Defending champion Alcaraz overcomes Munar to seal place in Tokyo final

[p]The world number three said regaining "consistency" at a high level has remained elusive after a months-long wrist injury. He reached the quarter-finals of the US Open last month.[/p][p][b]"Right now, I'm trying to get my level back. I would say it's still far from it, still far from it,"[/b] he said when asked about his current condition compared with his success last year.[/p][p]He said he was [b]"feeling good"[/b] but was still [b]"trying to get into the competition, trying to get into the rhythm of playing matches, playing tournaments"[/b].[/p][embed guid="99964fa6-59c8-438d-a2be-db15c55695ae" url="https://x.com/atptour/status/2107051443362402579" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Australian Open champion clinched the Tokyo win despite struggling with mistakes, particularly from the end of the first set through the middle of the second set, when his 49th-ranked opponent put up a brave fight.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alcaraz-garfia-carlos/UkhgIFEq/"]Alcaraz[/a] unleashed a barrage of big serves and aggressive returns to keep [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/munar-jaume/zZieQm4D/"]Munar[/a] off-balance and running along the baseline, occasionally mixing in delicate drop shots that wowed the packed crowd at the Ariake Colosseum.[/p][p]Munar maintained his composure to stay competitive, especially late in the opening set, as Alcaraz hit shots wide and long and racked up four double-faults in that set alone.[/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="f2cf91ca-0bc6-4ff4-a24e-27f49fceeed7" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="ce02ac6c-f75a-4406-a490-2c55f226bdcf" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Nevertheless, Alcaraz kept pressure on his opponent, showering him with precise forehands, fast volleys and drop shots, breaking Munar's serve in the first, third and ninth games of the second set.[/p][p]Alcaraz dominated the final set, wrapping up the match in two hours and 31 minutes.[/p][p][b]"I don't know what happened until the middle of the second set,"[/b] Alcaraz said.[/p][p][b]"Last year I came here with a lot of trophies... with a lot of confidence. But I'm going to fight for the same result, which I'm really happy about," [/b]he said.[/p][p]In the final, Alcaraz will face 19th-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lehecka-jiri/6PlgfXKR/"]Jiri Lehecka[/a] of Czechia, who beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vacherot-valentin/rFqoSYd8/"]Valentin Vacherot[/a] of Monaco 6-4, 6-2.[/p]