Jaume Munar beat Kyrian Jacquet 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open in Tokyo, moving into the semifinals. The Spaniard needed qualifying just to reach the main draw, so this is a stunning run.
Munar won in straight sets on Sunday local time. ESPN’s schedule lists Carlos Alcaraz as his semifinal opponent.
How Jaume Munar got to the Japan Open semifinals
Munar started in qualifying. He beat Marcos Giron 5-7, 6-1, 6-4, then Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-2, 6-3.
In the first round of the main draw he knocked out Taylor Fritz 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. He followed that with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Jaime Faria in the second round.
That is four straight wins before the quarterfinal even started.
Jacquet’s run ends
Jacquet had his own good week. The Frenchman beat Holger Rune 6-3, 6-1 in the first round and Luciano Darderi 6-3, 7-6 in the second.
Against Munar, he could not hold on. Munar took the first set 6-4 and the second 6-2, without needing a third set.
What it means for the semifinal
A match against Alcaraz is a big step up in difficulty, but Munar has already beaten Fritz this week. The tournament also had an emotional opening. Our Kei Nishikori retirement story covers his final match, a first-round loss to Frances Tiafoe.
For more tennis from the tour, see our recap of the Boisson Adana final.
Full draws and results are available on ESPN and the ATP Tour.
