Carlos Alcaraz fought through a tense first‑set tiebreak to secure his place in the quarter‑finals of the Japan Open, prevailing 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 over Italy's Matteo Arnaldi on Saturday. The Spaniard, who is currently ranked world No. 3, will meet Canada’s Denis Shapovalov—ranked No.
46—who earned his spot after a three‑set win over Alejandro Tabilo (7-5, 3-6, 6-4) in the same tournament. During the opening set, Arnaldi surged ahead, forcing Alcariz into a 2-5 deficit in the tiebreak. Remarkably, Alcaraz saved four set points, turned the momentum around, and ultimately claimed the tiebreak 8-6, giving him a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set saw the world No. 3 raise his intensity, breaking Arnaldi twice and cruising to a 6-1 finish, sealing the victory. "I just tried to stay there, point after point," Alcaraz explained 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." His comments underscored the mental resilience required to survive the early pressure and highlighted the tactical adjustments he made mid‑match. In other Tokyo action, Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka rallied from a set down to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, earning a quarter‑final clash with Adolfo Daniel Vallejo Alvarez, who had eliminated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini earlier in the event.
Across the Pacific at the China Open, former US Open champion Alexander Zverev set up a marquee quarter‑final encounter with Novak Djokovic after dispatching wildcard Juncheng Shang in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3. Zverev’s dominant performance signaled his intent to challenge for the title in Shanghai. Australian rising star Alex de Minaur, who suffered a second‑round loss at the US Open, bounced back with a three‑set win over France’s Quentin Halys, securing a place in the last eight where he will face Russia’s Andrey Rublev.
Both de Minaur and Rublev are chasing valuable Race to Turin points as they vie for the remaining spots at this year’s ATP Finals. Rublev himself earned his quarter‑final berth by overcoming a second‑set comeback from Roman Safiullin, prevailing 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev dispatched Jan‑Lennard Struff in straight sets and will meet the winner of the Francisco Cerúndolo versus Jakub Mensik match in the next round. 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 edged world No. 66 Camila Osorio 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-2, surviving a first‑set tiebreak, dropping the second set after a break at 4-5, and then pulling away in the decider.
Osorio fought back fiercely, saving two match points in the final exchange, but Gauff’s experience proved decisive. The victory sets up a third‑round meeting with China’s Xinran Sun. British qualifier Harriet Dart started brightly against 10th seed Iva Jovic, taking the opening set, but she could not sustain her momentum, eventually losing 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 will potentially face Rybakina if she overcomes Alina Charaeva in the subsequent round.
Polish champion Iga Świątek, after an early exit in the US Open’s last 16, returned to the court in Shanghai and delivered a commanding performance against China’s Xinyu Gao, converting five break points to win 6-2, 6-3. Her dominant display underscores her determination to regain form ahead of the season’s final stretch. Elina Svitolina, battling back from a set down against Czech Katerina Siniaková, turned the tide with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory, ensuring her progression to the next stage of the tournament. Fans can stream all of these matches without a contract via the NOW platform or the Sky Sports app, which provide live coverage of the ATP Japan Open, the WTA/ATP China Open, and the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters.
The diverse field of competitors and the high stakes of the Race to Turin make these events must‑watch for tennis enthusiasts worldwide.