Alcaraz beats Lehecka to defend Tokyo title, first since wrist injury

Carlos Alcaraz is winning trophies again. The Spaniard beat Jiří Lehečka 7-6(4), 6-4 in 96 minutes on Tuesday evening to defend his title at the Japan Open. It is his first tour-level title since Doha in February, before a right wrist injury kept him out for months.

Alcaraz is only the third man to successfully defend the Tokyo title. Stefan Edberg won it three years in a row from 1989 to 1991, and Pete Sampras won in 1993 and 1994. Alcaraz is now 10-0 at the event, and according to the ATP he has won 21 straight matches at ATP 500 level since losing to Holger Rune in the 2025 Barcelona final.

Five points that decided the final

Lehečka, who had beaten Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2 in the semi-finals, started better and broke Alcaraz in the opening game. Alcaraz broke back in the sixth game with a backhand winner. In the tie-break he trailed 2/4, then won five points in a row to take the set.

The second set had only one break of serve, which Alcaraz earned in the seventh game. He then served out the match. His serve was strong all evening: the ATP recorded him winning 33 of 39 first-serve points, or 85 per cent.

"I would say today was the best match of the week, or at least the most consistent I have played," Alcaraz said, according to Tennis Now. Tennis Majors quoted him as saying: "I didn't find my best tennis, but I did find good solutions."

From doubt to silverware

Alcaraz played in Barcelona in April and did not compete again until the US Open in late August. The wrist injury meant he missed both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He told Sky Sports that he had doubts during his recovery: "A lot of negative thoughts come to your mind... If you are going to come back healthy, if you are going to come back the same as I was before."

He also explained how he dealt with those doubts: "I tried to put those thoughts away. My team and I knew if I come back it's gonna be 100 percent," he said, according to Tennis Now. Sky Sports quoted him on the title itself: "It's extra special to win a title again. It's been a while."

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Tokyo is his third title of 2026, after the Australian Open and Doha, and the 27th of his career. The 23-year-old did not have an easy week. In the semi-finals he needed three sets to beat his compatriot Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.

Turin booked, Shanghai next

The title has an immediate effect on the season-ending picture. According to the ATP, Alcaraz has moved past Ben Shelton into third place in the Live Race To Turin and has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

His next tournament is the Shanghai Masters, which starts on Wednesday. Jannik Sinner has withdrawn, and top seed Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic are both in the other half of the draw. Tennis Majors reports that Alcaraz has named Shanghai, Paris, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup as his goals for the rest of the season.