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Alcaraz Faces Lehecka in Tokyo Final, Aiming to Replicate Sampras' 1994 Title Defense

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Alcaraz Faces Lehecka in Tokyo Final, Aiming to Replicate Sampras' 1994 Title Defense
Photo: Kenta Harada/Getty Images

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will play Jiri Lehecka in the final of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Tuesday. Alcaraz, who won the event on his debut last year, seeks to become the first man to defend his Tokyo title since Pete Sampras in 1993‑94. Lehecka, who reached the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami earlier this season, is chasing his first tour‑level trophy of the year and his third overall. The final between top seed Alcaraz and Lehecka will start no earlier than 6 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET, 10 a.m. BST). Alcaraz, ranked No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, leads Lehecka 3‑1 in their Lexus ATP Head‑to‑Head series, having won their most recent encounter at the US Open last year.

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