Alcaraz recovers from 2-6 down in tiebreak, sweeps past Arnaldi into Tokyo quarterfinals
Carlos Alcaraz (No. 1) won six straight points from 2-6 down in the first-set tiebreak and beat Matteo Arnaldi 7-6 (6), 6-1 to reach the Tokyo quarterfinals on Saturday night. The defending champion has now won seven straight matches at the event and faces Denis Shapovalov next.
Carlos Alcaraz, Tokyo 2026 | © Masatoshi Okauchi/Shutterstock/SIPA
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the top seed, trailed 2-6 in the first-set tiebreak against Italian Matteo Arnaldi on Saturday night. He then won six points in a row and rode the momentum to the end, beating Arnaldi 7-6 (6), 6-1 in an hour and 46 minutes to reach the quarterfinals of the Tokyo ATP 500.
The defending champion and world No. 3 has now won seven straight matches in Tokyo. He is bidding to become the first man to defend the title since Pete Sampras in 1993 and 1994, and he is 18-0 at ATP 500 level since losing to Holger Rune in last year’s Barcelona final.
After saving four set points in the tiebreak, Alcaraz dominated the second set. He raced to a 5-0 lead, losing only six points along the way, just one of them on his serve. Arnaldi got on the board at 5-1, but Alcaraz saved two break points in the next game to close it out 6-1.
The Spaniard now leads Arnaldi 3-0 in their head-to-head, after wins at the 2023 US Open, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, and at Indian Wells in 2024, 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-1. Since 2022, he has not lost a match to an Italian man other than Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz had beaten American Alex Michelsen 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-1 in the first round. Arnaldi, ranked No. 37 and a Roland-Garros semifinalist this year, had edged out Japanese wild card Rei Sakamoto 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. He remains without a win against a Top 3 player.
Alcaraz, playing his 59th Tour-level quarterfinal and his sixth of the season, will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov next.
Tokyo ATP 500, Round of 16
C. Alcaraz [1] d. M. Arnaldi 7-6 (6), 6-1
D. Shapovalov d. A. Tabilo 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
J. Munar (Q) d. J. Faria (LL) 6-1, 6-1
K. Jacquet (SE) d. L. Darderi 6-3, 7-6 (5)
U. Humbert vs J. Lehecka – Saturday Oct 3
M. Berrettini vs A. Vallejo (Q) – Saturday Oct 3
V. Vacherot [8] d. S. Tsitsipas (Q) 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4
A. Fils (Q) d. F. Tiafoe [2] 6-3, 7-5
