Jack Draper wins in straight sets to make it into the last 16 of the Japan Open; victory is British No 1's first in singles since US Open semi-finals run; watch ATP and WTA action on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+ which is integrated into Sky TV, NOW and the app
Thursday 26 September 2024 17:01, UK
Jack Draper is through to the last 16 of the Japan Open with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Italy's Mattia Bellucci.
With the win, Draper now faces second seed Hubert Hurkacz in the second round, live at 3am on Sky Sports Tennis.
That adds to his doubles win from Wednesday when he and Tomas Machac defeated Alexander Erler and Matwe Middelkoop 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 10-8.
After a tight start, Draper began to take charge after breaking his opponent in the fifth game and the world No 20 then sent down four aces en route to claiming the opening set.
Draper then cruised to victory in the second set, breaking Bellucci - ranked 103 in the world - twice to secure safe passage to a showdown with Poland's Hurkacz.
It is Draper's first singles win since his loss to Jannik Sinner in the US Open semi-final and a disappointing Davis Cup.
The 22-year-old broke into the world's top 20 after reaching his first career Grand Slam semi-final.
"I want to get to the position where I'm consistently winning and playing at a high level week in, week out," Draper said ahead of the Japan Open.
Defending champion Sinner did not have things all his own way on his return to the event, but he found a way past Nicolas Jarry and earn his 12th consecutive win.
The top seed recorded a 4-6 6-3 6-1 first-round victory in Beijing to move to a 56-5 record for the season.
"He played good tennis," said Sinner. "In the first set I was struggling to return his serve and he broke me. I just tried to stay there mentally. The first round at any tournament is never easy and playing against him is very tough. But I am happy about the performance and how I ended the match."
In Japan, Frenchman Arthur Fils puts on a masterclass to beat former champion Taylor Fritz 6-4 3-6 6-3.
Sixth-seeded Holger Rune and eighth-seeded Ben Shelton also needed three sets before outlasting Alejandro Tabilo of Chile and Reilly Opelka respectively.
Former two-time champion Kei Nishikori made a winning return to Tokyo as the Japanese star overcame Hangzhou champion Marin Cilic 6-4 3-6 6-3 to reach the second round at the ATP 500 event.
"There were a couple of special moments for me. Playing here here is special for me. I haven't played here in a long time," Nishikori said.
"Playing Cilic is [special]. We have played many great matches and I know I have had a tough time in the past two years and I have been in the same situation. I was happy to play against Marin and very happy to win."
However, in the China Open, Harriet Dart was defeated 5-7 6-4 6-1 in the opening round.
Dart won the first set against Clara Tauson but the Danish player battled back, dominating the Brit in the decider.
Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo outlasted China's Xinyu Gao in the fourth-longest WTA match of the Open Era in Beijing.
One of several players to overcome a first-set stumble in the first round, Sorribes Tormo completed her 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 7-5 victory in four hours and 15 minutes. It was the longest match since the 2011 Australian Open.
It was also the second four-hour match on the tour this month, following Laura Siegemund's four-hour, nine-minute defeat of Xiyu Wang at the Thailand Open.
Watch both the China Open and Japan Open, live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+ from Wednesday, September 25, with coverage of day one under way from 4am.
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
