Alcaraz Reaches Japan Open Final After Rallying Past Munar
Carlos Alcaraz lost 16 straight points before beating Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the Japan Open final, his first since returning from a wrist injury.
Editor's note, Nov. 7, 2026: An earlier version of this article appeared in Spanish. It has been rewritten in English.
TOKYO — Carlos Alcaraz dropped 16 points in a row on Monday and still reached the Japan Open final, coming back to beat fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals.
It is the world No. 3's first final since a four-and-a-half-month layoff with a right wrist injury. He meets 19th-ranked Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday with a chance to defend the title he won in Tokyo last year.
The 16-point slump
Alcaraz seemed in control after breaking Munar midway through the opening set. Then his form vanished. Back-to-back double faults handed Munar the set, making it 14 straight points lost, and the first two points of the second set took the run to 16.
The top seed answered by breaking in the opening game of the second set, and the match turned from there.
"I don't know what happened in the first set," Alcaraz said. "It seems that I'm struggling in every first set. ... But I've come back every time and I'm really happy about it."
Munar, a qualifier who knocked out No. 12 Taylor Fritz in the first round, could not hold his lead.
"Jaume is a pretty tough player to play against and these conditions suit him well," Alcaraz said. "I'm just happy that in the second set I tried to stay there. I made a couple of breaks that helped a lot to get a bit of confidence. Then I started to play more aggressively."
Back after the injury
Alcaraz has not played a final since losing to Jannik Sinner at the Monte Carlo Masters in April. He returned in late August and reached the US Open quarterfinals, losing to Ben Shelton in a match that finished at 3:33 a.m. He has worn a compression sleeve on his right arm since coming back.
Lehecka beat Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2 and arrives on a six-match winning streak, which includes both of his singles wins as the Czech Republic beat the United States to qualify for the Davis Cup Final 8.
