Carlos Alcaraz was not entirely happy with his first round win against Alex Michelsen at the Japan Open.
Alcaraz beat Michelsen 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1 in the first match of his title defence in Tokyo.
This is just the second time that Alcaraz has lost a set at the Japan Open, having been dominant in his run to the title last year.
Despite still coming through comfortably in the deciding set, Alcaraz has explained what he was not happy about with his first round win.
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Carlos Alcaraz was not happy with his level vs Alex Michelsen
Alcaraz was asked about the match in his post-match press conference, as he explained that while he thought it was a good match, he did not think his level was where it should have been.
“It was a really good and intense match I’d say, I’m just happy to get the win in the end but I’m a little bit unhappy about my level, I think it could be better,” answered Alcaraz.
“But first round every tournament is always really difficult, playing against someone like Alex is always tough, great player, so I’d say tough match but really happy to get the win in three sets.”
Alcaraz continued to speak about his struggles, as he admitted that he did not cope very well with the balls getting older in the first set in particular.
“I would say for me it took time to relax how I should play, and it’s totally different sports when it’s new balls then after three games, you have to change your game completely,” added Alcaraz. “I would say at the beginning I didn’t accept it and I wanted to play the same game, the same style, doesn’t matter if it was new balls or used balls.”
Who is Carlos Alcaraz playing next at the Japan Open?
Alcaraz will now put this performance behind him, as he looks ahead to the second round against Roland Garros semi-finalist Matteo Arnaldi.
This will be a third career meeting between Alcaraz and Arnaldi, with the former winning both of their previous meetings.
Both of these matches have been on North American hard courts, with the most recent coming when Alcaraz came from a set down to beat Arnaldi at Indian Wells in 2024.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2023 | US Open (R16) | Alcaraz beat Arnaldi, 6-3 6-3 6-4 |
| 2024 | Indian Wells (R64) | Alcaraz beat Arnaldi, 6(5)-7 6-0 6-1 |
Alcaraz will be hoping to continue his unbeaten record against Arnaldi, as well as at the Japan Open when they play each other on Saturday, October 3.
The winner of the match between Alcaraz and Arnaldi will take on either Denis Shapovalov or Alejandro Tabilo.
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