Carlos Alcaraz has successfully defended his ATP 500 title in Tokyo, defeating the Czech player Jiri Lehecka in two sets (7-6, 6-4). This victory marks his first tournament win since returning to the tennis circuit after an injury that kept him away for nearly five months. The injury, sustained to his right wrist during a match in Barcelona, forced him to take a break from competition. Alcaraz, currently ranked third in the world, had previously won the Tokyo title in 2025 and is now the first player since Pete Sampras in 1993 and 1994 to win two consecutive editions of the Japanese tournament. This is Alcaraz's third title of the season, following his wins in Doha and the Australian Open. It is also his 27th career title. The Tokyo final was his first since April, when he lost to Jannik Sinner in the Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo. He had returned to competition at the US Open, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Ben Shelton. In a post-match interview, Alcaraz said it was challenging to win the title, as he did not always play his best tennis but managed to find solutions. He added that he played his best match of the week. He also mentioned that during his injury period, he had many negative thoughts about whether he would return to his previous form or if he would still feel pain when hitting the ball. Alcaraz credited his support team for giving him the confidence to return to competition at full strength. The winner of the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo receives 437,955 dollars, with the finalist earning 235,685 dollars. This represents an increase in total prize money for the tournament compared to 2025. Alcaraz earned 21,590 dollars more than in the previous year, and Lehecka also received a higher amount than in 2025. The total prize money for the Japan Open this year is 2,342,275 dollars, an increase of just over 5 percent compared to the previous year.