The tournament week in East Asia delivered a whirlwind of results on both the ATP and WTA circuits, with several headline‑making performances and a few surprising upsets. In Tokyo, Spain's rising star Carlos Alcaraz fought back from the brink to defeat American youngster Alex Michelsen, while in Beijing, British women Harriet Dart and Sonay Kartal each secured passage to the next round. Meanwhile, fellow Britons Cameron Norrie and Arthur Fery saw their campaigns end abruptly, falling to Alexander Zverev and Portugal's Jaime Faria respectively.
Alcaraz's match was a roller‑coaster from the start. The 23‑year‑old Spaniard survived three set points in a tightly contested first set, eventually taking it in a tense tiebreak after displaying a blend of power and precision. Early in the second set, however, Alcaraz was still fine‑tuning a newly adopted, faster service motion and was broken twice, allowing Michelsen to level the match.
A double fault on Alcaraz’s part in the seventh game gave the American a brief lifeline, and he capitalised by holding his nerve during a dramatic finish to the second set. A fortunate net‑cord winner left Alcaraz stranded at the baseline, forcing a deciding set. Speaking after the match, Alcaraz explained that the relentless rain in Tokyo had limited his practice time, forcing him to adapt to slower court conditions and a higher bounce than he is used to on indoor surfaces.
"It was a different feeling. The ball comes bigger and the court is a little slower than indoor courts, so it was tricky to adjust," he said. He added that the circumstances were frustrating because they prevented him from playing his usual aggressive style, but he was pleased to have found a way to win despite the challenges.
"I’m happy to accept the situation, understand what I had to do and get the win at the end. It was important to have this feeling for the next round, to know what I have to do in the upcoming matches," Alcaraz noted. In the final set Alcaraz surged ahead with two spectacular points that gave him a 2‑0 lead, and the seven‑time Grand Slam champion used that momentum to close out a comfortable victory.
His win came amid a day of major upsets in the ATP 500 event: third seed Taylor Fritz fell to qualifier Jaume Munar, sixth seed Casper Ruud was beaten by Luciano Darderi, and seventh seed Tommy Paul suffered a heavy loss to Alejandro Tabilo. Former world No. 4 Holger Rune, still recovering from an Achilles injury, also exited after a 6‑3 6‑1 defeat to Kyrian Jacquet. On the other side of the draw, British No.
1 Cameron Norrie faced a daunting first‑round opponent in newly crowned US Open champion Alexander Zverev. Norrie started strongly, earning a set point, but he could not convert and subsequently collapsed in the tiebreak that followed.
Zverev, who is eager to close the gap on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner (who is not playing in China), secured a crucial break in the ninth game of the second set and sealed the match 7‑6 (7‑1), 6‑4. This marked Zverev’s ninth consecutive tour‑level victory over Norrie, who was playing his first match after a disappointing early exit at the US Open.
In Tokyo, British hopeful Arthur Fery was slated to open against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, but Musetti withdrew with a finger injury. World No. 68 Jaime Faria stepped in as a late replacement.
Fery fought back after falling behind 4‑6, 6‑3, but ultimately could not break Faria’s serve in the deciding set, losing 4‑6, 6‑3, 4‑6 in just over two hours. The result was a shock early exit for the world No.
25. The women’s side of the China Open also produced notable storylines.
Sonay Kartal recorded her first tour‑level win since March, dispatching Spain’s Andrea Lazaro Garcia in straight sets, 6‑2, 6‑3, and moving into the second round. Harriet Dart endured a marathon three‑hour battle against China’s Qu Yihan, eventually prevailing 6‑2, 6‑7 (5‑7), 7‑5 to secure her spot in the next round.
Tokyo also witnessed an emotional farewell for Japanese veteran Kei Nishikori, who announced his retirement at the end of the year. In his final ATP event on home soil, Nishikori fell 6‑4, 6‑4 to second‑seed Frances Tiafoe.
The 36‑year‑old, a former US Open finalist and career‑high world No. 4, reflected on the mixed emotions of playing his last elite‑level tournament in Japan.
"I am excited to play in Japan but I also know this is my last moment," he said, describing the experience as "kind of sad." Nishikori had missed the Australian Open earlier in the year due to a shoulder injury and has struggled with recurring health issues, including missing last year’s US Open. He first turned professional in 2007 and made history as the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam final at the 2014 US Open, where he lost to Marin Čilić. Overall, the week highlighted the unpredictable nature of professional tennis: established stars like Alcaraz and Zverev demonstrated resilience, while emerging talents and seasoned veterans faced both triumphs and setbacks. Fans can continue to follow the action live on streaming platforms such as NOW and the Sky Sports app, which carry the ATP Japan Open, the WTA/ATP China Open, and the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters without a contract requirement.