World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the tennis superstar from Spain, defeated American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the Japan Open men's singles final on Tuesday night, September 30.
Alcaraz captured his 24th career singles title, his eighth of 2025, at Tokyo's Ariake Coliseum. He also raised his match record this year to 67-7.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz also extended an impressive streak, appearing in his ninth consecutive final.
"It's been my best season so far without a doubt," Alcaraz said, according to the ATP Tour website. "Eight titles, 10 finals. … That shows how hard I've worked just to be able to experience these moments and accomplish my goals."
He continued: "I didn't start the year that good, struggling emotionally, so how I came back from that, I'm just really proud of myself, and of all the people around me who have helped me to be in this position."
Tennis Success: The Path to Victory Against Fritz
Against fifth-ranked Fritz, Alcaraz's overall superiority punctuated the tempo of the 93-minute match. The Spaniard's stellar all-around effort included important efficiency in service points won (41 of 63, 65%) and return points won (28 of 66, 42%). Fritz finished at 58% and 35% in the two categories.
In his opening match on Thursday, September 25, Alcaraz twisted his ankle in a second-round match against Sebastian Baez.
But he shook off the pain and earned the win.
"When I planted the ankle, I was worried, because it didn't feel good at the beginning," Alcaraz was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. "I'm just happy that I was able to play good tennis after that and finish the match quite good.
"I will try to recover to do whatever it takes to be ready for the next round."
Mission accomplished for the tennis superstar.
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Golf
Suga Wins 1st Career Title in Miyagi Prefecture
Fuka Suga shot a 7-under 65 in the final round of the 52nd Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Golf Tournament on Sunday, September 28. The second-year pro won the title, her first on the JLPGA Tour, by two strokes over Lala Anai and Sora Kamiya at Rifu Golf Club in Rifu, Miyagi Prefecture.
Suga, a 20-year-old Miyazaki native, had eight birdies in Sunday's third round and finished the tourney with a 9-under 207. Her stellar Sunday performance included shooting a 31 on the front nine.
Suga is now tied for the JLPGA Tour lead with 12 top-10 tournament finishes in 2025.
"There was frustration before, but today, pure joy won out," Suga said after her Sunday triumph, according to egolf.jp.
A desire to win has always fueled Suga's competitive drive.
"I felt impatient, but I think I've been able to work hard alongside everyone else," she told the JLPGA Tour website. "So I feel like I've met some really great members."
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Baseball
Giants' Tanaka Notches 200th Career Win
Masahiro Tanaka held the Chunichi Dragons to four hits and two runs in six solid innings on Tuesday night, September 30. The Yomiuri Giants beat the visitors 4-2 at Tokyo Dome.
Tanaka (3-4) became the fourth pitcher to compile a combined total of 200 wins in MLB and NPB. Hideo Nomo, Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish first accomplished the feat.
In Tanaka's 10th start of 2025, he walked two and struck out four in an 85-pitch outing.
Tanaka began his pro career with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and won 119 games for the Pacific League club (2007-13, 2021-24). In between, he pitched for the New York Yankees, winning 78 games.
For Tanaka, reaching 200 career wins is a big deal. He said as much after Tuesday's game.
"I'm so happy," Tanaka said, according to Kyodo News. "It's been a long time coming. Ever since I joined the Giants, I've wanted this win at our home stadium Tokyo Dome. I want to thank everyone who has been involved in my baseball career."
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Briefly…
Figure skater Mayuko Oka finished second in the women's singles competition at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Baku on September 26 in the Azerbaijan capital.
Oka was in fifth place after the short program, and with a second-place finish in the free skate, she secured a spot on the podium with 184.22 points. South Korea's Yuseong Kim won the event with 185.99, and Japan's Haruna Murakami placed 10th.
In the junior men's competition, Ryoto Mori was fifth (188.07), while South Korea's Minkyu Seo triumphed with 236.95 points.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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