Carlos Alcaraz fought through a nail‑biting 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 Spanish prodigy showed his trademark resilience after falling behind 2‑5 in the tiebreak, fending off four set points before turning the tide and clinching the decisive point to take the set. Riding the momentum, Alcaraz elevated his game in the second set, breaking Arnaldi twice and cruising to a comfortable 6‑1 finish. With this victory, the world No.
3 will meet Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, currently ranked No. 46, who earned his quarter‑final berth by defeating Alejandro Tabilo 7‑5, 3‑6, 6‑4 in the same tournament. "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." The Japan Open continued to produce dramatic storylines across both draws. In the men’s singles, Czech hopeful Jiri Lehecka staged a comeback victory over France’s Ugo Humbert, overturning a 5‑7 first‑set loss to win 6‑4, 6‑4 and set up a quarter‑final clash with Adolfo Daniel Vallejo Alvarez, who had eliminated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini earlier in the day. Over in Beijing at the China Open, former US Open champion Alexander Zverev confirmed his status as a tournament favorite by dispatching wildcard Juncheng Shang in straight sets, 6‑0, 6‑3, thereby booking a high‑profile quarter‑final showdown with Novak Djokovic.
Meanwhile, Australian rising star Alex de Minaur, who had suffered a second‑round exit at the US Open, bounced back with a three‑set win over France’s Quentin Halys, 5‑7, 6‑4, 6‑4, earning a place in the last eight against Russia’s Andrey Rublev. Both de Minaur and Rublev are chasing valuable Race to Turin points as they vie for the remaining slots at this year’s ATP Finals. Rublev, who had survived a second‑set surge from Roman Safiullin, secured his quarter‑final spot with a 6‑2, 3‑6, 6‑4 triumph. In the other half of the draw, Daniil Medvedev displayed his dominance with a straight‑sets win over Jan‑Lennard Struff, positioning himself for a possible encounter 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 through a tightly contested first set, prevailing 7‑6 (7‑4) against world No.
66 Camila Osorio, before dropping the second set 4‑6. Gauff rebounded in the decider, delivering a decisive 6‑2 finish to advance to the third round, where she will face China’s Xinran Sun. British hopeful Harriet Dart started brightly against tenth‑seeded Iva Jovic, capturing the opening set, but was unable to sustain her early surge, eventually succumbing 2‑6, 6‑3, 6‑3. In contrast, fellow Briton Sonay Kartal progressed comfortably, beating China’s top‑ranked Xinyu Wang 6‑3, 6‑2, and positioning herself for a potential meeting with Elena Rybakina should she overcome Alina Charaeva in the subsequent round.
Polish sensation Iga Swiatek, who had been knocked out in the round of 16 at the US Open, made a strong return to the court in Tokyo, converting five break points to dispatch China’s Xinyu Gao 6‑2, 6‑3. Ukrainian veteran Elina Svitolina also displayed tenacity, rallying from a set down to defeat Czech Katerina Siniakova 1‑6, 6‑4, 6‑2, thereby securing her place in the next phase of the tournament. Fans can follow all of the action live without a contract through the NOW platform and the Sky Sports app, which stream the ATP Japan Open, the WTA/ATP China Open, and the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters. For the best viewing experience, a Chrome browser is recommended to access an accessible video player.
The week’s matches have highlighted the depth of talent on both the ATP and WTA tours, with emerging players challenging established stars, and several high‑stakes battles shaping the race toward the season‑ending championships.