Alcaraz into Tokyo semis as Shapovalov retires; Vacherot ousts Fils

The Japan Open has an all-Spanish semi-final. Top seed Carlos Alcaraz reached the last four in Tokyo on Sunday when Denis Shapovalov retired injured at 7-6(3), 2-1 down. Alcaraz will now play his compatriot Jaume Munar, whose run through the draw continued with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Kyrian Jacquet.

In the other half, Valentin Vacherot beat Arthur Fils 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in a tight match. He will face Jiří Lehečka, who needed only 58 minutes to beat Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-1, 6-1.

Shapovalov's hip gives way

Shapovalov pushed Alcaraz to a tie-break in the opening set, which the Spaniard won 7-3. The match then ended early. According to reports, the Canadian appeared to hurt his hip while stretching for a forehand at the start of the second set. He took an off-court medical time-out but was unable to continue, and retired at 2-1 down in the second set. The No. 46 had reached the quarter-finals with wins over Sho Shimabukuro and Alejandro Tabilo.

Alcaraz responded warmly. He signed the courtside camera with the message "Be back soon Denis". It is his second year in a row in the Tokyo semi-finals. Earlier this week, the Spaniard saved four set points against Matteo Arnaldi before winning that match 7-6, 6-1. He has said himself that his level is not yet where he wants it as he works his way back from injury. "I'm doing great things on the court. I'm practicing well," he said, according to Tennis Majors.

Munar keeps rolling

Munar was clinical against Jacquet. He converted all four of his break points and won 66 per cent of his first-serve points (27 of 41), according to match statistics. Ranked No. 64, he has been one of the stories of the week in Tokyo. Wins over Taylor Fritz and now Jacquet have put him into a semi-final against the top seed and fellow Spaniard.

For Jacquet, the defeat ends a strong run that included a win over Luciano Darderi. It also means neither Frenchman made it into the semi-finals on Sunday.

Zverev survives ankle scare against Wu to stay on course in Shanghai

Vacherot comes back twice to beat Fils

Vacherot and Fils played for two hours and 20 minutes. In both the first and the third sets, Vacherot was a break down and came back by winning four games in a row. The Monegasque served 14 aces, three of them in the final game, and converted four of his nine break points.

"I believed and turned it around in the first set. Then, in the third, I was a bit more positive that I could break him back," Vacherot said. The result reverses Fils' three-set win in their meeting in March. According to the ATP Live Rankings, Vacherot is set to climb four places to No. 14. A year ago, he won the Shanghai Masters ranked No. 204.

Fils, a former Tokyo champion, had beaten Frances Tiafoe in the previous round, which made Sunday's defeat a disappointment. Vacherot leads his head-to-head with Lehečka 1-0, thanks to a win at last year's Paris Masters. Vacherot and Lehečka meet on Monday, as do Alcaraz and Munar in the all-Spanish semi-final, with a place in the Japan Open final at stake.