Alcaraz Discovers His Tokyo Tournament Destiny
The exhilarating ATP 500 event is set to take place from September 24 to 30.
Date: September 22, 2025
Credit: Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz Will Make His Tokyo Debut!
By Sam Jacot
Carlos Alcaraz is poised to take the court against Sebastian Baez in his debut match at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, following the draw revealed on Monday.
As the ATP 500 tournament unfolds on hard courts, the Spanish sensation is seeded for a possible quarter-final clash with eighth seed Frances Tiafoe, and could face Norway’s Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz, boasting a 2-0 lead in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Baez, reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings earlier this month after an impressive victory over Jannik Sinner in the US Open final, marking his sixth Grand Slam title.
Ruud, the Madrid titlist of this year, is set to go head-to-head with Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki in the opening round, while Tiafoe encounters a qualifier. Tiafoe was a finalist in Tokyo in 2022. The seventh seed, Denis Shapovalov, a two-time semi-finalist in this tournament, will kick off against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier. This marks Shapovalov’s return to competition following his recent marriage to Mirjam Bjorklund.
Second seed Taylor Fritz, who clinched the title in Japan in 2022, will face Canadian Gabriel Diallo in his first match and may meet fifth seed Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals. Machac begins his journey against a qualifier.
Third seed Holger Rune, a potential semi-final rival for Fritz, is scheduled to play against Hamad Medjedovic, the former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion, in his opening match. Rune could also encounter Alex Michelsen in the second round and sixth seed Ugo Humbert in the quarter-finals. Humbert, last year’s finalist, starts off against Jenson Brooksby.
Mark your calendars! The thrilling ATP 500 event will happen from September 24 to 30.
