Alcaraz through to Japan Open semis
“Carlos Alcaraz qualified for the semi-finals of the Japan Open on Sunday after an ailing Denis Shapovalov retired to hand the world number three a 7-6 (7/3), 2-1 victory. His Canadian opponent was forc…”
His Canadian opponent was forced to withdraw after suffering an injury to his upper right thigh in the first game of the second set. Defending champion Alcaraz will play fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar for a place in the final after the world number 64 ended the impressive run of 86th-ranked Kyrian Jacquet of France.
The match was hard-fought until Shapovalov's retirement, with Alcaraz troubled by the variety of his game as the world number 46 mixed deep shots with drop shots, and power with spin.
Alcaraz, who saved four set points against Matteo Arnaldi on Saturday, salvaged another here at 5-4 down and went on to seal the tie-break with a passing shot before Shapovalov's injury. The Australian Open champion is playing only his third event since returning from a months-long wrist injury, having reached the quarter-finals of the US Open last month.
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Later on Sunday, Valentin Vacherot upset France's Arthur Fils 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to set up a semi-final against Jiri Lehecka. Fils seemed to be making short work of the big-serving world number 18 when he earned two set points at 5-3.
But he then caved in, losing the next four games to hand Vacherot the opener on a superb down-the-line return. Fils forced a deciding set after an intense battle, pumping his fist and rallying the crowd, but eventually succumbed in a tight two-hour, 20-minute match.
Lehecka, the Czech world number 23, breezed into the semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, wrapping up the win in under an hour.
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