Ben Shelton came recovered from a set down to Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel 3-6 6-4 6-4 after 2 hours and 34 minutes in the first round of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo. Shelton earned his 22nd tour-level win of the season.
Shelton set up a second round match against Jordan Thompson. The US player made a major breakthrough in 2023 reaching the quarter final at the Australian Open, the semifinal at the US Open and the quarter finals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
Shelton earned an early break in the first game of the opening set. Daniel broke back in the second game. The Asian player broke for the second time in the fourth game to open up a 3-1 lead. Shelton earned a break back chance but he did not convert it. Daniel held on his next service games to close out the first set 6-3.
Shelton fought back in the second set and did not face a single break point. The 21-year-old broke serve in the 10th game to win the second set 6-4.
The third set went on serve. Daniel earned a break point in the ninth game, but Shelton held on his serve. Daniel earned an early mini-break. Shelton won three consecutive points to take a 3-1 lead with two mini-breaks. Daniel pulled back on serve, but Shelton won the final four points to win the tie-break 7-2.
Alex De Minaur came back from one set down to beat Jack Draper 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1) in a hard-fought match after 3 hours and 4 minutes. Draper broke serve in the 10th game to close out the first set 6-4.
Draper earned the break in the second game of the second set to open up a 2-0 lead. De Minaur rallied from a break down by winning four consecutive games to take a 4-2 lead with two breaks of serve. Draper pulled back on serve to draw level to 4-4. Both players traded mini-breaks in the first two points of the tie-break. De Minaur earned three consecutive points to open up a 4-1 lead. Draper pulled one break back for 2-4. De Minaur held on his serve to win the tie-break 7-4.
Draper earned a break in the ninth game of the third set to take a 5-4 lead. De Minaur broke serve when Draper was trying to close out the match at 5-4. De Minaur earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-1.
De Minaur leads 2-0 in his head-to-head series against Draper.
The Australian player set up a match against Diego Schwartzman, who beat his compatriot Francisco Cerundolo 6-4 6-1. Schwartzman reached the fourth round in Shanghai last week. Cerundolo went up a break twice in the first and fifth games to take a 3-2 lead, but Schwartzman pulled back on serve both times to draw level to 3-3. Schwartzman earned his third break in the 10th game to win the first set 6-4. Schwartzman earned two break points in the second and fourth games and sealed the second set 6-1 on his third match point.
“I think whenever someone is struggling at the end it makes it much harder to finish off, because you can’t focus on what you want to and you just try to make him play as many balls as possible and then he was just playing free. I think this match was won on attitude and fitness. I am happy to get the win and still be alive”, said De Minaur.
Casper Ruud edged past Yosuke Watanuki 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 boosting his chance to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
The first set went on serve. Watanuki saved three break points in the fourth and sixth games. Ruud fended off three break points in the 11thgame to hold serve at deuce. Watanuki went up a 4-2 lead with a mini-break on the fifth point. Ruud won five of the next seven points including two mini-breaks to claim 8-6. Ruud broke twice in the third and ninth games to close out the second set 6-3.
Aslan Karatsev beat Frances Tiafoe 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to claim his fourth top 20 win of the season. Karatsev broke serve in the eighth game to seal the first set 6-3. Tiafoe broke serve in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Karatsev broke back in the seventh game to draw level to 4-4. Tiafoe earned two mini-breaks to take a 4-0 lead. Karatsev won seven consecutive points with three consecutive mini-breaks to clinch the tie-break 7-4
