Alcaraz survives 16-point collapse to reach Tokyo final, faces Lehecka

Carlos Alcaraz recovered from dropping 16 consecutive points at the end of the first set to defeat Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Monday, according to www.atptour.com.

The top-seeded Alcaraz, defending champion, returned to the Tokyo final for the second consecutive year, extending his winning streak at the ATP 500 event to nine matches.

Alcaraz will face Jiri Lehecka in Tuesday's final, per the source.

The 23-year-old led 5-3 and was serving for the first set when the run began. He watched 16 straight points — and the set itself — slip away before finally halting the streak in the opening game of the second.

"I don’t know what happened in the first set," Alcaraz said. "I started the match well. I was up a break and serving for the set. It seems that I’m struggling in every first set… But I've come back every time and I’m really happy about it."

That celebration proved to be the spark he needed. Alcaraz then turned the momentum in the longer rallies that Munar had dominated, forcing his opponent deeper behind the baseline and levelling the contest before pulling away in the decider.

THE 16-POINT WOBBLE AND THE COMEBACK

Alcaraz finally halted the run in the opening game of the second set, responding with an ironic celebration towards the crowd.

That celebration proved to be the spark he needed. Alcaraz then began to turn the momentum in the longer rallies that Munar had dominated earlier in the match, forcing his opponent further behind the baseline and levelling the contest.

The 23-year-old won the second set 6-3 to level the match, then dominated the decider 6-1 to close out the victory, according to www.atptour.com.

Munar, ranked No. 64, impressed for large parts of the contest with his defence and aggressive play, but he could not sustain it against Alcaraz. The qualifier used his defensive skills to frustrate the top seed before finding opportunities to turn exchanges on their head, yet Alcaraz eventually had too many answers.