Carlos Alcaraz reached the semi-finals of the Japan Open on Sunday, beating American Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4. Meanwhile, Danish third seed Holger Rune was knocked out by Jenson Brooksby.
Alcaraz, who had an injury scare earlier in the week, played brilliantly and hit 39 winners during the one-hour and 20-minute match. This was his 65th win of the season.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who recently regained the number one spot in the world rankings after winning his sixth Grand Slam at the US Open, will next face Norway’s Casper Ruud, the fourth seed.
Ruud beat Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukic 6-3, 6-2 earlier.
Alcaraz said, “Matches like this help keep my confidence very high. I played great tennis.”
“It’s great to reach the semis in my first tournament in Japan. It feels special.”
The biggest surprise was Holger Rune’s 6-3, 6-3 defeat by American Jenson Brooksby, ranked 86th in the world.
Brooksby said, “When I get going after a couple of matches, I get into my zone, which is one of my strengths.”
“I had a good plan since I’d never played him before. I kept my rhythm from the first two matches and stayed consistent today.”
Wimbledon semi-finalist Taylor Fritz beat Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 in an all-American match.
Fritz, who will move up to fourth in the ATP rankings on Monday, will play Brooksby in the semi-finals.
