Tennis player Alcaraz beats Michelsen in Japan Open opener — Channel NewsAsia

Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz defeated American Alex Michelsen in a first-round match at the Japan Open in Tokyo, Japan. The top seed won 7:6 (7:1), 4:6, 6:1 and continued his title defence.

Three sets in Tokyo

Alcaraz saved three set points in the opening set before confidently playing the tiebreak. At the same time, he continued experimenting with a modified and faster serve, which led to him being broken twice at the start of the second set.

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The Spaniard managed to get back into the match, but a double fault in the seventh game gave Michelsen an opportunity to level the score in sets. The American took his chance: in a tense finish to the second set, the ball, after touching the net, kept Alcaraz near the baseline and helped Michelsen take the match into a deciding set, Channel NewsAsia reports.

Unexpected exits of seeded players

In the deciding set, Alcaraz took a 2:0 lead after several brilliant rallies and went on to win the match. The ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo also began with several unexpected results: third seed Taylor Fritz lost to qualifier Jaume Munar — 6:7 (7:9), 6:4, 6:3. Sixth seed Casper Ruud lost to Luciano Darderi — 6:7 (3:7), 3:6, while seventh-seeded Tommy Paul was beaten by Alejandro Tabilo 1:6, 2:6. Holger Rune was also eliminated from the tournament, losing to Kyrian Jacquet 3:6, 1:6.