[Singles Quarterfinal]
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) def. Denis Shapovalov (Canada), 7-6(3), 2-1 ret.

■ Following his second-round victory over Matteo Arnaldi (Italy), Alcaraz once again overcame adversity to grind out a win. In the first set, Alcaraz struggled to win points behind his first serve, taking just 48% of them, and was broken three times. As in his second-round match, there were moments when he missed shots after working his way into favorable rallies and reaching positions where he only needed to put the ball away. Shapovalov's tenacity in the baseline exchanges was one factor, but Alcaraz also appeared to be rushing at times.

■ Even so, when trailing 3-5, Alcaraz broke his opponent's serve. Serving at 4-5, he showed remarkable resilience by saving set points to force a tiebreak. Alcaraz continued to grind out points and took the tiebreak 7-3. At the start of the second set, Shapovalov, who had injured his hip, retired after the third game, sending Alcaraz into the semifinals.

■ Alcaraz dropped a set in his first-round match against Alex Michelsen (USA) and has had to work somewhat hard in his subsequent two matches as well. Yet he has shown a wide range of skills, not only producing winners with his powerful shots but also varying his pace to draw errors from his opponents and using drop shots. He has repeatedly come through at crucial moments. In this quarterfinal, against the big-serving Shapovalov, Alcaraz also moved his return position far back at times and used that position to construct points.

■ Alcaraz explained that he had been “trying to make （his) opponent think about something.” “Make him think and create doubt. Sometimes make him choose the wrong direction. Above all, I try not to let my opponent feel comfortable. That's my way of thinking.” When he cannot simply overpower an opponent, Alcaraz finds another way to put pressure on him. That is how he has won matches since he was a young boy. He once analyzed his own game this way: “My style is about having a lot of variations. While maintaining variety in my game I try to put pressure on my opponent by playing solidly.” The strength he has displayed over these past few matches is precisely that kind of strength.

(Japan Tennis Association)