in five sets to Ben Shelton.
A wobble against Munar
The defending champion's week was not straightforward. He needed three sets against Alex Michelsen, advanced from the quarter-finals when Denis Shapovalov retired midway through the second set, and then trailed qualifier Jaume Munar in the semi-finals. Leading 5-3 in the first set, Alcaraz lost 16 points in a row and dropped the set, before recovering to win 5-7 6-3 6-1. "I don't know what happened in the first set," he said afterwards.
Munar, ranked No 64, had been one of the stories of the week. He came through qualifying and knocked out third seed Taylor Fritz in a first-round match lasting almost three hours.
In the other half, Lehecka was in dominant form. He beat Daniel Vallejo in the quarter-finals and then needed only 68 minutes to defeat eighth seed Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-2, dropping just four points on serve. Vacherot had earlier beaten Alexander Blockx, Stefanos Tsitsipas and former champion Arthur Fils. Tokyo was Lehecka's second final of 2026, after a runner-up finish to Jannik Sinner in Miami.
Nishikori's farewell
The tournament also marked the end of Kei Nishikori's career. The former world No 4 and 2014 US Open finalist, a two-time Japan Open champion, lost his final match 6-4 6-4 to second seed Frances Tiafoe on 1 October, and organisers held a tribute ceremony on final day. "I finished my last match in Japan, it was great moment for me," Nishikori said, as reported by Ubitennis.
What it means
Alcaraz is only the third man to win back-to-back titles in Tokyo, after Stefan Edberg (1989-91) and Pete Sampras (1993-94), and he has now won nine straight matches at the event. The result lifted him from fourth to third in the Race to Turin, ahead of Shelton; he had already qualified for the ATP Finals. Women's tennis returns to the same venue later this month, when the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open runs from 26 October to 1 November.
Sources
This article was written by TiebreakNews from the reporting below, checked against official results and rankings.
- ATP Tour — Carlos Alcaraz unstoppable in Tokyo, sinks Jiri Lehecka to defend ATP 500 crown
- ATP Tour — Carlos Alcaraz overcomes 16-point wobble vs. Jaume Munar, returns to Tokyo final
- Kinoshita Group Japan Open — 2026 Tournament highlights
- Punto de Break — Munar defeats Fritz in Tokyo
- Ubitennis — Kei Nishikori sent into retirement by Tiafoe at Japan Open