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Denis Shapovalov continues to excel in Asia. The seventh seed has followed up his run to the Seoul final with two dominant wins in Tokyo to advance to the quarter-finals at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

On Thursday, he breezed past Japanese qualifier Rio Noguchi 6-3, 6-1 to reach his sixth quarter-final of the season and end the 23-year-old Noguchi's debut tournament on the ATP Tour.

"I'm definitely happy to be in the quarters here," Shapovalov said post-match. "I always feel like I bring out some good tennis late in the year, and I'm very happy that's the case again. Hopefully I can keep rolling with it."

The Canadian did not face a break point against Noguchi, taking full advantage of the quick conditions under the closed roof in the Ariake Colosseum.

"The fast court plays well into my game," he added. "I think I've been serving great on this court... we'll try to take advantage this week."

Novak Djokovic’s good form on indoor hard courts showed no sign of abating Thursday at the Astana Open, where the fourth seed delivered a confident all-around display to cruise past Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-1 at the ATP 500 event in Kazakhstan.

The Serbian required just 71 minutes to claim victory in his maiden ATP Head2Head clash against the World No. 34 van de Zandschulp, striking the ball just as cleanly as he had in his impressive first-round dismissal of Cristian Garin on Wednesday. Having arrived in Kazakhstan off the back of clinching his 89th tour-level crown in Tel Aviv, Djokovic is now on a six-match winning streak.

Despite the scoreline, van de Zandschulp found some success against the Djokovic serve, carving out one break point opportunity in each set. Yet the Serbian was pleased with the rhythm he found behind his delivery when he needed it most.

“I think my serve worked very well when I needed to get out of the trouble in the first set particularly,” said Djokovic, who has not dropped serve in his past three matches. “There were some 30/30 games, and when I broke his serve for 4-2, I faced a break point and I came in, and he had a look at that passing shot and he missed it. The match is decided in these moments. [Between] 5-2 or 4-3 up there is a big difference, and I served well to end the first set."

[ATP APP]

When the potential tournament mascot duos are this cute, it’s not easy to choose a winner. It’s like being asked to pick your favourite child. Perhaps that’s why the Nitto ATP Finals is turning to fans to help select which mascot duo will represent this year’s tournament (13-20 November).

Inspired by the symbols and colours of the event, and the features of the sport, Lob & Drop embody human characteristics and are the physical representation of the event. Together they cover every aspect of the game, from a cunning return shot (Lob) to a surprise and stylish one (Drop).

Turet and Plinaare are two bulls who love every different aspect of the tournament. Their colours bring together the event and the Turin city flag. They are inspired by the city’s traditional water fountain, called toret, which locals and tourists recognise on the city streets..

Turet loves to interact with people from around the world. Plin always likes to try new things, from food to activities in the Fan Village.

Please cast your vote for your favourite duo on Twitter. Voting ends Saturday 8 October 9am CEST.

He’s one of the very best players in the world, but Stefanos Tsitsipas felt like a kid at the recent Laver Cup in London. With Roger Federer playing the last match of his career in doubles alongside Rafael Nadal, the 24-year Greek nervously approached the 20-time Grand Slam singles champion for a slice of history.

“It would mean the world to me if I could have one of your racquets,” Tsitsipas said to Federer. “I’ve been following you since I was three years old. If I could have a racquet to frame and put in my house, to share that with you is extremely special to me. I hope you don’t mind giving me that piece of your identity.”

Federer graciously offered up one of the 340-gram Wilson Pro Staff RF97s from his bag.

“Obviously, he agreed,” Tsitsipas said this week at the Astana Open. “Look, Roger was an idol of mine growing up. It would have been wrong not to get something from his last match. He was very nice, and I sleep with it from time to time.”

[ATP APP]

On a rainy Thursday in Tokyo, Nick Kyrgios weathered another sort of storm under the closed roof in the Ariake Colosseum. After a shaky start to his second-round match, the Aussie locked in to secure a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory against Poland's Kamil Majchrzak at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

Kyrgios grew frustrated as he played a loose opening service game in falling behind 0-3, and he could not create a break chance in the set. But after saving a break point in the opening game of set two, Kyrgios did not face another as he expertly turned the match around to advance to the quarter-finals.

"Losing the first set, there was never really a doubt in my mind that I was going to win the match," Kyrgios said, noting his 37 match wins on the season. "I just had to get back to doing what I do well — that's playing quick and aggressive tennis.

"I've got really good confidence in my game right now, so I don't really doubt myself even when I'm down a set. I think playing Grand Slams and going far in Grand Slams has given me that confidence that even if I lose a set I'm still able to maintain and increase my level in the match."

The fifth seed finished with 22 aces and won 84 per cent (36/43) of his first-serve points.

While some of us can’t quite remember what we had for breakfast yesterday — raise your hand if this sounds like you — professional tennis players have the ability to never forget.

Take Daniil Medvedev, for example. After arriving at the Astana Open earlier this week, he recalled his first experience in the Kazakh capital with surprising clarity.

“I played a Challenger event here six years ago,” said Medvedev. “Yeah, I remember all the matches. I lost to Denis Istomin 7-6, 7-6 [in the quarter-finals]. I was disappointed of course.”

And now, Medvedev has seen that modest 2016 ATP Challenger Tour event grow into an ATP 500 tournament featuring six of the world’s Top 10 players.

“I remember it was really well organized and I thought maybe they will one day have an ATP event,” Medvedev said. “And now we are here. It is an ATP 500 and the draw is insane. I’m really happy for the team working around this tournament for them to have such a success.

Miomir Kecmanovic saved six match points in a single game — including one with a tweener — to stay alive against Daniel Evans, then used his new life to capture a stirring victory on Thursday in Tokyo.

In a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4) win, the Serbian trailed 0/40 with Evans serving at 5-4 in the third set. With his back firmly against the wall, he produced a series of stunning winners to break in a four-deuce game, the longest of the match. Kecmanovic then saw a match point of his own go begging on return at 6-5, before closing out the tie-break by winning its final four points.

"That was the first time that I was able to do that," Kecmanovic said of his match-point saves. "I was completely tuned out of the match and I just went for it in that moment."

The Serbian revealed that the tweener he hit, down match point at Ad-in, was the first time he was able to pull of the circus shot. After tracking down a lob and roping the tweener to force Evans into a difficult volley, Kecmanovic forced a volley error as he powered a backhand at the eighth seed.

"It was amazing, It's the first time I ever made that shot in a match," he said. "I'm beyond happy that I was able to do it."

Stunning stadiums set in glamorous destinations have long been part of life on the road for the best players in the world, but that doesn’t mean the ATP Tour can't throw a surprise or two their way. Just ask Andre Agassi and Roger Federer.

In 2005, the legendary duo stepped out to play on the helipad at the top of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, 690 feet above the ground. This iconic meeting in the clouds is one of 50 game-changing moments of the past 50 years collated by ATPTour.com in an immersive feature, part of the ATP's anniversary celebrations.

[ATP APP]

At a time when the ATP Tour extended its broadcast reach to more than 200 countries in 1998, a new STARS program was established to help make players more accessible to media, sponsors and fans at each tournament. Perhaps the most memorable promotional activity came on 22 February 2005, when organisers of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships invited Roger Federer and Andre Agassi to hit for 20 minutes on a tennis court positioned on the helipad of the super luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel, more than 200 metres above sea level.

"It was an absolutely amazing experience,” said Agassi. “When you first get over how high you are and start playing, it's an absolute joy, and it was a great time.” Federer added, “It was amazing. We had this picture-perfect day, no sand storms, just a clear day, no winds.

Stefanos Tsitsipas held firm to see off the challenge of #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi on Wednesday in a high-quality second-round battle at the Astana Open.

The third seed was solid throughout a hard-fought second-round clash at the ATP 500 event in Kazakhstan but found it hard to shake off his younger opponent en route to his 7-6(2), 7-6(3) victory. The Greek needed to be at his best behind serve in the face of a highly promising performance from 19-year-old Nardi, who was playing just his fifth tour-level main-draw match, but Tsitsipas ultimately prevailed by staying the more consistent at key moments en route to a one-hour, 45-minute win.

“He’s a player that can play very well in the future," said Tsitsipas after the match. "I was impressed by his level, he was able to maintain that throughout the entire match. There weren’t any holes. I believe today he was able to sustain that level from the beginning to end, and that was extremely impressive.

"I was trying to do my best, I was trying to switch it up as much as I can, but it wasn’t as easy as I had it planned in my head. He made it difficult today.”

It was Tsitsipas’ 12th consecutive tour-level win against Italian opponents. With the victory, the World No. 6 advanced to his 12th tour-level quarter-final of 2022, where he will face seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz or home favourite Alexander Bublik.

Taylor Fritz did not think he would be able to compete in Tokyo after testing positive for COVID-19 in South Korea. But after a week in full quarantine, the American finished a whirlwind Wednesday with his first career victory at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The third seed was forced to pull out ahead of the Seoul event last week, but was cleared to make the two-hour flight to Tokyo in the nick of time, the morning of his opening-round match against James Duckworth.

Fritz capitalised on the opportunity with a 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-1 victory to advance to the second round for the first time in four attempts at the ATP 500.

"[I'm feeling] better than I thought I would be," Fritz said in his post-match press conference. "I don't feel amazing, but I'm really happy that I was able to go through all that and still show up and win my match."

[ATP APP]

Novak Djokovic delivered an ominous opening display Wednesday at the Astana Open, where the fourth seed breezed past Cristian Garin 6-1, 6-1 in just 62 minutes at the ATP 500 event.

Fresh from winning his 89th tour-level title without dropping a set in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Djokovic maintained his impressive level in a near-flawless performance on tournament debut in Kazakhstan. The Serbian was in control from the start, finding consistency and accuracy with his groundstrokes to keep Garin under pressure as he converted five from eight break points en route to increasing his ATP Head2Head series lead against the Chilean to 3-0.

“From the start to the end, [it was] a great performance,” said Djokovic after the match. "Playing in a new tournament, different conditions, the first match is never easy. Obviously you are looking to see how you are going to adapt, but I did it perfectly, really, played as well as I can. I just made him work and used every opportunity that was presented to me.”

With his triumph in Tel Aviv last weekend, Djokovic became the only ATP player to have won titles on clay (Rome), grass (Wimbledon) and hard courts in 2022. The seven-time year-end No. 1 admitted his ability to adjust quickly to new conditions meant he is feeling comfortable in Astana, despite the courts playing considerably slower than those in Israel last week.

“I was lucky that throughout my career I was actually pretty quick in adjusting to different conditions and surfaces," said Djokovic. "But I think that experience helps of knowing what to do. But [also] winning a tournament, [as opposed to] losing in a final or semis, makes a difference mentally. Coming into this tournament I feel confident, I feel excited, I feel motivated, so I think that helps as well to adjust quickly.”

Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios made the most of an unexpected appearance in the Ariake Colosseum with a dominant doubles victory on Wednesday night at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.

Originally scheduled for Tokyo's second stadium, the Aussies' matchup against Japanese wild cards Yoshihito Nishioka and Kaichi Uchida was moved to the roofed centre stage after persistent rain. The top seeds thrived under the spotlight and did not face a break point as they cruised through, 6-1, 6-2.

The reigning Australian Open and Atlanta champions are seeking their third title of the season as they step up their bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. The pair is currently seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, with a place in the top eight needed to guarantee a spot in Turin.

"Hopefully we can continue our doubles form," said Kyrgios after the duo's 47-minute win. "We've had a great year. We won the Australian Open. I see a lot of Australian fans and people that want us to do well, so we'll continue to do well for you guys and have some fun."

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Denis Shapovalov did not let the disappointment of losing Sunday's Seoul final linger. Making a quick transition to the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, the Canadian rode a near-perfect serving performance to victory against Steve Johnson on Wednesday.

In a 6-3, 7-6(3) win, the seventh seed lost just one point on first serve, firing 11 aces as he won 37 of 38 points behind his first delivery. He was further aided by making 76 per cent of his first serves and did not face a break point in the first-round encounter.

"[This was] definitely one of my best serving matches," Shapovalov assessed. "I kind of felt like I needed to against Steve. Obviously if I'm giving him a lot of looks on second serves, then he's going to capitalise and put a lot of pressure. I'm very happy with my serving performance today and hopefully I can keep it up throughout the week.

"The courts are playing pretty quickly, so if you're putting a lot of first serves in, I think the percentage to win the point is really high here."

Shapovalov avoided the Tokyo fate of his Seoul final opponent, Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, who lost earlier in the day as he struggled with his energy levels and the new conditions after the short adjustment period.

Two 19-year-old’s appeared in the main draw at this week’s Astana Open. Now only one remains, but it might not be the one most expected.

While the No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Carlos Alcaraz, suffered a rare blip on Tuesday, Luca Nardi enjoyed one of the finest days of his burgeoning career.

Hours before Alcaraz fell to lucky loser David Goffin, the Italian qualifier tallied his first tour-level win by downing Alexander Shevchenko 7-6 (4), 6-2.

“It was a very special day for me. And it was a special moment because I was looking for it,” Nardi said, referring to that first ATP win. “I’m really glad it came now. So I’m very, very happy.”

[ATP APP]

If you are a supporter of Novak Djokovic, you will be relieved to know that he was not injured carrying that monstrous Tel Aviv trophy to his next stop at the Astana Open.

“No,” he said in a Tuesday interview with ATP Media in Kazakhstan. “That’s an original size that stays in Tel Aviv. We got the smaller replica version. It’s better, more convenient for travelling.”

Djokovic collected that gleaming silver trophy (it was almost as wide and tall as his torso) by defeating Marin Cilic in the Sunday final 6-3, 6-4.

“Winning gives you confidence,” Djokovic said. “I haven’t played an official tournament in three months, so it’s been a while. I’m just excited to compete more.”

Indeed, since winning his seventh Wimbledon title in July, he had only played two Laver Cup matches heading into Tel Aviv. After winning four matches in Israel, he’ll try to go one better in Kazakhstan, an ATP 500 event. The journey begins Wednesday when he plays Cristian Garin of Chile in the first night match (6 p.m. local time) at the National Tennis Center. The Serbian star holds a 2-0 ATP Head2Head advantage over Garin, most recently a straight-sets victory in last year’s Wimbledon Round of 16. Botic Van de Zandschulp awaits the winner in the second round.

Miomir Kecmanovic spoiled the party for Japanese No. 1 Yoshihito Nishioka and the Tokyo crowd on Wednesday with a battling victory under the closed roof in the Ariake Colosseum.

With the 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-2 result, the Serbian earned his first win at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in his second appearance.

"I feel so good to be able to finally win a good match," he said after his first triumph since the US Open. "[Nishioka] is very difficult to play. He doesn't really give you much. He gets a lot of balls back, so it's definitely tough to play him, but after the last time we played [a qualifying loss in St. Petersburg last season], I was happy that I was able to win this time."

[ATP APP]

Back in front of the Japanese crowd for the first time since 2019, Nishioka made a bright start as he sought to live up to lofty expectations in his home nation. After falling behind 0-2, the 27-year-old clicked into gear as he won six straight games, finding joy with his heavy, lefty forehand as he ran away with the set.

Carlos Alcaraz’s first ATP Tour event as the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings came to an early end on Tuesday at the Astana Open, where he lost in straight sets to David Goffin. The 19-year-old gave full credit to his Belgian opponent.

“He has played great matches, a lot of matches. He has a lot of experience as well. He played better than me, really, really aggressive,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t handle that pressure that he was pushing on me and of course it’s something that I have to learn and take lessons from this match.”

It took until Alcaraz’s 63rd match of the season to lose in straight sets. He had won at least one set in every match he had played since last year’s Rolex Paris Masters.

It was always going to be a tricky match against Goffin, a lucky loser who had earned two previous victories against World No. 1s. The former World No. 7 has the ability to counterpunch, but also to play aggressively, using his footwork to take the ball early.

[ATP APP]

Daniil Medvedev showed no ill effects on Tuesday from his opening-round loss in Metz. The second seed bounced back with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round of the Astana Open.

The 26-year-old made a nearly flawless debut at the Kazakhstani ATP 500, ousting the former Top 20 player in 79 minutes. Medvedev saved the only break point he faced in the match and won 48 per cent of his return points.

[ATP APP]

In a clash that featured many lengthy rallies, Medvedev showed great patience to frustrate the Spanish lefty. Ramos-Vinolas even tried to come into the net often to take the second seed out of his comfort zone, but the World No. 4 was undeterred.

Medvedev remained consistent throughout and used a number of drop shots to successfully change the rhythm of points. That helped him break Ramos-Vinolas’ serve four times and set a second-round encounter with Sofia champion Marc-Andrea Huesler or Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.

Tennis players, in the very public crucible of the arena, often grow up before our eyes. Their brilliance is in plain sight – but so are the challenges of overcoming youthful emotion. Maturity, hopefully, comes sooner rather than later. For some, it may never come at all.

This, Andrey Rublev –a junior World No. 1 and Roland Garros Boys’ champion at the age of 16 – knows as well as anyone.

Back in March, playing Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, Rublev’s emotions burst into view, creating a viral moment. Down 5-6, he hit a shot into the net that cost him the first set. Furious, the fiery redhead smashed a ball high into the air and proceeded to punish the offending racket. He punched the strings with such force that he opened up a gash on his right hand; the blood led to a medical timeout before he dropped the second set and, ultimately, the match.

[ATP APP]

Four months ago, the 24-year-old posted on social media that big changes were coming.

A lover of Japanese food, Nick Kyrgios cleansed his palate of a disappointing US Open quarter-final loss with a stellar start at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The Aussie saved a break point in his opening service game, then ran away with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Chun-Hsin Tseng in Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum. After navigating that early hold, Kyrgios dropped only four further service points, finishing with an 86 per cent win rate (25/29) behind his first delivery.

"I played really solid," the fifth seed assessed. "I came out a bit slow, but I don't play many matches so it's hard to just get straight back into that competitive flow. But as soon as I held the first game I kind of found my form again and played really well."

[ATP APP]

Kyrgios said he struggled to breathe early in the match as he adjusted to the humidity and different air compared to Sydney. But the conditions also speed up the court, which suits his big-hitting game.