Preview Japan Open Semi-Finals: Alcaraz-Ruud, and Fritz-Brooksby set to clash as they eye up final

The Asian swing has fully commenced, with the top players in the world leaving fans amazed and speechless with some inspiring tennis. This has firmly been the case in Tokyo, as three former Grand Slam finalists make up four of the semi-finalists in the Japan Open.

Six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz has delivered some outstanding performances in his debut campaign in Japan. As expected, he is the heavy favourite to clinch the title but will come under pressure from three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud. while last year's US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz faces Jenson Brooksby in a repeat of the Eastbourne Open final earlier this year.

First up is an all-American clash, as the pair eye up each other once more. Fritz came out on top in Eastbourne, clinching his fourth title on the Sussex coast with a 7-5, 6-1 win. Brooksby had not even qualified for that event, being reinstated as a lucky loser. He has not had the problem of going through the qualifying process in Tokyo, as he eyes up a third ATP final of 2025.

The world number 86 faced off fended off the sixth seed Ugo Humbert and world number 30 Luca Darderi to set up a clash against Holger Rune. The American was not fazed by the challenge, winning the last three games of the first set to take the early advantage, before coming back from a 3-1 deficit to clean up the rest of the games to send him through to the semi-final.

However, his toughest test is yet to come, with Fritz looking like a dangerous prospect. If he can find his A-game, then any player in the world would struggle to play against him. However, it has been a gritty tournament so far for the world number five, battling through his three matches. He defeated Gabriel Diallo and Nuno Borges, before knocking out fellow American Sebastian Korda in three sets to reach his seventh semi-final of 2025.

Including that Eastbourne final, the pair have played twice this year, with Fritz coming out on top in both of them. The first, and only other time they met, came back in 2021, where Brooksby defeated Fritz in five sets at the US Open, an event that Fritz would almost go the distance three years later. While Fritz has one of the most deadly serves on tour, Brooksby is a very good reciver, and can neutralise the threat. This will not be enough, with Fritz proving multiple times that he can comeback from a break deficit and is prepared for a tussle. He will go into the tie as the favourite, but Brooksby should not be counted out.

In a repeat of the 2022 US Open final, Alcaraz is targeting an outstanding eigth title in 2025, and is the massive favourite to take this one with his arch-rival Jannik Sinner competing in the China Open. The Spaniard is competing in his first ATP competition since his triumph at Flushing Meadows over Sinner, with him and Ruud recently teaming up to take on Team World in the Laver Cup. Despite a strong opening day, they were pegged back and swallowed up by Team World, who won their third Laver Cup.

The duo will be hoping to overturn that disappointment with a title in Tokyo, but only one of them will be in the final, and by the looks of it, Alcaraz is in the prime position to take this one. However, this might have not been the case if his ankle injury was worse than feared. He picked it up in the preliminary stages of his matchup against Argentine Sebastian Baez. Despite prominent protests from his team to retire, he adamantly continued, and comfortably won in straight sets. He produced similar displays against Zizou Bergs and Brandon Nakashima, looking imperious in the victory over the American.

His semi-final match on paper should be the toughest, with Ruud not a player to turn your nose up at. The Norwegian has suffered a dip in form, failing to get past the second round in any of the three Grand Slam events he has participated in. However, he did win his first Masters 1000 title earlier this year, defeating Jack Draper in the Madrid Open. He will be targeting for a second title and third final in 2025. He has already disposed of wildcard Shintaro Mochizuki in three sets, before defeating former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini to set up a quarter-final clash against Aleksandar Vukic, which he comfortably won.

Since that Grand Slam final, the pair have met on three separate occasions, with Ruud coming out on top in two of them. The latest came in the ATP Tour Finals last year, where he defeated the current world number one 6-1, 7-5 in the first tie of group B. He will face a different Alcaraz tomorrow, with the Spaniard looking like he has no weakness. Ruud will have to take every chance he gets, and hope that Alcaraz has a few blunders, with the Norwegian good enough to pounce on them.