Carlos Alcaraz won his first title since returning from a four-month injury layoff after beating the Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in Tuesday's Japan Open final in Tokyo. The top seed and defending champion was made to work hard by world number 19 Lehecka to lift his first trophy since the Qatar Open in February.
It was Alcaraz's third tournament since coming back from a wrist injury, following a run to the US Open quarter-finals and an appearance at the Laver Cup. "A lot of negative thoughts come to your mind, if you're going to come back healthy, if you're going to be the same as I was before," Alcaraz said.
This was the world number three's third title of the year including the Australian Open, and the 27th of his career, coming hours after world number one Jannik Sinner ended his season due to a knee injury. Alcaraz is scheduled to play in the Shanghai Masters starting Wednesday after previously pulling out of last year's tournament due to physical issues.