Alcaraz learns Tokyo draw fate
Carlos Alcaraz will face Sebastian Baez on his debut at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, following the draw on Monday.
The Spaniard is competing at the ATP 500 hard-court event for the first time and is seeded to meet eighth seed Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals and Norway’s Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz, who will take a 2-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead into his meeting with Baez, returned to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings earlier this month when he defeated Jannik Sinner in the US Open final to clinch his sixth major.
Ruud, a titlist in Madrid this year, faces Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki in the first round, while Tiafoe plays a qualifier. The American Tiafoe reached the final in Tokyo in 2022. Also in the top half, seventh seed Denis Shapovalov, a two-time Tokyo semi-finalist, opens against German Daniel Altmaier.
Second seed Taylor Fritz won the trophy in Japan in 2022. The American plays Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the first round and could meet fifth seed Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals. The Czech Machac begins against a qualifier.
Third seed Holger Rune, a potential semi-final opponent for Fritz, meets former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Hamad Medjedovic in the first round. Rune could play Alex Michelsen in the second round and sixth seed Ugo Humbert in the quarter-finals. Last year’s finalist Humbert begins against Jenson Brooksby.
The ATP 500 event will be held from 24 to 30 September.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]