Alcaraz vs Shapovalov ended early Sunday in Tokyo. Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz led 7-6 (3), 2-1 in their Japan Open quarterfinal when Denis Shapovalov retired after 82 minutes with a hip injury, sending the defending champion into the semifinals, the ATP Tour reported.
How Alcaraz vs Shapovalov unfolded
The first set of Alcaraz vs Shapovalov was a back-and-forth fight with six service breaks. Shapovalov led 5-3 and later had a set point at 5-4, 30-40, but Alcaraz erased it with a drop shot. He then took the tiebreak 7-3.
Shapovalov pulled his hip while stretching for a forehand in the opening game of the second set. He took a medical timeout and could not continue. Alcaraz admitted his serve let him down, but he liked his response to losing games on it. “I’m just happy with the way I came back after every break,” he said, per the ATP Tour.
Alcaraz extends his Tokyo run
Alcaraz, 23, won this tournament in 2025 on his debut and has now won eight straight matches at the ATP 500 event. He opened this year’s event with a 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-1 win over Alex Michelsen, and beat Matteo Arnaldi 7-6 (6), 6-1 in the second round, according to ESPN’s match data.
Shapovalov reached the quarterfinals by beating Sho Shimabukuro 7-5, 6-1 and Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. The Japan Open also hosted the final match of Kei Nishikori’s career on Oct. 1, which we covered in our report on Nishikori’s retirement. For more on Shapovalov, see our earlier piece on his Basel 2025 exit.
Next up: Jaume Munar
Alcaraz vs Shapovalov is done, and the next test is a Spaniard. Alcaraz will face Spain’s Jaume Munar in the semifinals on Monday. Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 3-1. Munar came through qualifying, beat third seed Taylor Fritz in the first round and defeated Kyrian Jacquet 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. It is his eighth ATP semifinal and his first since Basel in 2025. He moves up to No. 49 in the live rankings.
The other semifinal includes Valentin Vacherot, who beat Arthur Fils in his quarterfinal. The remaining quarterfinal, between Adolfo Daniel Vallejo and Jiri Lehecka, was still in progress Sunday. Full draws and scores are on the ESPN tennis scoreboard.
