The China Open and Japan Open delivered a packed day of tennis drama on both the ATP and WTA circuits, featuring a blend of stunning victories and surprising upsets. Spanish prodigy Carlos Alcaraz, along with British women Harriet Dart and Sonay Kartal, all secured wins, while fellow Britons Cameron Norrie and Arthur Fery suffered first‑round defeats. Alcaraz’s match against American youngster Alex Michelsen was a roller‑coaster. The Spaniard rescued three set points to clinch a tightly contested opening set, dominating the tiebreak with a series of aggressive strokes.
Yet, still fine‑tuning a newly accelerated service motion, Alcaraz was broken twice early in the second set. The 23‑year‑old, who had displayed flashes of top form on his way to the US Open quarter‑finals after a lengthy injury lay‑off, rallied to take the set despite a costly double fault in the seventh game that gave Michelsen a lifeline. Michelsen kept his composure, and a lucky net‑cord winner left Alcaraz stranded at the baseline, forcing a decisive third set.
Speaking after the match, Alcaraz noted that relentless rain in Tokyo had limited his practice time, forcing him to adapt to slower court conditions and a heavier ball. "It felt different – the ball bounces higher and the surface is a bit slower than the indoor courts I’m used to," he said.
"It was frustrating not to be able to play my usual aggressive style, but I accepted the conditions, adjusted my tactics, and was happy to get the win. This experience will be valuable for the next round." In the final set, Alcaraz seized two spectacular points to go up 2‑0, then used his signature launch‑pad shot to seal a comfortable victory. His triumph came amid a day of major upsets in the ATP 500 event: third seed Taylor Fritz fell to qualifier Jaume Munar (6‑7 (7‑9), 6‑4, 6‑3), sixth seed Casper Ruud was beaten by Luciano Darderi (7‑6 (7‑3), 6‑3), and seventh seed Tommy Paul suffered a 6‑1, 6‑2 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 men’s side of the China Open, Cameron Norrie’s campaign ended abruptly when he was outplayed by newly crowned US Open champion Alexander Zverev, who won 7‑6 (7‑1), 6‑4. Norrie had an early chance to close the first set with a set point, but a mis‑execution allowed Zverev to force a tiebreak, where the German capitalised on the momentum. Zverev, eager to close the gap with world No.
1 Jannik Sinner (who was absent from the tournament), broke Norrie's serve in the ninth game of the second set and never looked back. This marked Zverev’s ninth consecutive main‑tour victory over Norrie, who was playing his first match after a disappointing early exit at the US Open. In Tokyo, British No. 25 Arthur Fery was upset in the first round of the Japan Open, losing 4‑6, 6‑3, 4‑6 to Portugal’s Jaime Faria.
Fery had originally been slated to open against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, but Musetti withdrew with a finger injury, prompting the tournament to insert world No. 68 Faria as a late replacement.
Faria jumped out to an early lead, and although Fery rallied to force a deciding set, he could not break his opponent’s serve, allowing the Portuguese to close the match in just over two hours. On the women’s side, Sonay Kartal captured her first tour‑level win since March, dispatching Spain’s Andrea Lazaro Garcia in straight sets, 6‑2, 6‑3, and advancing to the second round of the China Open. Fellow Brit Harriet Dart also progressed, but not without a marathon battle.
In Beijing, Dart endured a three‑hour, three‑set duel against China’s Qu Yihan, ultimately prevailing 6‑2, 6‑7 (5‑7), 7‑5. The Japan Open also featured an emotional farewell for Japanese veteran Kei Nishikori, who announced his retirement at the end of the year. In his final ATP appearance 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 his mixed emotions: "I’m excited to play in Japan, but I also know this is my last moment, so it’s a bit sad." Nishikori had missed the Australian Open earlier in the year due to a right‑shoulder issue and had struggled with injuries that kept him out of the previous US Open. He first turned professional in 2007 and made history in 2014 by becoming the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the US Open, where he lost to Marin Cilic. Overall, the day showcased the unpredictable nature of professional tennis: rising stars like Alcaraz continue to adapt and thrive under challenging conditions, while seasoned players such as Nishikori bid farewell to their careers. British tennis enjoyed mixed fortunes, with Dart and Kartal moving forward but Norrie and Fery exiting early.
Fans can continue to follow the action on streaming platforms, including NOW and the Sky Sports app, which carry live coverage of the ATP Japan Open, the WTA/ATP China Open, and the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters.