Tennis News

Sinner faces former finalist in Beijing opener

Jannik Sinner will face Marin Cilic at the China Open in his first appearance since his US Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz. The top-seeded Italian leads the field in Beijing and learned his fate following Tuesday’s draw.

Sinner has fond memories at the ATP 500 hard-court event, having lifted the trophy in 2023. The 24-year-old, 37-5 on the season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, will meet 2011 finalist Cilic in his opener and could play home wild card Zhang Zhizhen in the second round.

World No. 10 Karen Khachanov is Sinner’s seeded quarter-final opponent and he might face third seed Alex de Minaur or seventh seed Jakub Mensik in the semi-finals. De Minaur, chasing his second ATP 500 title of the season (Washington), begins against China’s Buyunchaokete, while Miami titlist Mensik plays Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round.

In the bottom half, second seed Alexander Zverev takes on Lorenzo Sonego in the first round and could renew his rivalry with Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals. Medvedev, who starts against Cameron Norrie, leads Zverev 13-7 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Medvedev reached the final in Beijing in 2023 and Zverev is a three-time semi-finalist.

Fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti and sixth seed Andrey Rublev are also in Zverev’s half alongside Alexander Bublik. Musetti, who is in the final in Chengdu, meets big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round and Rublev takes on Flavio Cobolli. Musetti, Rublev, and Bublik will seek deep runs in China to boost their Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes.

#NextGenATP stars Shang Juncheng and Learner Tien are in the draw. Chinese wild card Shang continues his comeback from injury against a qualifier and Tien takes on Francisco Cerundolo. The ATP 500 event runs from 25 September to 1 October.

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Scouting Report: Alcaraz, Fritz lead Tokyo; Sinner, Zverev headline Beijing

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are among the sport’s biggest stars who are in action this week.

The Spaniard leads the field at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where Taylor Fritz is seeded second in Tokyo. Sinner returns to the China Open in Beijing, where five Top-10 players are set to compete, including Alexander Zverev.

The two ATP 500 events also serve as a pivotal period for Nitto ATP Finals hopefuls seeking to amass as many PIF ATP Ranking points as possible, with aspirations of qualifying for the season finale in Turin.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event:

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN TOKYO:
1) Alcaraz makes event debut: Tokyo, the longest-running ATP Tour tournament in Asia, will welcome the World No. 1 Alcaraz for the first time. The winner of seven titles this year, Alcaraz boasts a season-leading 61-6 season record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He will look to strengthen his claim as World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, a position he reclaimed following his US Open triumph.

2) Former champ Fritz: The American holds fond memories in Tokyo, where in 2022 he secured his Top 10 debut following a title run in Japan’s capital city. Now World No. 5, Fritz is bidding for his third title of 2025 (Stuttgart, Eastbourne), which would match his career-best title haul in a year, tying his 2022 season.

3) Turin outsiders: With less than two months until the Nitto ATP Finals, every week is extraordinarily crucial for those outside the top eight in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin vying for a spot at the prestigious tournament. For 13th-placed Casper Ruud and 15th-placed Holger Rune, their showings at the ATP 500 could help them in their pursuit of qualification for the year-end event.

4) Remaining seeds aiming to add to title count: Tomas Machac, Ugo Humbert, Denis Shapovalov and Frances Tiafoe round out the seeds fifth through eighth, respectively. Each of those players, besides Tiafoe, have won at least one title this season and seek to add to their trophy cabinet in Tokyo. Shapovalov, who won the ATP 500 in Dallas and Acapulco, is competing for the first time since marrying longtime partner Mirjam Bjorklund.

5) Top seeds Harrison/King seek third ATP 500 crown this year: At eighth in the PIF Live Doubles Race To Turin, Christian Harrison and Evan King are seeking a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, a prize that would reward their dream season. At the ATP 500s in Dallas and Acapulco, the Americans advanced through qualifying en route to lifting the trophy. But gone is the role of underdog, Harrison and King are the Tokyo top seeds.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BEIJING:
1) Sinner returns, seeking third title of 2025: In action for the first time since his runner-up finish at the US Open, Sinner is back in Beijing for the third consecutive year, amassing a 9-1 record in his previous two outings. Last year, the Italian narrowly fell to rival Alcaraz in one of the most memorable matches of the 2024 season. Sinner will aim to go one step further and return to the winner’s circle, which he reached in 2023.

2) Three-time semi-finalist Zverev: The German is making his sixth appearance in Beijing and just his second since 2020. Zverev has routinely gone deep in those outings, including three semi-final runs. The second seed leads Sinner 4-3 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and could have another showdown with the Italian in the championship match.

3) Top 10 stars: The Beijing field is stacked with five Top-10 players, including Sinner, Zverev, Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti and Karen Khachanov. De Minaur was a quarter-finalist at the season’s final major. Musetti arrives after a strong start to the Asian hard-court swing in Chengdu. Khachanov, No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is closing in on tying his career-high No. 8, which he reached in July 2019.

4) Fan favourites Rublev, Medvedev and Bublik: Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev are among the seeded players at the ATP 500. Rublev, a two-time quarter-finalist in Beijing, won an ATP 500 hard-court title earlier this year in Doha. Medvedev reached the Beijing final in 2023 and semi-finals last year. Ahead of Hangzhou, Medvedev shared that he is working with a new team, consisting of Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke. Alexander Bublik is also in Beijing. The Kazakh has been one of the most in-form players the past three months, arriving in Beijing following his Hangzhou run.

5) Turin-bound doubles teams: The doubles draw in Beijing features a handful of must-watch pairings. Wimbledon champions Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, who have won six titles together this year and have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, lead the field. Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic have also qualified for Turin and will be in action in Beijing. Several singles stars are in the field, including Rublev partnering Khachanov, De Minaur teaming Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Musetti, Bublik and more.

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Can Alcaraz join elite list of champions on Tokyo debut?

There has been no shortage of iconic winners throughout the history of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

Of the 29 No. 1s in PIF ATP Rankings history, 12 have lifted the trophy at the Tokyo hard-court event since it was first held in 1972. Five members of the ATP No. 1 Club — Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — triumphed at least once in the Japanese capital while competing as World No. 1.

Recently returned to top spot following his US Open triumph, Carlos Alcaraz will this year aim to join that stacked list when he makes his Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships debut. Ahead of the 2025 edition of the ATP 500, ATPTour.com reflects on the No. 1s that have gone all the way in Tokyo.

Record Holder Edberg
No man has had more success on the hard courts of Tokyo than Stefan Edberg. The Swede racked up a record four titles and 27 match wins across six appearances at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships. After his victories in 1987, 1989 and 1990, Edberg competed as World No. 1 in Japan for the first time in 1991, and he lived up to his newfound status with another commanding run to the trophy.

The then-25-year-old Edberg defeated two fellow members of the ATP No. 1 Club in three sets — Jimmy Connors (in the third round) and Ivan Lendl (in the final) — to clinch his fourth and final Tokyo crown. He also overcame Michael Stich and Michael Chang in straight sets en route to becoming the first reigning No. 1 to win the title in tournament history.

Sampras Takes Over
Tokyo holds a special place in Pete Sampras’ career. In 1993, the American’s maiden title run in Japan sealed his rise to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. Sampras made just two other appearances at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, in 1994 and 1996, both as World No. 1. He lifted the trophy each time and remains the only man to have won the Tokyo event twice while atop the PIF ATP Rankings.

Sampras defeated a fellow American in each of his three Tokyo finals. In 1993 he downed Brad Gilbert to ensure he would become World No. 1 the next day, 12 April. A year later, Sampras defended his title by sinking then-No. 9 Michael Chang, while in 1996 he saw off Richey Reneberg in the championship match to close his Tokyo career with a perfect 15-0 record.

<img alt=”Pete Sampras” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/21/12/41/sampras-tokyo-1994-final.jpg” />

_{^{World No. 1 Pete Sampras in action during his 1994 Tokyo title run. Photo Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images}}

Federer’s Tokyo Moment
Federer may have only made one appearance in Tokyo, but the Swiss icon certainly made the most of his time in the Japanese capital in 2006. He dropped just one set — to Japanese wild card Takao Suzuki in the quarter-finals — en route to his ninth title of a standout year.

Competing in the heart of his still-record 237 consecutive weeks as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Federer eased past Tim Henman in the championship match to seal the trophy. It was the last of 13 Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between the two players, and Federer’s Tokyo triumph ensured he held a 7-6 lead when Henman retired in late 2007.

Rafa Reigns
Like his great rival Federer, Nadal made quite an impact upon arriving for his maiden Tokyo campaign as World No. 1. The Spaniard lit up the 2010 edition of the ATP 500 with a series of commanding performances and he began by downing Go Soeda, Milos Raonic and Santiago Giraldo in straight sets.

His semi-final against Viktor Troicki was a different story. Nadal was forced to save two match points in the third-set tie-break before escaping with a 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(7) triumph. That proved to be the lefty’s biggest hurdle that week in Tokyo, where he subsequently eased past Gael Monfils 6-1, 7-5 to claim the trophy. A year later, the then-No. 2-ranked Nadal again reached the championship match, where he fell to Andy Murray, in what would prove to be his final Tokyo appearance.

<img alt=”Rafael Nadal” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/21/19/26/nadal-tokyo-2010-trophy-shot.jpg” />

_{^{Rafael Nadal triumphs on his Tokyo debut, 2010. Photo Credit: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images}}

Djokovic Shines
Djokovic ensured that each member of the ‘Big Three’ triumphed on Tokyo debut with an imperious run in 2019. The Serbian World No. 1 only dropped more than four games in a set once across five matches in Japan to bounce back impressively from the shoulder injury that had forced him to withdraw during his fourth-round match at the US Open a month earlier.

Quickly acclimatising to conditions at the Ariake Coliseum, Djokovic motored past Alexei Popyrin, Soeda, Lucas Pouille, David Goffin and John Millman to claim his Tokyo title.

<img alt=”Novak Djokovic” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/21/19/46/djokovic-tokyo-2019-trophy-shot.jpg” />

_{^{Novak Djokovic holds aloft the Tokyo trophy in 2019. Photo Credit: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images}}

Can Carlos Join The Club?
Could Alcaraz be the sixth reigning World No. 1 to triumph in Tokyo? The Spaniard will certainly arrive in good shape. He is 23-4 for the season on outdoor hard courts, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, although he will be wary of a strong cast of rivals in Japan that includes former champion Taylor Fritz as well as Holger Rune, Casper Ruud and Frances Tiafoe.

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Nava nets fourth Challenger title of year, tying season lead

Emilio Nava built on his career-best year Sunday at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Villa Maria, Argentina, where the American captured his fourth title of 2025. Nava and Borna Coric are now tied atop the Challenger season leaderboard with four titles each.

Returning to action for the first time since the US Open, Nava dropped just one set en route to the title and ousted home hope Alex Barrena 6-3, 6-3 in the final.

Dream week complete 💫

Top seed Emilio Nava overcomes Barrena 6-3, 6-3 to claim his fourth Challenger title of the season!#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/BlbdN6RIlo

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 21, 2025

“I had a pretty good week,” said the bilingual Nava in Spanish. “My team and I did a good job. I like [the Argentine crowd] because it adds a little more tension [when facing an Argentine] and it makes everything a little more fun when the crowd is at 100 per cent. I loved it.”

Nava, who is coached by Argentine Diego Cristin, has earned all six of his Challenger trophies on clay. Earlier this season, he went on a 19-match winning streak on the surface, a run during which he won three titles (Asuncion, Concepcion and Sarasota) and finished runner-up in Tallahassee.

The 23-year-old made his Top 100 debut last Monday and is currently No. 90 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Reigning NCAA singles champ Zheng saves two championship points
In other Challenger action, reigning NCAA singles champion Michael Zheng saved two championship points to capture his second title of the season. The Columbia University star rallied past Martin Damm 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in an all-American final at the indoor Columbus Challenger in Ohio.

Damm, who was aiming for his first Challenger trophy, held championship points on return at 5-4, 15/40 in the decider. Yet Zheng prevailed, backing up his Chicago Challenger triumph from last month to extend his winning streak at that level to 10. Zheng, 21, is up 85 places to No. 227 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Make that title number ✌️

Michael Zheng battles past Damm 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to become the champion in Columbus!#ATPChallenger | @usta pic.twitter.com/TAlWnaTPt2

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 21, 2025

Choinski claims title after saving four consecutive match points in R2
Briton Jan Choinski went from almost out of the tournament to winning the LAYJET – Open presented by Kronen Zeitung in Bad Waltersdorf, Austria. Down four consecutive match points in the second round to Marko Topo, the 29-year-old escaped 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(6) and built upon his momentum to lift his third Challenger trophy of the year and sixth overall. Choinski beat Vit Kopriva 7-5, 6-4 in the final.

Tuniasian Echargui wins third trophy in as many months
Tunisia’s Moez Echargui won his third Challenger title in as many months at the Saint-Tropez Open. Echargui defeated Frenchman Dan Added 6-3, 6-4 in the final. In July, the 32-year-old became the second-oldest (Joseph Sirianni) first-time Challenger champion with his triumph in Porto.

<img alt=”Moez Echargui wins the Saint-Tropez Open.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/22/14/29/echargui-sainttropezch-2025.jpg” />
^{Moez Echargui wins the Saint-Tropez Open. Credit: Saint-Tropez Open}

Former No. 3 Stan Wawrinka made the Saint-Tropez semi-finals, yet withdrew before Saturday’s match against Added due to a left hamstring injury. Wawrinka, 40, reached a Challenger final the previous week in Rennes, France.

Agamenone lifts first title in more than two years
Italian Franco Agamenone returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since July 2023. The 32-year-old claimed the Intaro Open 2 in Targu Mures, Romania, where he downed top seed Jay Clarke 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Agamenone is a five-time Challenger champion.

<img alt=”Franco Agamenone celebrates winning the Targu Mures Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/22/14/25/agamenone-targumuresch-2025.jpg” />
^{Franco Agamenone celebrates winning the Targu Mures Challenger. Credit: Intaro Open 2}

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With Rafa watching, Rincon completes full-circle triumph at Nadal Academy

Daniel Rincon glanced up from the baseline and suddenly froze. Leading 2-0 in his second-round match at the ATP Challenger Tour event held at Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, the Spaniard spotted Rafael Nadal himself watching from the stands.

“I saw him looking and I lost six games in a row,” Rincon said with a laugh, speaking with ATPTour.com. “I got a bit tight there.”

The nerves did not derail Rincon for long. The 22-year-old regrouped, won the match and went on to capture the trophy at the very place where he trained and graduated from in 2021.

While competing in the final, Rincon again spotted the former World No. 1 Nadal watching, although the match was almost halfway over, so Rincon “didn’t have too much time to think about it”.

Rincon’s triumph at his stomping grounds — with friends, family and other supporters (like Rafa!) in attendance — completed a full-circle moment for him.

“It was the best week of my life, by far. I really cannot compare it to anything else,” said the No. 209 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I thought about how it could be before the final, or the feelings of winning there, but it was even more than I imagined. It was unbelievable.”

Both of Rincon’s Challenger triumphs have featured memorable moments. When he won his first Challenger title last year in Tampere, Finland, his luggage was lost. He battled through the opening rounds with only three racquets, borrowed strings and grips.

“I was going with a little bag on court, I was looking like an amateur player going to practise on a Sunday,” Rincon said at the time. “Just with three t-shirts and going to do laundry every day.”

In Manacor, the 22-year-old rallied from 2-5 in the third set of his first two matches and also needed a decider in his quarter-final and semi-final matches.

Nadal’s presence added to the storybook week, even though Rincon did not have the chance to speak with the 92-time tour-level titlist during the tournament.

“In the second round, I knew he was coming,” Rincon said. “I have some people who are close to him and they knew he had to come do some media things and he was going to stay a little bit for the match, so I was trying not to look, but at the same time looking like, ‘When is he going to come?’ So the first day, I was basically looking for him.”

Rincon’s connection to the Rafa Nadal Academy runs deep. He first arrived at the state-of-the-art facility as a 16-year-old in September 2019. The Manacor Challenger final was being played on his first day, so it is fitting he would one day claim a special victory at the same event.

Rincon reflected on his journey: “Now that I actually played the final, who would have thought when I was just 16 and working with my two suitcases that I would play there?”

<img alt=”Daniel Rincon triumphs at the Manacor Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/01/02/29/rincon-mallorcach-2025.jpg” />
^{Credit: Alvaro Diaz/Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar}

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Bublik reaches Hangzhou final, joins Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev on elite list

Alexander Bublik joined Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev as the only men to advance to tour-level finals on all three surfaces this season on Monday at the Lynk & Co Hangzhou Open, where he defeated Chinese wild card Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-3.

Bublik won titles on clay in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel in July and captured a crown on grass in Halle in June. Now at the ATP 250 hard-court event in Hangzhou, the third seed has looked impressive. In a dominant performance against Wu, Bublik fired 19 aces past the home favourite to reach the championship match after 61 minutes.

“I was expecting a tough battle. Clearly he was a little tired from yesterday. It is never easy to play someone from a specific region at home,” Bublik said. “I am happy I stayed strong and didn’t give him many chances.”

Wu upset Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals in Hangzhou but struggled to deal with Bublik’s big game in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Bublik is 30-17 on the season and is on course for a career-best season, having earned a previous 35 wins in 2021, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Bublik is searching for his third title in his past four tournaments, with his only defeat in this run coming against then-World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the fourth round at the US Open.

Bublik is up three spots to 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and will look to finish the season strongly in a bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. He will meet French qualifier Valentin Royer in the championship match on Tuesday.

Royer continued his breakthrough week with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph against countryman Corentin Moutet. The 24-year-old was competing in his first tour-level semi-final and is the fourth qualifier to reach an ATP Tour final this year.

Royer struck 15 winners and committed 13 unforced errors against Moutet and dealt with the lefty’s court craft to seal victory in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Royer is up 13 places to No. 75 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will rise to a career-high on Wednesday.

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Musetti sets Tabilo final in Chengdu

Lorenzo Musetti advanced to his seventh tour-level and second of the season on Monday at the Chengdu Open, where he swept aside Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-1 at the ATP 250.

The top-seeded Italian reached his maiden ATP Tour final on hard courts in Chengdu last year, falling to Shang Juncheng in the title match. Aiming to go one step further this week, the 23-year-old won 92 per cent (24/26) of his first-serve points against Shevchenko and did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to advance to the championship match again.

Musetti is up one spot to seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is aiming to make his debut on home soil at the Nitto ATP Finals. Musetti’s countryman Jannik Sinner has already qualified for the prestigious year-end event, held from 9-16 November.

Musetti is the first player to reach multiple Chengdu finals in the tournament’s history (since 2016) and will compete for his third tour-level title and first since Naples in 2022 when he meets Alejandro Tabilo in the final.

Qualifier Tabilo continued his impressive run in Chengdu with a 6-4, 7-6(0) triumph against fourth seed Brandon Nakashima after one hour and 36 minutes.

Tabilo won titles in Auckland and Mallorca last year, however he has struggled in the past 18 months. He arrived in Chengdu holding a 5-13 record on the season but has dropped just one set en route to the final, having survived a deciding-set tie-break against Lloyd Harris in the second round of qualifying.

“I think it was very solid throughout the whole match,” Tabilo said. “He served well, so I had to stay there and wait. I started off well today, served well and I am happy with the performance. It has been up and down, a few months out as well, so just so happy to be back in another final.”

The 28-year-old Chilean is up 28 places to No. 84 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to return to the Top 100 following the ATP 250 event. Musetti’s meeting against Tabilo will be the first in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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Agassi on Laver Cup learnings… Delusion & less talking

Andre Agassi has enjoyed his fair share of highs on a tennis court. The American reached No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and won 60 tour-level titles, including eight majors.

A little more than 19 years since his retirement, Agassi wrote another chapter into his tennis playbook when on Sunday as captain, he led Team World to victory against Team Europe at the Laver Cup in San Francisco. It is a weekend that will live long in the memory.

“Everybody played a part in making this one of the most memorable weeks I’ve ever spent on a tennis court,” Agassi said on Sunday night. “And that’s saying something, because it was a lot of years I’ve been out there in one form or another with a perceived team, but this really was a team. So proud of the guys. Just unflappable. They never stopped believing.”

From the sidelines, Agassi, alongside vice captain Patrick Rafter, helped Taylor Fritz, Joao Fonseca, Alex de Minaur and Francisco Cerundolo earn singles victories, with De Minaur and Michelsen also triumphing in a doubles rubber during the three-day event. Even with his decades of experience, Agassi found himself learning from the group he was leading.

“I think the common theme that I took away from this group is just how confident they are in what they can do on a tennis court. It’s not delusional. I mean, it can be delusional… But it was amazing to watch their calm in the midst of storms,” Agassi said. “What I learned is kind of what I continue to learn, which is try to do more listening than talking and try to stay out of their way.”

Fritz was the star man for Team World in San Francisco. He earned his first Lexus ATP Head2Head win against Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday and then backed that up by overcoming Alexander Zverev on Sunday, securing the decisive points for Team World.

“It was going to be tough to come back and play like I played on [Saturday]. Funny thing, I was leaving the hotel. I saw Roddick, who I haven’t really spoken to too much in the past, and he said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll play better today’, joking about how well I played against Carlos,” Fritz said.

“We had to pick the line-up for today and we sat down as a team and I was the one that wanted to put myself in the slot that I put myself. So, when it came down to it, I just had to perform. It’s a matchup that I obviously feel somewhat comfortable in. No matter what, I was just going to compete as hard as I could for the team and do everything I could do.”

The hosts earned a 15-9 victory in San Francisco but after eight editions, Team Europe holds a 5-3 lead against Team World.

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Alcaraz learns Tokyo draw fate

Carlos Alcaraz will face Sebastian Baez on his debut at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, following the draw on Monday.

The Spaniard is competing at the ATP 500 hard-court event for the first time and is seeded to meet eighth seed Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals and Norway’s Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.

Alcaraz, who will take a 2-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead into his meeting with Baez, returned to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings earlier this month when he defeated Jannik Sinner in the US Open final to clinch his sixth major.

Ruud, a titlist in Madrid this year, faces Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki in the first round, while Tiafoe plays a qualifier. The American Tiafoe reached the final in Tokyo in 2022. Also in the top half, seventh seed Denis Shapovalov, a two-time Tokyo semi-finalist, opens against German Daniel Altmaier.

Second seed Taylor Fritz won the trophy in Japan in 2022. The American plays Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the first round and could meet fifth seed Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals. The Czech Machac begins against a qualifier.

Third seed Holger Rune, a potential semi-final opponent for Fritz, meets former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Hamad Medjedovic in the first round. Rune could play Alex Michelsen in the second round and sixth seed Ugo Humbert in the quarter-finals. Last year’s finalist Humbert begins against Jenson Brooksby.

The ATP 500 event will be held from 24 to 30 September.

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Fritz secures Laver Cup win for Team World

American Taylor Fritz beats Germany’s Alexander Zverev to complete a 15-9 victory for Team World against Team Europe in the Laver Cup.

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