What time is the Carlos Alcaraz v Jiri Lechecka final at Japan Open? Prize money and head-to-head record
Carlos Alcaraz and Jiri Lehecka will meet in the final of the 2026 Japan Open after the pair came through contrasting semi-final wins at the ATP 500 event.
Defending champion Alcaraz overcame a first-set collapse as he lost four games in a row to lose the opener against Jaume Munar before finding his rhythm again for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 win over his fellow Spaniard.
“I decided to start finding my rhythm, slowing down my shots a bit and getting into a match rhythm, waiting three, four, five shots before being more aggressive, and it was working, it was going well,” Alcaraz said of his ability to turn things around.
While Alcaraz is looking to win his third title of the year in what is his fourth final of 2026, Lehecka is into his second showpiece match of the campaign following his runners-up finish to Jannik Sinner at the Miami Open.
The Czech, who has two ATP Tour singles titles to his name, needed just 68 minutes to ease past eighth seed Valentin Vacherot, winning 6-4, 6-2 to reach his seventh top-level final.
Head-To-Head
The pair will meet for a fourth time on the ATP Tour with Alcaraz leading the H2H rivalry 3-1.
The Spaniard won on the grass at Queen’s Club in 2023 before Lehecka drew level on the hard courts in Doha two years later, but Alcaraz edges ahead again with another win at Queen’s and later in the year it became 3-1 with victory at the US Open.
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“It’s one of the top challenges in our sport right now: To play a guy like him,” Lehecka said. “We all know what he is capable of. We saw that he is back in his form and is able to play tremendous shots, as always.
“I managed to beat him once, also on hard courts, also at ATP 500 level [in Doha 2025 QF]. I will do everything I can to take some positives out of that match that we played together.”
What Time Is The Japan Open Final?
The match is scheduled to get underway at 18:00 local time on Tuesday 6 October. That is 09:00 GMT/11:00 Spanish time.
Although, don’t be too surprised if the match starts a little later as it will be preceded by the Kei Nishikori farewell tribute ceremony.
Prize Money On Offer
The total prize money for the 2026 Japan Open is $2,342,275 and the winner will go home with $437,955 – just up from the $416,365 Alcaraz received in 2025 – while the runner-up will receive $235,685.
Ahead of the final, Alcaraz sits on $65,777,598 in career prize money while Lehecka has earned $9,749,868.
