Alcaraz retains Tokyo title as Lehecka tells him: “you prove you are already at that level”

“You come back and, unfortunately, you prove you are already at that level.” Jiri Lehecka said those words to Carlos Alcaraz at the trophy ceremony at the Ariake Colosseum. On court, the Spaniard had just beaten him 7-6(4), 6-4 in one hour and 36 minutes to retain his ATP 500 Tokyo title.

A first set settled in a tie-break

Lehecka believed from the first game: three break points straight away, the last one converted for 0-1. That was only the second service game the Czech had lost all week. Alcaraz broke back in the sixth game (3-3), and the set went all the way to a tie-break: from 4-2 down, the Spaniard took the next five points. In the second set, one opening was enough: in the seventh game he converted his first break point, then served it out. The head-to-head between the two men now stands at 4-1 to Alcaraz.

The doubts about his return are gone

Hampered by a right wrist injury, Alcaraz had not won a title since Doha on 21 February. His return had started at the US Open, where he lost in the quarter-finals. This 27th title makes him the third player to retain the Tokyo crown, after Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras.

Lehecka, ranked 19th, leaves with his second final of the season, after Miami and the loss to Jannik Sinner in late March. In the semi-final, he had beaten Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and nine minutes, without facing a single break point. “I am sorry I could not go all the way, but I found myself in a final against one of the best players in the world,” he added at the ceremony.

For the bettor, Tokyo offers a fact worth more than the trophy: a few weeks after a comeback ended in the US Open quarter-finals, Alcaraz has lifted a hard-court title. Anyone pricing him on his injury record rather than his tennis already has Tokyo’s answer. As always: 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.