Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alex Michelsen, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1, in the first-round of the Japan Open.
The Spaniard wasn’t at his best, but he didn’t need to be, as he secured his place in the second round of the Japan Open. Alcaraz struggled during the first and second sets before taking his game to another level in the third, advancing past the US Open quarter-finalist.
After the match, Alcaraz explained how the conditions affected him during his win over Michelsen, admitting that he was left frustrated.
Carlos Alcaraz says he struggled with the conditions during win vs Alex Michelsen in Tokyo
“I was unable to practice outdoors until the warm-up this morning. I haven’t played any points outdoors since a long time. It was quite different; I practiced indoors. It was a different feeling; the ball becomes bigger. The court is a little bit slower than the indoor courts for sure, so it was kind of tricky to adjust my game,” said Alcaraz during his post-match interview.
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“It was a little bit frustrating to not be able to play my game, my style, and be aggressive, because the ball didn’t allow me to. But I’m just really happy to accept it, to understand how I had to play, and getting the win at the end. It was really important to have this feeling for the next round, to know what I have to do for the next matches.”
Carlos Alcaraz vs Alex Michelsen – Match stats
| Stats | Carlos Alcaraz | Alex Michelsen |
| Aces | 5 | 0 |
| Double faults | 5 | 4 |
| 1st Serve % | 63% | 63% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 63% | 59% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 56% | 42% |
| Break points | 6/13 | 5/13 |
Alcaraz was then asked about the quick turnaround after playing the Laver Cup at the weekend, as several of his teammates and opponents in London suffered defeats in Beijing and Tokyo.
“I just tried to do my best. I didn’t feel my best today; I didn’t feel the ball the way I wanted to. The guys that played the Laver Cup are coming here; I’m going to say quite late. And the days we were here, it was raining; we had to practice on indoor courts,” he said.
Laver Cup players who lost in the first round of Beijing/Tokyo
- Taylor Fritz (Japan Open vs Jaume Munar)
- Casper Ruud (Japan Open vs Luciano Darderi)
- Brandon Nakashima (Japan Open vs Ugo Humbert)
- Flavio Cobolli (China Open vs Roman Safiullin)
“So, coming here today, it’s humid, hot, totally different conditions. It was really difficult to play and to deal with everything, so just really happy that I did my best and played good tennis, enough to get the win, and giving myself more days to get used to the conditions here.“
The good news for Alcaraz is that he survived, and will have another opportunity to play in Tokyo. The Spaniard will return on Saturday, October 3, for his second-round match.
Carlos Alcaraz’s route to a second Japan Open title
Alcaraz won his maiden title in Tokyo 12 months ago, defeating Sebastian Baez, Zizou Bergs, Brandon Nakashima, Casper Ruud, and Taylor Fritz in the Japanese capital.
He arguably has a simpler route to the title this time around, after four of the top-eight seeds failed to reach round two. Fritz, Nakashima, Ruud, and Tommy Paul all lost their openers.
Alcaraz will play the French Open star Matteo Arnaldi in the second round, a player he has beaten twice before (2023 US Open, 2024 Indian Wells). If he wins that as expected, he will play Denis Shapovalov or Alejandro Tabilo in the quarter-finals.
Then, he could meet Jaume Munar, Jaime Faria, Kyrian Jacquet, or Luciano Darderi in the semi-finals. Alcaraz is the clear favourite to reach the final, although that’s where he could meet the likes of Frances Tiafoe, Valentin Vacherot, or Rafael Jodar.
Only time will tell if Alcaraz can remain unbeaten in Tokyo and defend his title, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action. The 2026 Japan Open final will be contested on Tuesday, October 6.
