TOKYO, OCT 4 (IANS): Carlos Alcaraz moved into the semi-finals of the Japan Open Tennis Championships on Sunday after Denis Shapovalov was forced to retire early in the second set of their quarter-final. The top seed, who survived a tense opening set, was leading 7-6(3), 2-1 when Shapovalov ended his challenge after 82 minutes.
The match had swung repeatedly before the defending champion managed to take control. Shapovalov established a 5-3 advantage in the opening set and had a set point at 5-4, 30/40, but Alcaraz produced a drop shot to save the opportunity. The Spaniard then raised his level in the tie-break to claim a crucial lead.
The opening set was an unusually volatile affair, with six breaks of serve. Shapovalov failed to convert his advantage when he had the chance to close it out at 5-3, allowing Alcaraz to immediately level.
Alcaraz then had his own chance to finish the set while serving at 6-5, but Shapovalov produced another break, this time without dropping a point. The Canadian’s resistance ultimately lasted only until the tie-break, where Alcaraz put together the decisive run. The momentum shifted for a different reason at the beginning of the second set. Shapovalov appeared to hurt his hip while stretching for a forehand on the run. He received an off-court medical timeout after the first game, but after returning to the court, the former World No. 10 was unable to carry on. The result keeps Alcaraz’s unbeaten run at the Tokyo ATP 500 event intact. The 23-year-old has now won eight consecutive matches at the tournament, having captured the title on his debut in 2025.
Awaiting Alcaraz in the last four will be Jaume Munar, who continued his run through the draw with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Kyrian Jacquet. The Spaniard entered the tournament as a qualifier and has already made a major impact, including a first-round victory over third seed Taylor Fritz.
Alcaraz holds a 3-1 ATP head-to-head record against Munar and will look to extend that advantage in their semi-final. Munar, meanwhile, is appearing in his eighth ATP Tour semi-final and his first since Basel last October.
His run in Tokyo has also lifted him 15 places to No. 49 in the ATP Live Rankings, giving the qualifier another milestone to chase as he prepares for the biggest match of his campaign.
Vacherot fights back again to reach Tokyo SFs
Valentin Vacherot continued his impressive run at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, defeating former champion Arthur Fils 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to secure a place in the semi-finals. The Monegasque player showed remarkable resilience, coming back from a break down in both the first and third sets during the two-hour, 20-minute quarter-final encounter.
Vacherot’s latest victory follows another dramatic comeback earlier in the tournament against Stefanos Tsitsipas, highlighting his fighting spirit throughout the week. Against Fils, the 27-year-old recovered from difficult positions twice, winning four consecutive games to claim the opening set and repeating the feat in the decider. The crucial moment came when Fils served at 4-5 in the final set, as Vacherot attacked aggressively, producing successive return winners before breaking serve to seal the match.
The win marks Vacherot’s third ATP Tour semi-final and continues the remarkable resurgence that began during last year’s Asian hard-court season. Then ranked No. 204, he entered the Shanghai Masters as a qualifier and went on to capture the title, becoming the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion since the series began in 1990. His strong performance in Tokyo has lifted him to No. 14 in the ATP Live Rankings as he chases a maiden Top-10 ranking.
For Fils, the defeat deals a setback in his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. The 22-year-old, currently seventh in the ATP Race to Turin standings, was hoping to strengthen his position after reaching a career-high ranking of No. 9 earlier in the week. A former Tokyo champion, Fils had advanced through qualifying and recorded wins over Luca Van Assche and Frances Tiafoe before falling in the quarter-finals.
Vacherot will now face Jiri Lehecka, who eased past Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-1, 6-1, for a place in the final. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz could await in the championship match after progressing from his quarter-final earlier in the day.
