Key Takeaways
- Carlos Alcaraz arrives at the Japan Open aiming to become the first men’s singles champion to defend the title since Pete Sampras in 1994.
- No player in 32 years has successfully retained the Tokyo crown, with none of the subsequent champions even reaching the final the following season.
- The 23-year-old Spaniard faces an opening-round match against American Alex Michelsen in their first career meeting.
Chasing a historic defence in Tokyo
Fresh from helping Team Europe capture their sixth Laver Cup crown, Carlos Alcaraz has arrived in Tokyo aiming to achieve a feat that has eluded the men’s tour for more than 3 decades. The 23-year-old Spaniard lifted the Japan Open trophy last year after dispatching Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the final, and he now seeks to become the first player to successfully defend the ATP 500 crown since Pete Sampras in 1994.
Defending the silverware in the Japanese capital has proven to be an impossible task for generations of tennis greats. Sampras won his maiden Tokyo title against Brad Gilbert in 1993 before retaining the trophy against Michael Chang 12 months later. Since that triumph 32 years ago, illustrious champions including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic have all claimed the title, yet none managed to back it up the following season. Remarkably, not a single winner during this span even reached the final the next year.
Tough draw awaits the defending champion
Alcaraz faces a challenging opening test in his quest to break the drought, having been drawn against American youngster and US Open quarter-finalist Alex Michelsen. The 2 players have never faced each other on the ATP Tour. The victor of their first-round clash will go on to meet either Japanese wildcard Rei Sakamoto or Roland Garros semi-finalist Matteo Arnaldi.
The seven-time major champion will have to navigate a formidable field if he is to add another chapter to tournament history and end the longstanding streak.
Japan Open men’s singles finals since 1993
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Pete Sampras | Brad Gilbert | 6–2, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 1994 | Pete Sampras | Michael Chang | 6–4, 6–2 |
| 1995 | Jim Courier | Andre Agassi | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1996 | Pete Sampras | Richey Reneberg | 6–4, 7–5 |
| 1997 | Richard Krajicek | Lionel Roux | 6–2, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 1998 | Andrei Pavel | Byron Black | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1999 | Nicolas Kiefer | Wayne Ferreira | 7–6(7–5), 7–5 |
| 2000 | Sjeng Schalken | Nicolás Lapentti | 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 2001 | Lleyton Hewitt | Michel Kratochvil | 6–4, 6–2 |
| 2002 | Kenneth Carlsen | Magnus Norman | 7–6(8–6), 6–3 |
| 2003 | Rainer Schüttler | Sébastien Grosjean | 7–6(7–5), 6–2 |
| 2004 | Jiří Novák | Taylor Dent | 5–7, 6–1, 6–3 |
| 2005 | Wesley Moodie | Mario Ančić | 1–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–4 |
| 2006 | Roger Federer | Tim Henman | 6–3, 6–3 |
| 2007 | David Ferrer | Richard Gasquet | 6–1, 6–2 |
| 2008 | Tomáš Berdych | Juan Martín del Potro | 6–1, 6–4 |
| 2009 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Mikhail Youzhny | 6–3, 6–3 |
| 2010 | Rafael Nadal | Gaël Monfils | 6–1, 7–5 |
| 2011 | Andy Murray | Rafael Nadal | 3–6, 6–2, 6–0 |
| 2012 | Kei Nishikori | Milos Raonic | 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 6–0 |
| 2013 | Juan Martín del Potro | Milos Raonic | 7–6(7–5), 7–5 |
| 2014 | Kei Nishikori | Milos Raonic | 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 6–4 |
| 2015 | Stan Wawrinka | Benoît Paire | 6–2, 6–4 |
| 2016 | Nick Kyrgios | David Goffin | 4−6, 6−3, 7−5 |
| 2017 | David Goffin | Adrian Mannarino | 6−3, 7−5 |
| 2018 | Daniil Medvedev | Kei Nishikori | 6–2, 6–4 |
| 2019 | Novak Djokovic | John Millman | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 2020 | No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | – | – |
| 2021 | – | – | – |
| 2022 | Taylor Fritz | Frances Tiafoe | 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–2) |
| 2023 | Ben Shelton | Aslan Karatsev | 7–5, 6–1 |
| 2024 | Arthur Fils | Ugo Humbert | 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 6–3 |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Taylor Fritz | 6–4, 6–4 |
ATP Tokyo - Carlos Alcaraz's projected path
Carlos Alcaraz in 2026
Currently ranked no.3, the Spaniard played his last match on the 30th of September when he lost to world no.4 Ben Shelton 6-7(5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6(7) in the quarter of the U.S. Open (draw).
Presently, during this year Carlos has managed to achieve a 27-4 win-loss record. Alcaraz conquered 2 titles in 2026 at the Australian Open and Doha.
