Defending champion Ben Shelton came back from one set down to beat Reilly Opelka 3-6 6-1 6-4 in 1 hour and 47 minutes at the Kinoshita Open Japan Tennis Championships in Tokyo.
Shelton won the first ATP Tour title of his career in Tokyo last year.
Opelka broke twice in the seventh and ninth games to win the first set 6-3. Shelton broke three times in the third, fifth and seventh games to win the second set 6-1. Opelka saved three break points in the eighth game of the third set to hold serve for 4-4. Shelton closed out the win with a break on his first match point.
Shelton now leads 2-0 in his head-to-head lead against Opelka after beating the former number 20 en route to the quarter finals in Cincinnati last August.
Shelton set up a match against Argentine Mariano Navone, who beat Italy’s Luciano Darderi.
“I have a lot of love for this tournament and this city. I have a lot of confidence. Being here and knowing the situations I have come through in this exact stadium, in the most important moments”, said Ben Shelton.
Tommy Paul beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-3 6-2 to improve to 15-3 in opening round matches in 2024.
