World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz advanced into the quarterfinals of the Japan Open on Saturday, fending off Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 at the Ariake Tennis Forest Park in Tokyo.
A tie-break escape
The 23-year-old Spaniard had to survive a first-set tie-break in which Arnaldi, ranked 37th, held four set points. Alcaraz held his nerve with trademark aggression and a touch of luck, clinching the set after one hour and 13 minutes.
"Saving those set points in the first set makes me feel good. Thinking that the set's not over until the last point is important," Alcaraz said afterwards.
Once the tie-break was in the bag, the complexion of the match changed completely. Arnaldi collapsed in the second set, and Alcaraz wrapped it up with a smash half an hour later. "I just tried to play with less speed, tried to play more rallies," he said. "I made him feel a little bit uncomfortable, and I also made him think a little bit more when he needed to go for the point."
Next: Shapovalov
Alcaraz will face Canada's Denis Shapovalov for a place in the final four. The 46th-ranked Shapovalov advanced with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 win over Chile's Alejandro Tabilo.
Tokyo is Alcaraz's third tournament since returning from a wrist injury that kept him out of action for several months until late August. He made his comeback at the US Open, losing in the quarterfinals, and the Spaniard will be hoping this run marks another step back towards his best form.
Sources: Alcaraz fends off Arnaldi to reach Japan Open quarters — Malay Mail (AFP)
A tie-break escape
The 23-year-old Spaniard had to survive a first-set tie-break in which Arnaldi, ranked 37th, held four set points. Alcaraz held his nerve with trademark aggression and a touch of luck, clinching the set after one hour and 13 minutes.
"Saving those set points in the first set makes me feel good. Thinking that the set's not over until the last point is important," Alcaraz said afterwards.
Once the tie-break was in the bag, the complexion of the match changed completely. Arnaldi collapsed in the second set, and Alcaraz wrapped it up with a smash half an hour later. "I just tried to play with less speed, tried to play more rallies," he said. "I made him feel a little bit uncomfortable, and I also made him think a little bit more when he needed to go for the point."
Next: Shapovalov
Alcaraz will face Canada's Denis Shapovalov for a place in the final four. The 46th-ranked Shapovalov advanced with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 win over Chile's Alejandro Tabilo.
Tokyo is Alcaraz's third tournament since returning from a wrist injury that kept him out of action for several months until late August. He made his comeback at the US Open, losing in the quarterfinals, and the Spaniard will be hoping this run marks another step back towards his best form.
Sources: Alcaraz fends off Arnaldi to reach Japan Open quarters — Malay Mail (AFP)
