Carlos Alcaraz set to grace the ATP 500 Japan Open tournament

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

World No. 1 ranked ATP male player Carlos Alcaraz is set to participate in the Japan Open tournament that will start today at the Ariake Tennis Forest Park in Koto, Tokyo.

After treating millions of tennis fans to another Grand Slam championship during the US Open, Alcaraz arrived in Japan to vie for the USD 416,365 (PHP 23,874,988) prize money.

Alcaraz, who is looking to bounce back after a loss at the Laver Cup, will immediately be put to the test against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez in the Round of 32.

This is the third time that the world No. 1 will encounter the 24-year-old rising star from Argentina, who is currently ranked No. 41 by the ATP.

Both stars met on the hard court for the first time during the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP tournament, where Alcaraz won in convincing fashion.

The Argentine tried to bounce back and get at Alcaraz, but the Spanish star picked up where he left off and won their match in the Round of 128 stage of the 2022 US Open.

In ATP-sanctioned events, including the Grand Slam stage, Alcaraz has yet to drop a single match out of 10 games, while Baez is looking to snap back-to-back losses.

Aside from Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune, Brandon Nakashima, Matteo Berrettini, and Denis Shapovalov have also joined the ATP 500 event.

On the other hand, Alcaraz’s rival Jannik Sinner is headed to Beijing and will headline the China Open organized by the Chinese Tennis Association.

Joining Sinner at the China National Tennis Center are Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Lorenzo Musetti, Marin Cilic, and Cameron Norrie.