Semifinal Secured: Carlos Alcaraz dismisses Nakashima, sets up Ruud rematch at Japan Open

Carlos Alcaraz claimed the victory against Brandon Nakashima (No. 33) and continues his campaign at the Japan Open. The World No. 1 secures another win, reaching the semifinals of the tournament. This brings Alcaraz to 64 victories in 70 matches this season, guaranteeing a semifinal clash against Casper Ruud (4th).

Alcaraz remains on a great winning streak and seems closer than ever to his eighth title of the season. The Spaniard will face Ruud in pursuit of a spot in the final, holding a 4-1 head-to-head record in his favor—though the Norwegian claimed their most recent encounter on the indoor hardcourts of the ATP Finals 2024.

Alcaraz dominates serve, sweeps Nakashima in opener

Things quickly fell in Alcaraz's favor, as he secured an opening break and followed up with a service hold to lead 2-0. The Spanish player has been impressive with his serve throughout 2025 and has not lost consistency in Japan—a tournament he is competing in for the first time. In the first set, he showed 100% effectiveness on his first serve and conceded only two service points throughout the set.

Thus, Alcaraz maintained the lead without major issues, and when he got his second break chance—in the 7th game—he quickly capitalized. The World No. 1 comfortably won the set 6-2 after 31 minutes, against a Nakashima who struggled especially with his second serve and could barely put the ball in play when Alcaraz was serving.

Nakashima fights back before Alcaraz seals semifinal spot

Despite the first set, Nakashima managed—at least—to contest the match for a few minutes in the second set. The American managed to hold his serve a couple of times and even earned several points on the return in the early games, maintaining parity until 2-2.

That's when the opportunities arose for Alcaraz—after Nakashima missed a few first serves—and the Spaniard, of course, did not fail, taking the third break of the match and pulling ahead in the second set. Again, Nakashima could do little on the return to counteract Alcaraz.

The Spaniard held onto his serve and stayed ahead for the rest of the set. Nakashima served at 3-5, facing the most contested game of the match. While Alcaraz fought to quickly secure the break—and the victory—Nakashima clung to the match, saving up to three match points on his serve to prolong the encounter a bit longer. However, Alcaraz did not hesitate on his service game and closed the victory 6-2, 6-4 after one hour and 15 minutes.

Match Statistics Alcaraz vs. Nakashima

Ankle recovery impresses: Alcaraz praises physio after earning Ruud rematch

It's worth remembering that earlier in the week, Alcaraz suffered a fall during his match against Sebastian Baez, leading to physical problems with an ankle discomfort that seemed to put him close to retirement. However, the Spaniard managed to recover and secure the victory. Although there was speculation he might withdraw before returning to the court two days later, he ultimately made a correct recovery, defeating Zizou Bergs in the Round of 16 two days prior.

"It was tough. I had a day and a half to recover as best as possible," Alcaraz said about the state of his ankle before facing Nakashima. "I said it before and I repeat: I have the best physio in the world, I believe in him 100%. The work he has done with the ankle is fantastic. I was able to play normally. Sometimes I felt worried with some movements, I felt the ankle, but overall I played good tennis and a good match."