Alcaraz survives dramatic opening set to reach Tokyo ATP 500 quarter-finals
Carlos Alcaraz beat Italian Matteo Arnaldi 7-6(6), 6-1 in the second round of the Tokyo ATP 500 to advance to the quarter-finals, where he will face Canada's Denis Shapovalov.
A rocky start, a dominant finish
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (23, world No. 3, defending Tokyo champion) overcame a tough opening set against Italy's Matteo Arnaldi (25, world No. 37, a Roland Garros semi-finalist this year) to win their second-round match 7-6(6), 6-1 in roughly one hour and 45 minutes. The victory sends Alcaraz through to the quarter-finals of the Tokyo tournament.
A dramatic first set
According to Mundo Deportivo, Alcaraz struggled for the first hour of the match, making too many unforced errors while Arnaldi exploited the gaps in the Spaniard's game. In the tiebreak, the Italian built a commanding lead and held several set points — Diario AS's live coverage notes that Alcaraz saved four set points in total. The Spaniard then turned the match around, reeling off a string of points (Mundo Deportivo reports six straight points after trailing 2-6) to flip the tiebreak and claim the set.
Second set: total control
After the tense opening set, Alcaraz played with far greater conviction and won the second set 6-1, leaving Arnaldi unable to recover from the psychological blow of losing the tiebreak.
Next up: Shapovalov
In the quarter-finals, Alcaraz will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who beat Chile's Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. It will be their third career meeting — Alcaraz has won both previous encounters, at Roland Garros 2023 (6-1, 6-4, 6-2) and at Indian Wells 2025 (6-2, 6-4). The winner of that match will face the winner of the clash between Spain's Jaume Munar (who beat Taylor Fritz) and France's Kyrian Jacquet in the semi-finals.
Why it matters
This was Alcaraz's 18th consecutive win at ATP 500-level tournaments, and he remains on course to become the first player since American Pete Sampras (1993-94) to successfully defend the Tokyo title.
