The Spaniard has struggled with an ankle injury this week in Tokyo but he was still too hot for the rest of the competition to handle, including World No. 5 Fritz. The US Open champion gave another breathtaking display of power and athleticism to lift the trophy in his first appearance in Japan
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the winner’s trophy in Tokyo on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz won his eighth title of a sensational season after beating American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the Japan Open final on Tuesday.
The Spaniard has struggled with an ankle injury this week in Tokyo but he was still too hot for the rest of the competition to handle, including World No. 5 Fritz. The US Open champion gave another breathtaking display of power and athleticism to lift the trophy in his first appearance in Japan. He clinched victory with a cleverly disguised drop shot before strolling to the net to give Fritz a warm embrace. “First time in Tokyo, first title here, hopefully not the last one,” said the 22-year-old.
Alcaraz injured his ankle in his opening match in Tokyo as he ran for a shot, crumpling to the ground and sitting on the court for about five minutes. He returned to play with heavy strapping on his ankle and admitted that the injury had been on his mind ever since. “The start of the week was not good with the ankle, and the way I came back from that, playing a great tournament and great matches, I’m just really happy about it,” he said.
Alcaraz was not happy with the umpire in the final, telling him “you’ve never played tennis in your life” during a rant between games. He squandered several chances to break Fritz in the first set, before finally making the breakthrough in the ninth game.
Moments after the win though Alcaraz took to social media to announce that he was pulling out of the Shanghai masters next. “I’ve been struggling with some physical issues,” he said.
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