Alcaraz Tops Ruud for 66th Win, 10th Final of Year in Tokyo – Tennis Now
By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, September 29, 2025
Photo credit: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty
The tennis court can be an obstacle course.
Carlos Alcaraz continues creatively soaring over all hurdles to invoke flashy finishes.
In a rematch of the 2022 US Open final, Alcaraz fired 42 winners conquering Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 advancing to his 10th final of the season.
It’s a major milestone for Alcaraz, who scored his career-best 66th win of the season, charging into his ninth consecutive final. Alcaraz is the first man since his former doubles partner, Rafael Nadal, in 2017 to reach 10 finals in a single season and joins Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the fourth man since 1990 to advance to nine consecutive finals.
Tokyo Drift to Final No. 10 🏎️
The World No. 1 gets past Ruud 6-3 3-6 6-4 to reach 10th final of 2025 and a career-best 66 wins this season!@carlosalcaraz #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/SFNHfhLvQU
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 29, 2025
After Ruud took the opening set, Alcaraz said finding his happy place sparked the comeback.
“It was really close. It’s just about the tennis,” Alcaraz said. “A match can change on small details so I tried to be there, tried to be more positive than the first set. I was a little bit mad with myself so I just tried to play with joy again.
“That was the key to the turnaround.”
The top-seeded Alcaraz will face Taylor Fritz in the Tokyo final tomorrow.
Earlier, the second-seeded Fritz defeated Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3 in today’s all-American semifinal.
Riding superior serving, Fritz hammered 13 aces against no double faults and saved both break points he faced in a 90-minute victory.
It was Fritz’s sixth straight victory, including beating Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in Laver Cup San Francisco. The 2022 Tokyo champion Fritz advanced to his 19th career final and is playing for his third title of the season after capturing Stuttgart and Eastbourne.
“I know he’s playing great tennis lately, since the Laver Cup, against me, against Zverev here in this tournament,” Alcaraz said of Fritz. “He’s feeling great, really comfortable on the court. So I will try to change things.
“Obviously, the speed of the court, the atmosphere, everything is quite different since San Francisco. It’s gonna be another challenge for me. I’m excited about it so I will try to take the good things that I did today, the good things I did in San Francisco and will try to change the wrong things.”
Alcaraz on tomorrow’s clash vs Fritz in the final 🎤#kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/8Agy6EC01p
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 29, 2025
Alcaraz, who sprained his left ankle in his Tokyo opener, has rebounded with resilience and has not lost before a final since Miami last March when Belgian David Goffin upset him.
It wasn’t easy today as Ruud broke at 15 for a 5-3 lead and ran off eight of the last 10 points in the opener to take a one-set lead.
Saving a break point to start the second set, Alcaraz earned a hard-fought hold. The US Open champion surged through eight of the next nine points building a 3-0 second-set lead.
Alcaraz stung nine of his 11 aces in that second set stamping three love holds in five service games to force the decider.
Holding a 2-1 lead in the final set, Ruud earned two break points, but Alcaraz rose up with some fierce strikes to quell the threat and level at 2-all.
In the fifth game, Ruud saved a couple of break points, hitting a net-cord volley and a smash.
Undeterred, Alcaraz drew the Norwegian forward with a dropper then read his reply dashing right to block a forehand pass down the line for another break point. When Ruud netted a backhand, Alcaraz snatched the break for 3-2.
The top seed threw down a love hold backing up the break for 4-2.
Ruud ripped an ace holding for 4-5 and forcing the Spaniard to serve for the final.
When Ruud netted a backhand Alcaraz gained match point.
Dancing around his backhand, Alcaraz lasered a forehand winner down the line sealing his 66th win of the season with flashy flair.
