Alcaraz will meet second seed Taylor Fritz with the chance to claim his eighth title of the year.
Alcaraz will also be seeking revenge in Tuesday’s clash in Tokyo after a shock defeat by Fritz in the Laver Cup in San Francisco this month, his first loss to the American in four career meetings. The six-times Grand Slam champion wasted four chances to break Ruud early and let out screams of frustration when his Norwegian opponent closed in on the first set with sublime shot-making from the back of the court and at the net.
Having dropped the first set, Alcaraz came out all guns blazing in the next and levelled the scores with a huge ace, before turning on the style to break for a 3-2 lead in the decider and securing the win.
American Fritz earlier saw off compatriot Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-3 with flawless serving in tough moments to reach his third final of the season after claiming grass court titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne.
–Reuters–
