Tennis News

Former Tokyo champion Fritz moves closer to Turin with latest win

Taylor Fritz was not at his best on Friday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, but he found a way to move past Nuno Borges in straight sets and reach his 10th quarter-final of the season.

The American rallied from a break down in both sets, striking 29 winners to 25 unforced errors en route to earning a tight 7-5, 7-6(4) victory in one hour and 54 minutes in Tokyo.

“I think at times I made it very hard for myself,” Fritz said. “I came out first game and was broken. The court I warmed up on was super fast to centre court, and I didn’t make first serves in the first game and then caught every ball super early. I did a really good job of breaking back. It is not too often I go down a break early and then went down a break down two times in the second set, but I fought really hard and did a great job of getting myself back in the sets.”

Fritz in form! 👌@Taylor_Fritz97 takes out Borges 7-5 7-6 to advance into a 65th career quarter-final @japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennispic.twitter.com/mKkY7M4OKw

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 26, 2025

Fritz has earned a Tour-leading 30 wins since the start of the grass swing in June, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and has so far added another 100 points to his tally this week in Tokyo, boosting his chances of returning to the Nitto ATP Finals in November.

The 27-year-old is sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin on 3,565 points. He is 860 points ahead of 10th-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is effectively the first player outside the Top-8 cut, with ninth-placed Jack Draper ruled out for the rest of the year due to injury.

Fritz, who reached the title match in Turin last season, clinched the crown in Tokyo in 2022. Aiming to win his third tour-level title of the year, the second seed will meet Sebastian Korda in the quarter-finals.

Korda dispatched Japanese wild card Sho Shimabukuro 6-1, 6-4 to reach his fourth tour-level quarter-final of the year. The 25-year-old trails Fritz 1-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. In other action on Friday at the ATP 500 hard-court event, Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukic beat Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-2.

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Alcaraz 'scared' after hurting ankle at Japan Open

World number one Carlos Alcaraz says he was “scared” after injuring his ankle during his first-round victory at the Japan Open in Tokyo on Thursday.

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Sinner kickstarts Beijing redemption run with Cilic win

Jannik Sinner made a quick start in his bid to reclaim the China Open trophy in Beijing, where he powered past two-time finalist Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-2.

Competing for the first time since his US Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, with which he also ceded the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner bounced back in emphatic fashion. The 24-year-old Italian, who triumphed on his Beijing debut in 2023 and reached last year’s final, saved the only break point he faced upon return to the Chinese ATP 500 event, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Sinner will aim to keep pace in his battle with rival Alcaraz for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours across the remaining months of the season. He trails the Spaniard, who is competing in Tokyo, by 2,590 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

Sinner will next face Terence Atmane for the second time in as many months. The French qualifier earlier defeated Zhang Zhizhen for his first tour-level win since his surprise run to the semi-finals in Cincinnati, where he was halted by Sinner in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.

Earlier on Day in the Chinese capital, Alexandre Muller sprang an early upset by rallying past Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 for his first Top 10 win on hard courts and third overall (3-9). He will next play Fabian Marozsan, who ousted Benjamin Bonzi 7-6(1), 6-3 on his Beijing debut.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also booked his spot in the second round with a clinical 6-1, 6-3 victory over Camilo Ugo Carabelli. The Spaniard, who hit 21 winners, including six aces, awaits eighth seed Daniil Medvedev or Cameron Norrie next in Beijing.

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'Warrior' Alcaraz survives injury scare in Tokyo debut; Ruud wins

Carlos Alcaraz overcame both an injury scare and a rain delay on a dramatic debut at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where he defeated Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday evening.

Midway through the opener, the World No. 1 collapsed to the floor holding his left ankle and heel, which required strapping, only to later be interrupted by a 30-minute rain delay prior to serving for the first set. Despite the setbacks, Alcaraz steadied himself to win in straight sets and move safely into the second round at the ATP 500 event.

“I was scared too, I’m not gonna lie,” Alcaraz said. “When I planted the ankle, I was worried, because it didn’t feel good at the beginning. I’m just happy that I was able to play good tennis after that and finish the match quite good. I will try to recover to do whatever it takes to be ready for the next round.”

After dropping serve for 2-2 in the first set, Alcaraz stretched for a forehand and stumbled backward in clear discomfort before collapsing to the court, clutching his left leg and glancing anxiously to his team. While lying there, the World No. 1 received on-court attention from the physio before moving to his chair, where his left ankle and heel were taped during a medical timeout.

Alcaraz tentatively returned, but eventually retrieved some of his first-class shotmaking to seal the first set, which was halted for 30 minutes at 5-4. The 22-year-old Spaniard then had the strapping reinforced, and with his movement more secure, he powered through the remainder of the match.

“I couldn’t do anything at all during the first five minutes [after] I did it,” said Alcaraz, who improved to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Baez. “I was worried that I wouldn’t have the confidence to finish the match, but the physio came and did some tests. It was good I could walk to the bench and that gave me confidence [to continue]. I’m trying to have a warrior mentality in every match, in every aspect of everything.”

Next in his campaign is Zizou Bergs, who ousted in-form Chengdu champion Alejandro Tabilo 1-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). The top-seeded Alcaraz is this week aiming to join 12 fellow ATP No. 1 Club members who have triumphed in Tokyo. He owns a Tour-leading 63 wins and seven titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Alcaraz’s seeded semi-final opponent Casper Ruud shook off a sluggish in his opener to overcome Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 and keep pace in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The former Nitto ATP Finals runner-up is currently 13th, but he insists that qualification for the season finale is yet to cross his mind.

“Not yet. Typically when we come back to Europe, there’s only three or four more tournaments, so that’s when you think about it,” said Ruud, who next plays Matteo Berrettini. “My goal is to have a good end of the season, and I haven’t really had that in the past except for Turin, [where] I’ve had some good results. Indoors is not my forte.

“Let’s see… It was a little tough to play today, coming a long way from San Francisco, but I’m very happy I was able to overcome it.”

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Fritz outhit by Diallo, but leads American charge into Tokyo R2

Taylor Fritz narrowly escaped an opening-round upset on Thursday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where he rallied past Gabriel Diallo 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3).

Just days removed from his standout Laver Cup wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, Fritz found himself pushed onto the defensive against fellow big server Diallo, who struck 16 more winners (40-24). Yet the second-seeded American dug deep to seal a two-hour, nine-minute victory and extend his perfect 3-0 record in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Taking care of business 🫡@Taylor_Fritz97 survives the Diallo test to advance to round two.@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/S2YAcknt7P

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 25, 2025

With his win, Fritz also strengthened his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. He is sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, having reached the title match at last year’s season finale before falling to Jannik Sinner.

“The biggest thing for me today was the energy, it’s really tough to match the energy from last week with Andre [Agassi] and the team going crazy on the bench,” said Fritz of Laver Cup’s Team World, captained by Andre Agassi. “I really just had to find it and get it going. It was a really tough match to play.”

Fritz now boasts a 46-17 record in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, only behind World No. 1 Alcaraz (62) for the most wins this season. The American, who captured the Tokyo title in 2022, faces a second-round clash with Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

It was also a strong day for other Americans. Sebastian Korda rallied past countryman Marcos Giron for a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory, while Jenson Brooksby upset sixth seed and last year’s finalist Ugo Humbert 7-6(4), 6-3.

Korda set a meeting with Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro, who stunned fifth seed Tomas Machac 6-3, 7-6(4) in his first tour-level match of the season, and Brooksby next plays Luciano Darderi, who denied home hope Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6(9), 6-3 to advance.

Korda, who missed the grass swing due to a right shin stress fracture, is up seven spots to No. 67 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Brooksby now has 17 tour-level wins this year and remains on track to better his career-best count of 25 from 2022, the year he reached a career-high World No. 33.

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What is the Beijing tennis schedule?

The 2025 China Open begins on Thursday in Beijing, where former champion and top seed Jannik Sinner begins his campaign. Fifth seed Karen Khachanov is also in action at the ATP 500 event.

View Thursday’s featured matches below and the full schedule here. 

ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025
Capital Group Diamond – start 11:00
ATP – Alexandre Muller (FRA) vs [5] Karen Khachanov
WTA – Moyuka Uchijima (JPN) vs Lin Zhu (CHN)
WTA – Donna Vekic (CRO) vs Cristina Bucsa (ESP)

Not Before 19:00
ATP – [1] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs Marin Cilic (CRO)
WTA – Yue Yuan (CHN) vs Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)

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Becker regrets winning Wimbledon at 17

Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker says he regrets winning Wimbledon at the age of 17 because of the pressure it put on him.

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Tiafoe, Shapovalov stumble as opening-day upsets shock Tokyo

Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov both watched bright beginnings slip away on a turbulent opening Wednesday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.

Taifoe suffered his first opening-round hard-court loss of the season (10-1) at the hands of qualifier Marton Fucsovics, who fought for a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory. The 2022 Tokyo finalist pressed hard in a topsy-turvy decider marked by three service breaks, but Fucsovics won a series of bruising baseline exchanges to seal the upset.

Tokyo Debut Delight! 👏

Marton Fucsovics takes out 8th seed Tiafoe (3-6 6-1 7-5) to move into Round 2 @japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/YCM4fIq1Dw

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 24, 2025

By improving to 3-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Tiafoe, Fucsovics climbed seven spots to No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The Hungarian won his third ATP Tour title in Winston-Salem last month and will continue his campaign in the Japanese capital against Brandon Nakashima or Jordan Thompson.

Shapovalov’s exit came earlier against Daniel Altmaier, who scored for his fifth Top 30 win of the season with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph. Shapovalov — in his first outing since marrying partner Mirjam Bjorklund — will rue his missed opportunities in the opening set.

The Canadian dropped four straight games from 5-3, and missed four set points on return at 5-4 before Altmaier clawed back the momentum and raced to a 90-minute victory. The 27-year-old Altmaier is now on the verge of a new milestone: He is up to No. 49 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, just one shy of his career high.

In other early action on Day 1 in Tokyo, Matteo Berrettini earned his first victory since May by moving past Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-2. The Italian returned to action last week in Hangzhou after a two-and-a-half month injury hiatus, but fell to lucky loser Dalibor Svrcina in his opener.

Watch Extended Highlights of Day 1 action in Tokyo: 

Although the former World No. 6 Berrettini hit 28 unforced errors against Munar and did not look typically sharp, he was able to count on his aggressive game and overpowered the Spaniard with 32 winners. He also saved all eight break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and will next face fourth seed Casper Ruud or home wild card Shintaro Mochizuki.

Nuno Borges also advanced, rallying past wild card Yosuke Watanuki 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 for his personal-best 25th win of the season. Next in his debut campaign in Tokyo, the Portuguese set up a big-serving clash with second seed Taylor Fritz or Gabriel Diallo, who face off on Thursday.

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Boulter relief at Beijing win after 'tough months'

Katie Boulter says she is happy to put a “tough couple of months” behind her by beating Hailey Baptiste in the China Open.

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Alcaraz one step ahead of Sinner: 'I know he's going to change'

Carlos Alcaraz may be making his Tokyo debut this week while Jannik Sinner battles in Beijing, but the Spaniard can’t help studying their growing rivalry.

After toppling Sinner in the US Open final, Alcaraz extended his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead to 10-5, winning seven of their past eight clashes. That loss cost Sinner the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings and also prompted the Italian to hint at changes. Alcaraz, however, believes he’s still one step ahead.

“I know he’s going to change,” Alcaraz said of Sinner during a pre-tournament press conference in Tokyo. “He is going to change something from the last match. It’s the same thing that I did when I lost to him a couple of times. I tried to be a better player. Next time I’m going to face him so I expect him to do the same thing to change a few things just to be ready and I have to be focused and I have to be ready for the changes.

“I will try to overcome those changes [and] be ready for that rivalry. I think it’s getting better for me and for tennis. We will see in the future how many times I’m going to play against him and in which circumstances we would play. But I think right now it’s going great.”

It’s been a dominant year for Alcaraz. With a Tour-leading 62 wins and seven trophies this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, he is already just four victories away from eclipsing his personal tally of 65 wins from 2023.

He is also the runaway leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is in good stead to claim his second ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF finish. Despite his success, Alcaraz downplayed any talk of chasing the ‘greatest of all time’ label.

“It’s something that’s not in my mind right now,” Alcaraz said when asked of his aim to become the best player ever. “I always say that my goal in tennis is to try to be at the same table as the legends or the best players in history, but it’s not something that I’m thinking about right now. I’ve achieved great things already in just 22 years.

“I already know that but I don’t know in the future how many things or how many tournaments I’m going to achieve. So I think it’s something that I have to take care of every day about the details about everything practising well and we will see in the future. I think nobody knows the future. So what I’m thinking right now is to do the good things that I’ve been doing, following the good path. I’m trying to be the best player and the best person I can be every day. That’s all I’m thinking right now.”

That journey continues this week at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where Alcaraz aims to join 12 fellow ATP No. 1 Club members who have triumphed in Tokyo.

This time last year, Alcaraz defeated Sinner in a thrilling final to lift the Beijing trophy, but in 2025 he has opted to compete at the ATP 500 in Tokyo for the first time. He faces Sebastian Baez in his opener on Thursday and could meet Chengdu champion Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.

“I know it is a great tournament. I know the players who have played this tournament before and the players who have won this tournament before,” Alcaraz said. “I just really wanted to come here, play great tennis, perform well and try to win the trophy. That’s why I’m here just to feel great on court, giving myself the chance to win the trophy to win the tournament.

“At the end of the week I just really want to put my name next to the past champions that I know it’s an honor to be next to, to those names as well.”

Tokyo’s honour roll includes all members of the Big Three — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — as well as Andy Murray, Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl, and many other greats of the sport.

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