Carlos Alcaraz began his Asian swing with a 7-6. 6-4, Tokyo title victory which thrust the Spaniard among the sports’s elites after successfully defending the Japan Open trophy on Tuesday.

Alcaraz backed up his 2025 trophy at the Ariake colosseum, matching the back-to-back wins here of Stefan Edberg (1989-1991) and Pete Sampras (1993-1994).

Alcaraz, who missed almost five months of play due to a wrist injury, picked up this third title of the season after the Australian Open and Doha in February.

The Spaniard was all smiles after his win, telling Britain’s Sky: “I’m really happy to be able to lift a trophy again. It’s been a while and obviously it’s extra special after my injury.”

The winner  called the experience “a tough week (where) I didn’t find my best tennis, my best level, but I did find the good solutions.

“That’s what matters in the end.”

The winner called the final “the best match of the week, or at least more consistent the level that I played, so I’m just really, really happy.”

Alcaraz rallied from 4-2 down in the opening-set tiebreaker, winning five straight points to secure the set.

In the second, one break of his Czech opponent was enough to lift the trophy after 96 minutes.

The world No. 3 said that his enforced injury absence serves as a learning experience.

“A lot of negative thoughts come to your mind. If you’re going to come back healthy, if you’re going to come back the same as I was before. If I will be able to get the ball normal without pain at all/.

“But I try to put those thoughts away all the time. My team and I knew that if I come back, I’m going to be healthy 100 percent.”

Main photo:- Carlos Alcaraz lifts Japan Open trophy – © ATPTour.com

Elena Rybakina validated her impending move to world No. 1 as she dethroned Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, knocking out the two-time defending champion in a two and a half hour coronation performance to win the US Open on Saturday.

The Kazakh who will move into the top WTA spot in Monday’s rankings, took flight in the third set, breaking Sabalenka twice and losing just three points on serve. She finished the win with an ace after double-faulting on her first match point seconds earlier.

Rybakina had been somewhat doubtful prior to the Open after retiring with an ankle last month in a Cincinnati quarter-final.

She sent over a dozen aces and broke a patchy Sabalenka three times to win her second Grand Slam title of the season after the Australian Open in January.

“I’ve been here the past 10 years and I’ve never been close to being this successful,” Rybakina said. “This is just incredible, it will be an amazing memory.”

The winner added: “It’s tough to find the words right now. I did not expect anything like this.

“I was dealing with injury but everything lined up on my side; this doesn’t feel real.”

The winner called her runner-up “a great champion.”

“It is so difficult to play you, I was dying out there on court trying to get to every possible ball.”

Sabalenka came to the final holding a 10-7 lead in their career series. The match was a repeat of the Melbourne final nine months ago, where Rybakina also beat Sabalenka in three sets.

Sabalenka came to tears on the post-match podium, bitterly disappointed with her failure to complete a New York title hat-trick.

“The last thing I want to be doing right now is making a speech,” she said. “But I’ll try my best.

“I’m disappointed but congrats to Elena on an incredible year. I wish I could have performed better – but I guess next year.”

Sabalenka got away to an inauspicious start, forced to save three break points in the third game as Rybakina took early control of the final, delivering back-to-back aces for 4-all

With Sabalenka repeatedly forced to save break points, the two-time defending champion was finally broken to trail 2-3, receiving a warning for racquet abuse – an angry toss – after double-faulting away the fifth game.

Rybakina then delivered a love game, going on to to claim the early lead 6-4 on a second set point after 44 minutes as Sabalenka put a return long.

The top seed reigned in her emotions and nerves a bit in the second set, with good results as she spent nearly an hour and three set points to level the final at a set each.

Sabalenka salvaged two break points in the third game and held to love in the seventh and ninth games before missing on two set points as Rybakina moved to 5-all.

Sabalenka finally came good on her third chance, seizing the set and breaking her opponent with a backhand winner down the line, 7-5.

Main photo:- Elena Rybakina celebrates as she wins Women’s Singles title – by WTATennis.com

A 6-1, 6-4 win over four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka has moved Elena Rybakina to within one victory of world No. 1 with the Kazakh facing a quarter-final test against comeback queen Zheng Qinwen at the US Open.

That scoreline was duplicated by 2-23 tournament champion Coco Gauff, who went past Iva Jovic in an American match-up at the final major of the season.

Rybakina will have it all to play for when the she takes on China’s Paris Olympic gold medalist who has made a habit of recovering from 5-0 down situations in her last two matches.

2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys and six-time major champion Iga Swiatek were both on the receiving end of iconic Zheng fightbacks.

Reigning Melbourne holder Rybakina is ready to make her move.

“Of course I want it, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t wish this, but definitely that’s one of my goals,” she said.

“I try to approach the same way, try to do everything I can, fight until the end in my next match and let’s see what’s going to happen.”

Rybakina,who had to quit a match in Cincinnati last month with an ankle injury,,  posted 29 winners against just nine for Osaka, with the Japanese saving two match points before taking the loss.”I played really good. I mean, everything was going my way,” the winner said after a 66-minute victory which ended with an ace.

“I catched some lines, (and) was playing really deep. I’m happy, a lot of

things worked today for me.”

Gauff, 23, and the winner here three years ago, dispatched her second straight 18-year-old opponent in Jovic, two days after defeating Filipina Alexandra Eala.

The winner  now faces a third teenaged test in 19-year-old Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva.

“It’s another tough match.
Mirra is someone that I always have tough matches with.

“She’s obviously in a different mindset now at the top of the game coming off of a Grand Slam win,” Gauff said.

“I expect her to approach the match completely differently than in the
past.  I think it’s going to be a really athletic, tough match.

“Hopefully I can take my opportunities when I get them.”