Alcaraz suffers but starts his defense in Tokyo with a victory

Carlos Alcaraz begins his title defense at the ATP Tokyo with suffering and twists but with victory in his pocket. The world number three, who arrived in Japan after the Laver Cup, had to put on his work overalls to shake off an equally inconsistent and error-prone Alex Michelsen. But the resilience, temperament, and know-how of the Murcian prevailed, and he took the win by 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1 and now faces Matteo Arnaldi in the round of 16.

Carlos Alcaraz and Alex Michelsen turned their debut in Tokyo into one of those films that change genre every twenty minutes. We all knew who the hunter was and who had to be hunted, but we are in a phase of the season where nothing is as it seems. That phase where surprises are always welcome.

This is how Alcaraz's hard-fought victory over Michelsen unfolded in Tokyo

The match started with a beautiful toe-to-toe battle, with both players punishing each other from the baseline and demonstrating that the ranking difference does not always explain what happens when the movie begins. Michelsen was up 4-2 and 40-15, just two steps away from delivering the first blow, playing with extraordinary confidence. All credit to him, folks. Alcaraz was surprised at times, forced to dig deep against a rival who did not come to Tokyo to ask for a photo.

The Murcian, however, found a way to survive. He saved three set points and took the set to a tiebreak, where another version of the Spanish champion appeared: 7-1 and the issue seemingly resolved. We won't say he arrived tired from the Laver Cup; that would be an easy excuse and would also undermine Michelsen's achievements. The American was playing a fantastic match, and Alcaraz had to find solutions to escape that trap.

What was Michelsen's reaction? Not to back down. On the contrary, he started the second set with a 2-0 lead, which seemed to confirm that the narrative would remain equal. But then Alcaraz's hunger appeared, that competitive appetite that seems even bigger after five months off. Three games in a row and 3-2. Easy to write, hard to do. That was when Michelsen's first long faces appeared, the incomprehension of someone who feels they are playing a great match yet cannot get ahead. The errors, the laments, and the problems with the serve at key moments grew. For the first time, it felt like Alcaraz had found the definitive crack.

Steady hand on the stretch 👏@carlosalcaraz #japanopentennis pic.twitter.com/fsYGbpCqF0

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 1, 2026

The Murcian took a lead of 4-2 and suddenly it seemed that the match was dead. Wrong. Alcaraz gave Michelsen an extra life, and the American grabbed it with both hands. Four consecutive games later, the score told us 6-4 for Michelsen. No one understands anything, although the disconnection of the Murcian was evident.

The match entered a decisive set that looked just as close as the previous two. However, Alcaraz stepped up, and Michelsen gradually faltered with his serve. The Spaniard did not want to expend more energy than necessary in his first match in Asia, so he hit the turbo, started chaining breaks, no longer made mistakes, and thus put an end to a strange debut, but one that wraps up with victory (7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1).
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz sufre, pero arranca con victoria su defensa en Tokio