Carlos Alcaraz is on fire in 2025, but unfinished business lingers. We’ve seen the Spaniard battle in five finals against the No.1 Italian, but another threat looms close—Taylor Fritz. Just last week, the American stunned Alcaraz at the Laver Cup, winning his first match against him in straight sets. The H2H now sits at 1-3. Alcaraz didn’t hide his intentions though. After his quarterfinal win against America’s Brandon Nakashima, he said,“I’m just trying not to let the American’s go further.” Now, the fight shifts to the Japan Open final. A bigger stage. Points and a title on the line. Is Carlos ready for redemption?
On Tuesday, the World No.1 had to dig deep against Casper Ruud. He dropped the opening set but found his rhythm, rallying back strong. The score: 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two-hour, eight-minutes notching his personal-best 66th win this season. Despite nursing an ankle injury from the first round, he refused to slow down. He battled through and booked his ticket to the final.
Later in the press conference, Carlos Alcaraz looked satisfied with his fight. He admitted, “I didn’t take my chances in the first set.” But he was already locked on Fritz. “He (Fritz) is a very tough player to face, he has evolved a lot. I came here after losing to him in San Francisco, I trained with him on the first day, and I think that practice gave me good feedback on how I should approach the match.” A clear warning: he’s not underestimating the American.
Does he really have to worry, though? He still leads the H2H, but he knows Fritz is a danger. “So, I will play my best tomorrow. I will come up with a plan to beat him. His level is very high right now.” He’s right.
Carlos Alcaraz na coletiva de imprensa após o jogo de hoje “Vou jogar o meu melhor amanhã. Vou bolar um plano para vencê-lo.”
“Eu acho que foi uma ótima partida hoje. Eu não aproveitei minhas chances no primeiro set. Foi muito difícil lidar com todas as emoções, mas estou muito… pic.twitter.com/ppLssI9gOP
— Carlos Alcaraz Brasil (@carlosalcarazbr) September 29, 2025
The World No.5 Taylor Fritz is charging forward too. The Californian is about to bump back to No.4 after dethroning Novak Djokovic. He was a key player in Team World’s Laver Cup win. His season picked up in Miami with a semifinal run, then his grass game caught fire. Stuttgart and Eastbourne trophies. Then his first-ever Wimbledon semifinal in July.
At the Japan Open, Fritz stormed past Gabriel Diallo, Nuno Borges, Sebastian Korda, and Jenson Brooksby. Now, he’s into another Tokyo final. And he’s already won this event back in 2022. Carlos Alcaraz knows it won’t be easy. He put it best himself: “He’s very solid, aggressive, and full of confidence. I’m looking forward to the challenge, we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.” Both of them are bringing heat. Anything can happen in this matchup.
For Alcaraz, 2025 has already been sparkling. Two majors in the bag. A debut run in Tokyo where he swept Baez, Bergs, Nakashima, and Ruud. And now, he stands in his ninth consecutive tour-level final. That streak mirrors his idol Rafael Nadal, who reached the same milestone in 2013. History echoes in Tokyo—just the way Alcaraz likes it.
On the other side, Fritz isn’t shying away either. The American has his own message for Carlos!
Carlos Alcaraz receives a cheeky, unintentional message from Taylor Fritz
Earlier today, Fritz brushed aside fellow American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3 in a neat hour and a half to book his spot in the final. It’s a chance at a third trophy this season, and from the look of things, Fritz isn’t just here, he’s brimming with belief and itching to back it up against the elite.
Not long after sealing the win, Tennis TV had fans buzzing with a clip on X. Taylor grabbed the golden marker and scrawled three bold words on the camera: “Nah, I’d win.” The post, cheekily captioned the same way with a flexing emoji, lit up quickly. Within minutes, Fritz reshared it himself with a wry twist: “Can already see myself about to get roasted by the people that don’t get it .”
The meaning? Easy for anime fans. Fritz has shown his love for the Japanese manga and anime Jujutsu Kaisen before, even flashing the main character, Gojo’s, trademark hand sign on court. In the series, when Gojo is asked how he would fare against a fearsome sorcerer, he cooly says, “Nah, I’d win.” That line has since gone viral, and Fritz is clearly channeling that vibe.
Now it’s Carlos Alcaraz waiting across the net. Will he take down the No.1 American at the Japan Open to win his eight title of the season? Share your thoughts below!