Alcaraz into Japan semis as Gauff wins in China
Carlos Alcaraz beats Brandon Nakashima to move into the Japan Open semi-finals as Coco Gauff reaches the last 16 of the China Open.
Carlos Alcaraz beats Brandon Nakashima to move into the Japan Open semi-finals as Coco Gauff reaches the last 16 of the China Open.
Daniil Medvedev’s 2025 campaign has been anything but smooth, yet if there is a stage where his fortunes might shift, it could well be the China Open.
The 29-year-old brushed aside Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday afternoon in Beijing, sealing his spot in a third straight quarter-final at the ATP 500 event. Though Medvedev stands with a modest 29-19 record this year by his lofty standards, the 2023 finalist remains focused on rediscovering the edge that once carried him to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
“Maybe the feeling of the game, the general awareness [which I have been] lacking lately,” Medvedev reflected when asked what qualities he would borrow from his 2023 self. “I’m trying to get that back, and that’s also why I’m happy today. To win many return games, you need to react fast on the return, run faster on the next shot. Everything needs to be better, but it’s not too bad.”
After his first-round defeat at the US Open last month, Medvedev parted ways with his coach of eight years, Gilles Cervara, and has now been working with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke. Competing as the World No. 18 — his lowest mark since January 2019 — Medvedev will next meet second seed Alexander Zverev or Corentin Moutet in Beijing.
Medvedev, the former Nitto ATP Finals champion, is up one spot to 21st in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, but he could jump as high as 14th if he captures the title in Beijing. It would mark his first trophy since the 2023 ATP Masters 1000 in Rome.
Quarter-final bound ✈️@DaniilMedwed flies past Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-3 to return to the final eight in Beijing.@chinaopen | #2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/jEgDJCtlrt
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 28, 2025
Earlier, fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti continued to bounce back from his Chengdu final heartbreak by setting a Beijing quarter-final meeting with #NextGenATP Learner Tien.
Musetti, who is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, moved past qualifier Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-3 to strengthen his push for a maiden Nitto ATP Finals qualification. The 19-year-old Tien upset Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-2 to reach his fifth ATP Tour quarter-final (0-4).
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz maintained his seamless debut campaign at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Sunday, where he eased past Brandon Nakashima to reach the last four.
The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings produced a stunning serving display and plenty of crowd-pleasing moments in a 6-2, 6-4 night-session triumph in Tokyo. Alcaraz powered 25 winners past Nakashima with his forehand alone to march into his ninth consecutive tour-level semi-final. With his Tour-leading 65th match win of the season, the 22-year-old Alcaraz equalled his personal-best tally in a single season (set in 2023).
A forehand from another planet 🚀@carlosalcaraz | @japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/wcPkNSnL0d
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 28, 2025
“It’s great to go through, to play another semi-final,” said Alcaraz in his post-match interview. “It’s special because it’s the first time I am playing here in Japan and here in Tokyo, so to reach the semi-finals in my first appearance is something great.”
Even after some of the sublime shotmaking Alcaraz produced in a classy opening-set performance, the Spaniard arguably saved his best for last inside Ariake Coliseum. Having let slip three match points on return at 5-3 in the second set, he reeled off four consecutive winners in the next game to wrap his win with a flourish.
“I always say that closing a match is difficult. Even tougher when you had match points, like I did when I was returning,” said Alcaraz. “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.”
Watch: Alcaraz’s Four Consecutive Winners To Wrap Tokyo QF Win:
Now 50-3 since April, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz will take on Casper Ruud for a spot in the championship match. The fourth-seeded Norwegian earlier raced to a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Aleksandar Vukic.
“Probably [it’s the best period of my career]. I’m just feeling great on court, every time I step on the court,” said Alcaraz. “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.”
Alcaraz leads Ruud 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with one of those victories coming in the 2022 US Open final. Yet the Norwegian triumphed in straight sets in the pair’s most recent meeting, at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals, and he produced a commanding quarter-final win of his own in Tokyo, where he needed just 58 minutes to sink qualifier Vukic.
In the bottom half of the draw, Taylor Fritz and Jenson Brooksby will contest an all-American semi-final. The second-seeded Fritz edged Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3. The champion in Tokyo in 2022, Fritz moved one spot above Novak Djokovic to fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin by defeating Korda.
The World No. 86 Brooksby notched a 6-3, 6-3 upset of third seed Holger Rune to seal his semi-final spot. With victory in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash against Rune, the 24-year-old Brooksby improved to 9-1 in ATP Tour quarter-finals.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]