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Alcaraz Overcomes Teething Trouble on Tweaked Serve to Beat Michelsen in Tokyo

  • On Thursday in Tokyo, Carlos Alcaraz kept his Japan Open title defense alive by defeating American Alex Michelsen 7-6 4-6 6-1, overcoming wobbles on his retooled serve.
  • Following his Laver Cup triumph last weekend, Alcaraz struggled to adjust to Tokyo's slower courts, which he found 'a little bit frustrating' to navigate during his opening match.
  • The ATP 500 tournament saw major upsets on Thursday as third seed Taylor Fritz, sixth seed Casper Ruud, and seventh seed Tommy Paul all lost their opening matches.
  • Alcaraz said, 'It was really important to have this feeling for the next round, to know what I have to do for the next matches,' reflecting on his tactical adjustment.
  • The top seed now faces Italian Matteo Arnaldi in the next round, aiming to continue his momentum as he seeks to defend his title at the Japan Open.
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Center

The Spanish tennis player beat Faria by 6-1 and 6-1 in a game that lasted just an hour and three minutes,

·Madrid, Spain
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World number three Carlos Alcaraz, who won the Tokyo ATP tournament last year, started this year's tournament with a difficult match.

·Tallinn, Estonia
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Lean Left

Carlos Alcaraz began the defense of his ATP 500 title in Tokyo with a hard-fought victory over American Alex Mickelsen. The Spaniard, seeded No. 1, won 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1 after 2 hours and 32 minutes of play on the hard courts in the Japanese capital. The tournament has a prize fund of $2,342,275. Alcaraz, who triumphed in Tokyo in 2025, had to save three set points in the first set before reaching a tiebreak. The Spaniard took control and won it …

The HinduThe Hindu
+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Lean Left

Alcaraz begins Japan Open defence with win over Michelsen

The Spanish world number three struggled to find his rhythm early on, spraying shots long or into the net as the big-serving American stayed aggressive.

·Chennai, India
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Prensa Libre broke the news on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
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