TOKYO — Carlos Alcaraz survived a stern test to reach the Japan Open second round, defeating Alex Michelsen 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 inside the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo on Thursday. The defending champion extended his winning streak in the Japanese capital to six matches and kept alive his bid to become the first man since Pete Sampras in 1994 to defend the Japan Open Men's Singles title.
Michelsen pushed the Spaniard throughout and became only the second player ever to win a set off Alcaraz at the Japan Open. Alcaraz reflected on the tight opening set afterward, as reported by BBC Sport: "I had a lot of chances in the first set," he said. "I had four break points if I'm not wrong. It's just about details, so I just tried to be more positive than the first set. I was a little bit mad with myself, so I just tried to play with joy again, putting a lot of positive thoughts in my mind."
Alcaraz was almost flawless during his title run at the 2025 Japan Open, where only one opponent had previously taken a set off him in Tokyo. Former world number two Casper Ruud became the first to achieve the feat, despite losing 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 in the semi-finals, before Alcaraz went on to lift the title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Taylor Fritz in the final.
After overcoming Michelsen, Alcaraz will face Italian Matteo Arnaldi, ranked 37th, for a place in the quarter-finals. Arnaldi, who reached the Roland Garros semi-finals in June, opened his 2026 Japan Open campaign on Wednesday with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Japanese wildcard Rei Sakamoto. The winner will meet either Denis Shapovalov or Alejandro Tabilo, after Shapovalov defeated home favourite Sho Shimabukuro and Tabilo stunned seventh seed Tommy Paul. A semi-final opponent would come from Luciano Darderi, Jaume Munar, Jaime Faria and Kyrian Jacquet.