World no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is through to the last four at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo. The Spaniard defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4 in an hour and 20 minutes to remain on the title course.
Carlos left his ankle injury behind and played well from start to finish. He dropped eight points in his games and faced no break points. Nakashima felt the pressure and cracked under it.
The American struggled behind the second serve and got broken three times from seven chances offered to the world's best player. The Spaniard fired 39 winners and 18 unforced errors, dominating with his forehand.
The younger player had the upper hand from the baseline and at the net, delivering his finest victory of the week and extending his great streak. The favorite dropped only a couple of points in his games in the opening set.
He clinched a break in the first game of the duel with a cracking forehand winner and forged an early advantage. Nakashima suffered another break in the seventh game to fall further behind.
Alcaraz served for the set at 5-2 and landed a service winner on a set point, wrapping up the opener in 31 minutes. Brandon reached one deuce on the return in the second set and had to dig deep to keep the rival's pace.
Carlos cracked a forehand crosscourt winner in the fifth game, clinching a break and moving closer to the finish line. The American faced three match points on serve in game nine and denied them to extend the battle.
However, the Spaniard landed a forehand winner at 5-4, holding at love and moving into the semi-final in style.
