When #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov walked on Arena 1 at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2018 to play former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, it was more than a tennis match; it was a dream come true.

With his best friend, Shapovalov watched Wawrinka win his three Grand Slam titles. The Swiss was the type of player Shapovalov wanted to be one day. And on Wednesday, the 19-year-old beat Wawrinka 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Tokyo.

“It didn’t even hit me until I walked on the court with him and he was on the other side and I couldn’t help but almost smile in a way. It kind of got to me, I got a little bit tight but I refocused and I thought to myself, ‘Okay it’s not Stan’,” Shapovalov said. “ It was great to be on the court with him. It’s a dream come true. But it’s one of those memories I’m never going to forget. It’s one of those ‘what you live for’ moments. It’s a great day today.”

But for a moment, it seemed that dream wouldn’t have a fairytale ending. Shapovalov held three match points on Wawrinka’s serve as he led 5-3 in the third set. But those soon disappeared, including one match point on which the left-hander missed a swinging volley with nearly the entire court open.

“I went for a little bit too much, but that’s something I’ve been working on especially the past couple of weeks, just regrouping, refocusing myself and not letting it bother me,” Shapovalov said. “I had my service game and he played a really good first point. But again I didn’t let that affect me. I refocused, went back to the towel and managed to serve some big serves, so I’m really proud with that aspect today.”

Shapovalov missed out on a fourth match point on his own serve, but he closed out the thrilling victory after one hour and 50 minutes. Instead of crumbling, the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier rose to the occasion to earn his 33rd tour-level match win of 2018.

“It’s a sport, it’s a game of tennis, people get tight. It’s normal. We’re all human,” Shapovalov said. “I’m sure even the best in the game get tight so it’s just about managing your emotions and regrouping, which I did really well today.”

He wasn’t the only Canadian to advance in Tokyo on Wednesday, as No. 6 seed Milos Raonic beat home favourite Yosuke Watanuki 6-3, 7-6(2) in one hour and 24 minutes.

The home favourite Watanuki, a qualifier, claimed his first ATP World Tour win against Robin Haase in the first round. But Raonic was too strong on serve, losing just eight service points in the match. The three-time finalist will continue pursuing his maiden title here when he plays in-form Daniil Medvedev.

The Russian ousted fellow qualifier Martin Klizan 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 23 minutes. Medvedev won his first two tour-level titles this season, triumphing in Sydney and Winston-Salem.

Juan Martin del Potro becomes the fourth singles player to qualify for the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, clinching his place in the elite field for the first time since 2013 — and the fifth year overall — with victory over Karen Khachanov on Wednesday to reach the China Open quarter-finals. The Argentinean will join World No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain, Serbia’s five-time former champion Djokovic and six-time former titlist Roger Federer of Switzerland at The O2 in London from 11-18 November. 

“I’m happy to get in London after five years,” said Del Potro. “It will be an amazing moment for me. I will love to be part of the eight players, to make that event. Of course, it’s a very special tournament for us. I will be excited to do well in London.”

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The 30-year-old Del Potro first qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in 2008, when the event was held in Shanghai, finished runner-up to Nikolay Davydenko in the championship match the following year in the first edition at The O2, and later clinched his spot again in 2012-13.

Almost nine years after he first broke into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings, the Tandil native returned to the elite on 15 January 2018. On a run of 15 straight matches, Del Potro beat three Top 10 players en route the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC crown in Acapulco (d. Anderson) and recorded the 400th match win of his career in the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals (d. Raonic) en route to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in Indian Wells (d. Federer). He also finished runner-up at the ABS Classic in Auckland (l. to Bautista Agut) and the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos (l. to Fognini), prior to moving up to a career-high No. 3 on 13 August.

This year, Del Potro advanced to his second Grand Slam championship final in New York City, nine years on from lifting the 2009 US Open crown (d. Federer). He also reached the Roland Garros semi-finals for a second time (also 2009) and the Wimbledon quarter-finals (l. to Nadal both times).

With four singles spots left up for grabs, Germany’s Alexander Zverev is next in line to qualify for the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive season, followed by Marin Cilic of Croatia, Dominic Thiem of Austria and South Africa’s Kevin Anderson. Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, and Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah are the only doubles team to have clinched a place at London in November.

The Nitto ATP Finals welcomes more than 250,000 fans to The O2 arena annually, as well as generating global viewership figures reaching an average of 95 million viewers each year, as the ATP’s best eight singles players and doubles teams compete over eight days at the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world.

Juan Martin del Potro has switched continents, but he’s playing the same type of gritty tennis that carried him to his second Grand Slam final last month at the US Open.

The top-seeded Argentine advanced to the China Open quarter-finals in Beijing on Wednesday, denying Russian Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6(4). The 22-year-old Khachanov was slugging evenly with Del Potro for much of the second-round match, but a couple dips in his level cost him a chance at the upset.

Khachanov was broken to start the match, and Del Potro didn’t face a break point in the opener. The two were even in the second until the 11^th game, when Khachanov felt the nerves and netted a backhand on double break point.

The Argentine, while serving for the match at 6-5, 15/40, erased two break points and had a match point. But Khachanov broke for the first time when Del Potro shanked a forehand.

In the tie-break, though, Del Potro smashed his 11^th ace on his second match point to advance. “I think we played a good match. Basically in the second set we played a good tie-break with tough points. Karen is a difficult opponent. He has everything to keep improving. He has a big potential to grow in the [ATP Rankings] very soon. I think I did very good match today,” Del Potro said.

With the win, Del Potro qualifies for his fifth season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 11-18 November at The O2 in London. Del Potro last qualified for London in 2013.

But this season has marked a return to the top for the Argentine, who leads the ATP World Tour with 34 hard-court wins and reached his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 3 in August. Del Potro, now No. 4, will next meet Serbian Filip Krajinovic, who beat Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 7-6(5), 6-3.

“I’m happy to get in London after five years. Will be amazing moments for me. I will love to be part of that eight players, to make that event. Of course, it’s a very special tournament for us,” Del Potro said.