A bumper day of action on the ATP and WTA Tours at the China Open and Japan Open saw Carlos Alcaraz and Brits Harriet Dart and Sonay Kartal win. But there were defeats for Cam Norrie and Arthur Fery.
Alcaraz saved three set points before clinching a see-sawing opening set against American Alex Michelsen. The 23-year-old Spaniard recovered to move ahead but a double fault in the seventh game handed Michelsen a route back. Michelsen capitalised and forced a decider.
Alcaraz said the relentless rain in Tokyo limited his practice. "It was a different feeling. The ball comes bigger. The court performs a little bit slower than the indoor courts for sure, so it was freaky to adjust to that," Alcaraz said. "It was a little bit frustrating, not being able to play my game... but I'm really happy to accept and understand how I had to play and to get the win."
Norrie was beaten 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 by Alexander Zverev in the first round of the China Open. British No 1 Fery was bundled out of the Japan Open with a 4-6 6-3 4-6 loss to Portugal's Jaime Faria. Top seed Alcaraz's win came after third seed Taylor Fritz, sixth seed Casper Ruud, and seventh seed Tommy Paul all lost.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing