Mertens Leads Strong Day for Seeds at Japan Open

No. 3 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium made a confident start to her campaign at the Japan Open on Tuesday, defeating Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 7-6 (5), 6-3 in Osaka.

Mertens was near flawless on serve, never facing a break point across the one-hour, 42-minute contest. She struck seven aces and converted four of five break opportunities, showcasing the clean baseline rhythm that has defined her steady rise on tour.

The Belgian advances to face Czech teenager Tereza Valentova, who rolled past the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala 6-1, 6-2 in her main-draw debut.

It was a banner day for the seeds in Osaka, as Leylah Fernandez, Marie Bouzkova, Ann Li, and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro all advanced in straight sets.

• No. 4 Fernandez topped Hailey Baptiste 6-2, 7-5.
• No. 5 Bouzkova crushed Japan’s Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-1 in just 61 minutes.
• No. 7 Ann Li blanked Varvara Grecheva 6-4, 6-0.
• No. 8 Bouzas Maneiro handled Katie Volynets 6-2, 6-4.

Other first-round winners included Dalma Galfi, Viktorija Golubic, Jaqueline Cristian, and Rebecca Sramcova, rounding out a deep women’s field.

Fans tracking this week’s action and updated player form can explore the latest Tennis Picks and Tennis Odds to find early value before the quarterfinal round.

Tomljanovic Rallies Past Tauson in Ningbo Open Thriller

In China, Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic delivered a gritty comeback, defeating No. 5 seed Clara Tauson of Denmark 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the first round of the Ningbo Open.

Tauson came out firing with 11 aces and a dominant first set but faltered midway through the second, losing back-to-back service games as Tomljanovic clawed her way back into the match. The Australian’s counterpunching and shot tolerance ultimately prevailed after two hours of determined baseline exchanges.

In the day’s other match involving a seed, No. 8 Liudmila Samsonova handled China’s Hanyu Guo 6-2, 6-4, advancing smoothly behind 82 percent of first-serve points won.

Elsewhere in Ningbo:

• Lin Zhu (China) rallied past Emma Raducanu (GBR) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
• Dayana Yastremska (Ukraine) defeated Victoria Mboko (Canada) 6-3, 7-6 (3).
• Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) beat compatriot Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-3.
• Veronika Kudermetova (Russia) ousted Antonia Ruzic (Croatia) 6-3, 6-2.
• Yue Yuan (China) downed fellow Chinese Xinyu Wang 6-3, 6-3.

As both the Osaka and Ningbo tournaments progress, the week sets up key storylines for late-season hardcourt momentum — an ideal time for fans to dive into Sportshub’s Expert Tennis Betting Guide for data-backed betting strategy and matchup breakdowns.