Carlos Alcaraz won his third title of the yr, and his first since returning from a proper wrist damage that sidelined him for 5 months. He defeated #16 Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (4) 6-4.
The victory was Alcaraz’s tenth ATP title, shifting him previous Andy Murray’s 9. Only the Big 3 now sit forward of him: Roger Federer (16), Rafael Nadal (15), and Novak Djokovic (15), contemporary off his title in Beijing.
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Alcaraz also turned the first man to defend his Tokyo title this century, and the first since Pete Sampras in 1993-94. It was the Spaniard’s twenty seventh profession title and the sixth time he has efficiently defended one.
The Tokyo Run
Coming off a late-night quarterfinal loss to Ben Shelton at the US Open, a five-set thriller, Alcaraz settled back into type in Tokyo.
Each of his 5 matches in the match featured either a tiebreak or third set, but he stayed resilient and took care of business.
Although the last ended in straight units, Lehecka gave Alcaraz all he could deal with in the first. He broke world #3 in the opening sport and saved the stress on until Alcaraz answered with a backhand winner up the line to degree the set at 3-3. Alcaraz then took control of the tiebreak, successful six of the last seven factors.
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A stacked ATP 500 lineup in Beijing and upsets in Tokyo of #7 Frances Tiafoe, #12 Taylor Fritz, and #13 Rafael Jodar also helped his cause. He never had to face a Top-15 participant all match.
That may have been precisely the path he needed for a ‘get-right’ match before heading to Shanghai.
“I’m really happy about it. A tough week. I didn’t find my best level, but I did find the good solutions, and I think that is what matters at the end. Playing the most important points the best you can,” Alcaraz said after the match. “I think I did it this week. I would say today was the best match of the week, or at least more consistent, to the level that I played.”
Alcaraz’s Shanghai Draw
This will be Alcaraz’s third look in Shanghai, where his best consequence is a quarterfinal run in 2024.
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After a first-round bye, he will open the match on Oct. 9 against the winner of #53 Juan Manuel Cerundolo and #114 Nicolas Mejia.
His Round of 16 opponent could be #15 Tommy Paul or #33 Valentin Vacherot, who returns to defend his title after his miraculous run in 2025.
If Alcaraz reaches the quarterfinals, he could face a barrage of formidable opponents, including #6 Felix Auger-Aliassime, #8 Arthur Fils, #9 Daniil Medvedev, and #12 Taylor Fritz.
He will keep away from world #1 Alexander Zverev, Beijing champion Novak Djokovic, and US Open finalist Ben Shelton, all of whom are on the other facet of the draw.
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The Last Word
Sep 21, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Team Europe participant Carlos Alcaraz returns a shot from Team World participant Francisco Cerundolo during the Laver Cup at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Carlos Alcaraz had no actual title expectations in his return to the court at Flushing Meadows, but after his win in Tokyo, he will be expected to recapture his 2025 type, when he won eight titles, including two Masters and two Grand Slams.
The Tokyo title snapped a 227-day title drought, his longest since a 245-day hole between Wimbledon in 2023 and Indian Wells in 2024.
Carlos Alcaraz is shortly rounding back into championship type, and a favorable draw in Shanghai could set up the excellent storm for his first title in Mo Du.
Main Photo Credit: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
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