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.
“It was a little bit frustrating with my serve. I couldn’t find a good way of serving: I was struggling almost every game on serve,” Alcaraz, who dropped serve three times in the first set, said. “But I’m just happy with the way I came back after every break. It was a great first set: Great points, great rallies.”
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.
“It’s a shame that he had to pull out,” Alcaraz added. “Going through to a semi-final like this is not the way I wanted, but sometimes sports are tough. You have to accept it. Hopefully he’s going to be able to play in Shanghai healthy.”
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.
–IANS
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