TOKYO — Top seed Carlos Alcaraz recovered from 2-6 down in the first-set tiebreak to defeat Matteo Arnaldi 7-6 (6), 6-1 in one hour and 46 minutes on Saturday night to reach the quarterfinals of the Tokyo ATP 500.
The Spaniard trailed 2-6 in the tiebreak and faced four set points before winning six straight points to steal the opener. He carried that momentum into the second set, racing to a 5-0 lead while losing only six points — just one on his serve. Arnaldi held to get on the board at 5-1, but Alcaraz saved two break points in the next game to close out the straight-sets win.
The defending champion and world No. 3 has now won seven straight matches in Tokyo. He is bidding to become the first man to defend the title since Pete Sampras in 1993 and 1994, and he is 18-0 at ATP 500 level since losing to Holger Rune in last year's Barcelona final. Alcaraz now leads Arnaldi 3-0 in their head-to-head after wins at the 2023 US Open 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 and at Indian Wells in 2024 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-1. Since 2022, he has not lost a match to an Italian man other than Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz, ranked No. 1 in the entry list for the week, had beaten American Alex Michelsen 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-1 in the first round. Arnaldi, ranked No. 37 and a Roland-Garros semifinalist this year, had edged Japanese wild card Rei Sakamoto 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 and remains without a win against a Top 3 player.
Alcaraz will play his 59th Tour-level quarterfinal and his sixth of the season against Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who advanced with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 win over Alejandro Tabilo.