Alcaraz battles past Munar to reach up Japan Open final
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
Oct 5 : Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame early wobbles on his serve to outclass fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 5-7 6-3 6-1 and reach the Japan Open final on Monday, taking a step towards his first singles title after his comeback from a wrist injury.
He will face Czech Jiri Lehecka in Tuesday’s final.
Alcaraz completed the career Grand Slam by capturing the Australian Open title in February but suffered the injury two months later and only came back at the US Open, where a quarter-final run hinted at a swift return to form.
The 23-year-old, who moved through the gears during Team Europe’s triumphant Laver Cup campaign last month, looked comfortable against qualifier Munar in Tokyo at 5-4 before gifting him the opening set with two shaky service games.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
“I don’t know what happened in the first set,” said top seed Alcaraz, who dropped 16 consecutive points at the end of it.
“I started the match well, got a break and was serving for the set, but I don’t know what happened. It seems like I’m struggling every first set.
“But the way that I come back every time, I think I’m just really happy about it. Jaume’s a pretty tough player and these conditions suit him pretty well. I just tried to stay there as much as I could.
“I made a couple of breaks that helped a lot to get a bit of confidence, then I started to play more aggressively.”
After a sluggish start to the second set, Alcaraz raised his level to force a decider and the seven-times major champion wore world number 49 Munar down with stunning shot-making to book a title clash with Lehecka on Tuesday.
Lehecka beat eighth seed Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-2 to make the final and stay on course for his first trophy of the season.
Source: Reuters
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
