Table of Contents
Japan Open – Fritz Battles Into Quarters
Taylor Fritz fought back from a break down in both sets to defeat Portugal’s Nuno Borges 7-5, 7-6 (4) and book a quarterfinal spot in Tokyo. Fritz unleashed 15 aces among 29 winners, closing the one-hour, 54-minute match with clutch serving. It marked his tour-leading 30th victory since the grass season began in June. The No. 2 seed now faces fellow American Sebastian Korda in a rematch of their three prior meetings (Fritz leads 2-1).
Korda advanced by cruising past home wild card Sho Shimabukuro 6-1, 6-4, earning his fourth quarterfinal berth of the year. In other action, No. 4 seed Casper Ruud ousted Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (4), 6-2 and will meet Aleksandar Vukic, who dismissed Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-2.
China Open – Seeds Advance in Beijing
No. 3 seed Alex de Minaur delivered a dominant 6-4, 6-0 victory over local favorite Yunchaokete Bu, piling up 19 winners against just six unforced errors. The Australian now owns a tour-best 32 hard-court wins this season.
No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, setting up a clash with France’s Corentin Moutet, who upset Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets. No. 4 seed Lorenzo Musetti survived a three-set battle with France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, winning 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 6-4. No. 8 seed Daniil Medvedev looked sharp in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie, hitting nine aces and breaking serve five times while limiting himself to 10 errors.
Elsewhere, Czech teenager Jakub Mensik topped Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5, 6-4; French qualifier Arthur Cazaux stunned home favorite Juncheng Shang 0-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 after a shaky start; veteran Adrian Mannarino handled Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-2; and American Learner Tien edged Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in three sets.
