Final victory at the Ariake Coliseum

Carlos Alcaraz won the Japan Open on Tuesday with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Czech world No. 19 Jiri Lehecka. The match at the Ariake Coliseum lasted one hour and 36 minutes, with Alcaraz overcoming an early deficit. Lehecka broke Alcaraz in the opening game and moved ahead 3-1 before the Spaniard broke back with a backhand winner to level at 3-3. The opening set proceeded to a tiebreak, where Lehecka took a 4-2 lead. Alcaraz then won five consecutive points, using a drop-shot at 4-4 to take control and finish the 59-minute set. In the second set, Alcaraz broke serve at 4-3 in the seventh game and held his remaining service games to close the match.

Return from injury and season milestones

The Tokyo victory marks the 27th ATP singles title of Alcaraz's career and his third of the 2026 season. Alcaraz opened the year by winning the Australian Open, his seventh Grand Slam title, followed by an ATP 500 victory in Doha in February against Arthur Fils. In April, after losing the Monte-Carlo Masters final to Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz suffered a right wrist injury in Barcelona that kept him off the tour for more than four months. The absence caused him to miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He made his return at the US Open in late August, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Ben Shelton, and later competed in the Laver Cup. Alcaraz commented on his level after lifting the trophy.

It was a tough week that I didn't find my best tennis, my best level, but I did find the good solutions and I think that's what matters in the end. I would say today was the best match of the week, or at least more consistent the level that I played, so I'm just really, really happy.

Tournament records and prize money

With this victory, Alcaraz became only the third player to defend the Japan Open men's singles title, joining Stefan Edberg (1989-1991) and Pete Sampras (1993-1994). The win extended his winning streak at ATP 500 tournaments to 21 matches. Alcaraz earned $437,955 from the tournament's $2,342,275 total prize pool and preserved his 500 ATP ranking points. Lehecka received $235,685 as the runner-up after appearing in his second final of the year, having previously reached the Miami Open final.

Rankings picture and Sinner withdrawal

At 23 years old, Alcaraz ranks third among active ATP players in career titles, trailing Novak Djokovic with 101 and Jannik Sinner with 30. The Tokyo title preserves Alcaraz's mathematical possibility of contesting Alexander Zverev for positions near the top of the ATP rankings. The final in Tokyo concluded hours after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner announced that knee inflammation would end his 2026 season early. Sinner had not competed since winning Wimbledon in July, leaving Alcaraz to target the remaining tournaments on the autumn calendar, including the Shanghai Masters.