Carlos Alcaraz fought through a tense opening set tiebreak to secure his place in the quarter‑finals of the Japan Open, edging past Matteo Arnaldi 7‑6 (8‑6), 6‑1 on Saturday. The 22‑year‑old Spaniard, currently ranked third in the world, will meet Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, who earned his spot by defeating Alejandro Tabilo 7‑5, 3‑6, 6‑4, in the next round. The match began with both players holding serve until the tiebreak, where Arnaldi surged ahead to 5‑2, putting Alcaraz under immediate pressure. The Spaniard found himself trailing 2‑5 in the breaker and faced four set points.
Demonstrating his trademark resilience, Alcaraz saved each one, clawing back to level the score. At 6‑6, he produced a blistering forehand that forced an error from Arnaldi, granting him the decisive mini‑break and the tiebreak 8‑6. The victory gave Alcaraz a crucial psychological edge as he entered the second set.
With the first set in the bag, Alcaraz switched gears, displaying a more aggressive baseline game. He broke Arnaldi’s serve twice, capitalising on short balls and delivering powerful winners from the back of the court. The Italian could not recover, and Alcaraz wrapped up the second set 6‑1, sealing a straight‑sets win and a ticket to the last eight. "I just tried to stay there, point after point," Alcaraz reflected after the match.
"I changed how I played until that moment and it worked out. I'm just happy I got that first set. Matteo was playing great." In other Tokyo action, Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka staged a comeback against France’s Ugo Humbert, overturning a 5‑7 first‑set loss to win 6‑4, 6‑4 and advance to a quarter‑final clash with Adolfo Daniel Vallejo Alvarez, who had eliminated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini earlier in the day.
At the nearby China Open, former US Open champion Alexander Zverev continued his strong form, cruising past Chinese wildcard Juncheng Shang 6‑0, 6‑3 to set up a high‑profile quarter‑final against Novak Djokovic. Zverev’s dominant display highlighted his intent to contend for the tournament title. Australian Alex de Minaur, rebounding from a second‑round exit at the US Open, found his rhythm against France’s Quentin Halys, prevailing in three sets to book a quarter‑final encounter with Russia’s Andrey Rublev.
Both de Minaur and Rublev are eyeing valuable Race to Turin points, as they vie for the remaining slots at this year’s ATP Finals. Rublev, meanwhile, secured his quarter‑final berth after a hard‑fought win over Roman Safiullin, overcoming a second‑set surge to triumph 6‑2, 3‑6, 6‑4. In the men’s draw, Daniil Medvedev dispatched Jan‑Lennard Struff in straight sets, positioning himself for a potential semi‑final showdown with the winner of the Francisco Cerúndolo versus Jakub Mensik match.
On the women’s side, after a three‑week hiatus following her semi‑final loss to Elena Rybakina at the US Open, American star Coco Gauff returned to competition at the China Open. She fought past world No. 66 Camila Osorio in a three‑set thriller, 7‑6 (7‑4), 4‑6, 6‑2.
Gauff survived a break at 4‑5 in the second set and, despite Osorio saving two match points in the final game, the American’s experience shone through, earning her a quarter‑final meeting with China’s Xinran Sun. British hopeful Harriet Dart started brightly against 10th seed Iva Jović, taking the opening set, but could not sustain the momentum, eventually succumbing 2‑6, 6‑3, 6‑3.
In contrast, fellow Briton Sonay Kartal advanced comfortably, beating China’s top‑ranked Xinyu Wang 6‑3, 6‑2, and positioning herself for a possible clash with Rybakina should she overcome Alina Charaeva in the next round. Former world No.
1 Iga Świątek, back after a last‑16 exit at the US Open, displayed her trademark dominance on the hard courts of Tokyo. She converted five break points to dispatch China’s Xinyu Gao 6‑2, 6‑3, showcasing why she remains a favorite for the title.
Elina Svitolina, fighting back from a set down against Czech Katerina Siniaková, turned the tide with a 1‑6, 6‑4, 6‑2 victory, ensuring her continuation in the tournament. Fans can stream the action live without a contract via NOW or the Sky Sports app, which carries the ATP Japan Open, the WTA/ATP China Open, and the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters. The tournament week promises further exciting matchups as the world’s top players vie for crucial ranking points and a coveted place in the season‑ending ATP Finals.