ATP Tokyo Outright Winner Tips & Predictions - Jodar & Blockx backed for deep runs; Alcaraz faded at Japan Open

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Tue 29 Sep 2026 06:04

Andrew Hendrie 1 hour ago

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Outright winner tips & predictions for the 2026 Japan Open in Tokyo
Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed, but offers little value at $1.80
Rafael Jodar & Alexander Blockx genuine title chances; Ugo Humbert outside shot
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The ATP Tour heads to Tokyo between September 30 & October 6 for the 2026 Japan Open, with a strong 32-player field assembling at Ariake Coliseum for one of the biggest events of the Asian swing.

ATP Tokyo 2026 Seeds
ATP Tokyo Winner Odds
ATP Tokyo - Three Value Bets
Rafael Jodar
Alexander Blockx
Ugo Humbert

First staged in 1972, the Japan Open is an ATP 500 tournament played on outdoor hard courts, with US$2,342,275 in total prize money on offer. Stefan Edberg remains the most successful men's singles player in tournament history with four titles, while Carlos Alcaraz arrives as the defending champion after defeating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in last year's final.

ATP Tokyo Betting MarketsBet on the Japan Open with PicklebetBet Here

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Alcaraz is unsurprisingly the dominant $1.80 favourite with Picklebet, but at such a short price and still in the early stages of a return from injury, we're prepared to fade the Spaniard and search for considerably more upside elsewhere in the draw.

ATP Tokyo 2026 Seeds

Seed	Player	Country	Ranking
1	Carlos Alcaraz	Spain	3
2	Frances Tiafoe	United States	8
3	Taylor Fritz	United States	10
4	Rafael Jódar	Spain	14
5	Brandon Nakashima	United States	16
6	Casper Ruud	Norway	17
7	Tommy Paul	United States	18
8	Valentin Vacherot	Monaco	19

The tournament's official entry list confirms a deep field headed by Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar, while several dangerous unseeded players - including Ugo Humbert and Alexander Blockx - add considerable depth, while 2024 champion Arthur Fils and former World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas feature in qualifying.

ATP Tokyo Winner Odds

(from Picklebet, correct as of 29/9/26).

Player	Picklebet Odds
Carlos Alcaraz	$1.80
Taylor Fritz	$8.50
Frances Tiafoe	$11.00
Rafael Jódar	$13.00
Brandon Nakashima	$17.00
Tommy Paul	$21.00
Jiri Lehecka	$23.00
Casper Ruud	$26.00
Alex Michelsen	$29.00
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina	$29.00
Valentin Vacherot	$29.00
Denis Shapovalov	$34.00
Lorenzo Musetti	$34.00
Holger Rune	$41.00
Matteo Berrettini	$41.00
Alexander Blockx	$51.00
Alejandro Tabilo	$51.00
Ugo Humbert	$67.00

ATP Tokyo Futures - Three Value Bets

Rafael Jodar

ATP Tokyo Winner 🏆Rafael Jodar (0.5 Units)$13 - BET HERE

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The 19-year-old has been one of the breakout players of 2026. He began the season ranked No. 168 but surged up the rankings after winning his maiden ATP title in Marrakech, where he became the youngest ATP champion of the season and the lowest-ranked tournament winner at that stage of the year.

More importantly for Tokyo, Jodar has already demonstrated that his game translates extremely well to hard courts. His North American summer included a run to his first ATP 500 final in Washington, where he defeated Arthur Fils, Kei Nishikori, Lorenzo Musetti and Alejandro Tabilo before falling to Taylor Fritz.

He immediately backed that up by reaching the Montreal semi-finals, recording wins over Musetti, Jiri Lehecka and Fils, before advancing to the Cincinnati Round of 16. Across Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, Jodar compiled 12 wins from 15 completed matches.

His US Open first-round defeat to Bu Yunchaokete was certainly disappointing, but we're prepared to treat that as an outlier rather than completely abandon what he produced throughout the summer. The only concern for this bet is that Jodar has drawn a qualifier in Round 1 - and that could be current World No. 9 Fils, who was forced to compete in qualifying after failing to sign in for the main draw in time.

But at $13, Jodar has already shown enough at ATP 500 level to be considered a genuine outright chance.

Alexander Blockx

ATP Tokyo Winner 🏆Alexander Blockx (0.25 Units)$51 - Bet Here

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Blockx arrives in Tokyo following the biggest Grand Slam run of his career, reaching the US Open quarter-finals on his first appearance in the main draw.

The 21-year-old defeated Tomas Barrios Vera, Marco Trungelliti, World No. 6 Flavio Cobolli and Francisco Cerundolo during his run in New York. His four-set victory over Cerundolo was particularly impressive given Blockx was battling a rib issue during the match.

His tournament eventually ended when he retired against Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals while dealing with multiple physical complaints, so his fitness is clearly the major consideration when assessing the $51.

However, the upside is obvious. Blockx's ranking has climbed rapidly this season, and he's now listed at No. 34 on the Tokyo entry list after sitting at a career-high No. 71 as recently as April.

This is exactly the profile we're willing to take a chance on at a big price: a young player whose ability may have moved ahead of his ranking and who has just demonstrated he can beat quality opponents on hard courts.

Ugo Humbert

ATP Tokyo Winner 🏆Ugo Humbert (0.25 Units)$67 - Bet Here

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There's considerably more risk attached to Humbert after a back problem forced him to withdraw from the US Open. That injury followed early defeats in Montreal and Cincinnati, so there is no pretending the Frenchman enters Tokyo with the same momentum as Jódar or Blockx.

However, that's also why we're getting $67.

At his best, Humbert has an outstanding hard-court game. He owns seven ATP Tour titles and has historically produced some of his best tennis on quicker courts, including titles in Auckland, Antwerp, Metz and Marseille, while he also reached the Paris Masters final in 2024 after defeating Alcaraz. Humbert was also the runner-up in Tokyo in 2024 to countryman Fils, so he has recent history of performing strongly at this venue.

There have been flashes of that level again this season. Humbert reached the Adelaide final in January after defeating top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semi-finals, while he also made the Eastbourne final in June.

The French left-hander also finds himself in an interesting section of the Tokyo draw. He opens against No. 5 seed Brandon Nakashima (who could be due a dip in form after a big US summer) and there is no Alcaraz, Fritz or Tiafoe in his immediate quarter.

One other sidenote - there's plenty of rain forecast for Tokyo this week, which could move part of the tournament indoors, conditions in which the big-serving lefty thrives.

Humbert needs to prove the back issue is behind him, making this comfortably the highest-risk of our three selections. But for a proven seven-time ATP champion with the weapons to thrive on hard courts, $67 is big enough to warrant the gamble.