The Spaniard was in complete control of the tie as he won in straight sets for a 6-2 6-4 win.
The world No. 1 showed off his imperious serve as he powered 25 winners on first serve past the American, and he was equally confident off the court as he admitted he played “unbelievable” tennis.
“I felt like I could do everything on court, playing every shot.”
Despite missing out on three match points to close out the match, Alcaraz hit four straight winners in the final game and secured a commanding win.
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Alcaraz facing ‘important’ day of rest after concerning ankle scare – ‘I was worried’
Video credit: SNTV
“Losing that game, I thought it was going to be really difficult, but I just tried to maintain my focus and play some great points in the last game. I don’t think I’ve played a last game like this, so I’m really happy about it.”
The 22-year-old is set to take part in his ninth consecutive semi-final on the tour and is in a superb spell of form after winning the US Open three weeks ago.
“Probably (it’s the best period of my career). I’m just feeling great on court, every time I step on the court,” Alcaraz said.
“I just think I can do everything. I’m approaching the end of the season with a lot of confidence and these kinds of matches, this kind of level, helps a lot to keep the confidence high.
“I’m just trying to set up goals before matches, before tournaments, and trying to follow those goals. I think that helps me a lot to play great tennis and maintain the focus during the match.”
The win came on the back of an injury scare for Alcaraz. He suffered an ankle scare when beating Sebastian Baez, but followed that up with a win over Zizou Borgs and again showed no trouble in beating Nakashima.
“It was tough and it was a really important day and a half I had to recover as good as I could,” Alcaraz said when asked about his ankle. “I have said it before and I will say it again, I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100%. The work he has done for the ankle has been great. I could play normally, which is great. Sometimes I was worried about some movements, when I could feel the ankle, but in general I played some great tennis, a great match.”
Fourth-seed Ruud needed just 58 minutes to down Vukic, and the winner of their semi-final will face either Jenson Brooksby or Taylor Fritz in the final in Tokyo.
