Alcaraz already knows who will be his opponent for the title in Tokyo

While Carlos Alcaraz has undergone a process of overcoming and resilience to tackle the obstacles he has faced in the ATP 500 in Tokyo, his rival in the grand final, Jiri Lehecka, has taken a very similar path. His first two matches went to three sets, but then he dominated Daniel Vallejo (6-1, 6-1) and easily defeated Valentin Vacherot in the semifinals (6-4, 6-2).

The Czech player will seek the third title of his career and his second victory over Alcaraz. The only time he has won against him in their four previous encounters was in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 in Doha 2025. The other three matches (US Open 2025, ATP 500 Queen’s 2025, and 2023) went in favor of the player from Murcia.

Tokyo Final Calling ☎️ #japanopentennis https://t.co/CJkgJYdyva

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 5, 2026

Lehecka will seek his third ATP title in the final of Tokyo against Alcaraz

“It is one of the biggest challenges in our sport right now: playing against a rival like him,” said Lehecka in his post-match comments to TennisTV. “We all know what he is capable of. We’ve seen that he has regained his best form and can make spectacular shots, as always. I managed to beat him once, also on hard court and also in an ATP 500 tournament. I will do everything possible to take something positive from that match we played together.”

Lehecka started with complications in the ATP 500 Tokyo 2026. First against Zizou Bergs (6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3) and then against Ugo Humbert (5-7, 6-4, 6-4), but then he found his game again against Daniel Vallejo (6-1, 6-1) and against Valentin Vacherot (6-4, 6-2).

The 24-year-old player is currently ranked 16th in the ATP rankings after climbing seven places since the start of the tournament. If he lifts the championship title, he would position himself as the 14th best racket in the world.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz ya sabe quién será su rival por el título en Tokio