The No. 1 seed at the Japan Open is out after one match, as Taylor Fritz lost to Arthur Fils during first-round action on Thursday afternoon. Fils pulled off a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 upset to book his spot alongside Matteo Berrettini in the last 16.
It was not all bad for the American contingent, however. Defending champion Ben Shelton and No. 5 seed Tommy Paul both advanced. Shelton overcame compatriot Reilly Opelka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; Paul eased past Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-2.
“I have a lot of love for this tournament and this city,” Shelton commented. “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.”
“I think it was a tough start. I felt like I was struggling a little bit and getting rhythm. I thought Reilly was serving and returning extremely well and that made things difficult. When you play someone like Reilly, who can take the racquet out of your hand, it is never going to be an easy match. I am happy with the way I competed. Breaking serve multiple times gives me a lot of confidence.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the No. 4 seed in Tokyo, also joined Fritz on the sidelines. The 12th-ranked Greek, whose hopes for the Nitto ATP Finals were already on thin ice, tumbled out at the hands of Alex Michelsen via a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 decision. Michelsen had momentum from qualifying for the main draw and he maintained it by converting all five of his break-point chances on Thursday.
At the China Open, top seed and U.S. Open champion Jannik Sinner battled past Nicolas Jarry in three sets. Other winners were Adrian Mannarino, Jiri Lehecka, Pavel Kotov, Tallon Griekspoor, and Flavio Cobolli.
