“On his Tokyo debut, Alcaraz thrilled the crowd with power and precision to secure a special milestone.”
Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the semifinals of the Japan Open by defeating Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4 in Tokyo. Playing in Japan for the first time, he showed his trademark aggression with 39 winners. The match lasted just over an hour. The win was his 65th of the year, matching his career-best tally. It also marked his ninth straight semifinal appearance on tour. Alcaraz will now face Casper Ruud, who beat Aleksandar Vukic, for a place in the final.
Elsewhere, Jenson Brooksby stunned third seed Holger Rune. Taylor Fritz won a tough three-set match against Sebastian Korda to set up a semifinal clash with Brooksby.
In Beijing, Coco Gauff survived a tense battle against Leylah Fernandez to keep her China Open title defense alive. Gauff started well but struggled with her serve as Fernandez pushed the match to a deciding set. She eventually won 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 after nearly three hours. Despite some double faults, Gauff stayed composed at key moments. She will face Belinda Bencic in the next round, aiming to repeat her 2024 triumph.