Carlos Alcaraz began his title defense in Tokyo not with a triumph, but with a hard-fought battle. In his first-round match against Alex Michelsen, the Spaniard saved three set points, lost the second set, and only in the deciding set showed his usual power — 7:6(1), 4:6, 6:1. This is not merely a result but a signal: his return after a wrist injury is proceeding not according to schedule, but according to living sensations.
Alcaraz is experimenting with an accelerated service motion, and it shows. In the first two sets he committed several double faults, lost on return, and allowed his opponent to dictate the pace. Michelsen, the world No. 34, did not falter and twice recovered breaks. Only in the tiebreak and especially in the third set did the Spaniard regroup, winning five games in a row. It seems the issue is not only technique, but also how quickly he restores confidence after a long layoff.
Behind Alcaraz lie the US Open and the Laver Cup, his first tournaments after a four-month absence. In Tokyo he is once again on hard courts, where he previously dominated. The win over Michelsen provides the necessary match practice, but his level of play is still unstable. His next opponent — Matteo Arnaldi — will test whether the Spaniard has managed to find a balance between experimentation and reliability.
The day in Tokyo proved rich in upsets: Fritz, Ruud, and other seeds were eliminated. Against that backdrop, Alcaraz's victory looks especially valuable — he did not allow himself to relax and managed to turn the match around. It is reminiscent of how in chess one precise move in the endgame decides the game, even if the opening was full of mistakes.
For Alcaraz, the main thing right now is not the title, but a sense of control over his body and his game. If he can maintain this momentum, defending the title in Tokyo could become an important step toward returning to the top. Otherwise, the season risks turning into a series of searches for form.
