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The action at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships continues on Saturday with second-round singles match and exciting doubles matchups.

Among the stars who will be in action include former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings and home hero Kei Nishikori, who takes on in-form Australian Jordan Thompson, and sixth seed Holger Rune, who plays Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka.

Ben Shelton will return to court in doubles alongside Thompson against Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.

ORDER OF PLAY - SATURDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2024

COLOSSEUM - start 11 a.m.
[5] Tommy Paul (USA) vs Tomas Machac (CZE)
[Q] Christopher O'Connell (AUS) vs [Q] Alex Michelsen (USA)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) vs [WC] Kei Nishikori (JPN)

Is Daniil Medvedev too tall to be a ball kid?

The 28-year-old has long proven his prowess as a tennis player, but he tried his hand at a new role on court at the China Open.

Known as one of the most entertaining players on the ATP Tour with his light-hearted demeanour, the No. 5 player in the PIF ATP Rankings had some fun practising drills with ball kids in Beijing.

Holding his arm above his head, he admitted he was too tall for the job. The six-foot-five Medvedev joked with a smile: “I would not like to receive a ball [from] me.”

Medvedev usually knows his way pretty well around the court. Preparing to roll a ball on the floor, he said, “I tried it one time and I don’t think it’s easy”.

Carlos Alcaraz is feeling well after reaching the second round of the China Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his opening Beijing match Friday.

“I'm really happy with the level that I played today,” Alcaraz said. “It wasn't an easy match. Difficult to get the rhythm from the baseline.”

Alcaraz secured breaks in the opening games of both sets and won the match without dropping sets. But the second seed was tested by the big-serving, big-hitting Frenchman. Mpetshi Perricard held three break points when Alcaraz tried to close out the first set. Even though he saved them and eventually got out of trouble, the Spaniard admitted it was a tough matchup for him.

“I think I did what I had to do: put some returns in, put some pressure on his service game, play good points when I had the chance from the baseline,” Alcaraz said.

“I was able to return a lot of serves, but just had one break point. Coming from love-40, I know that every return game for me is really tough. For me, saving three break points and being able to close the first set, it was really important for me.”

Ben Shelton can't stop winning at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships. 

Shelton moved to 7-0 in singles on Friday in Tokyo where he overcame Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals, before advancing to the same stage in doubles alongside Jordan Thompson.

The eighth seed converted three of the five break points he earned against Navone as he continued his bid to be the first player to defend the Tokyo title since Pete Sampras in 1993-94.

“I thought Mariano [Navone] was playing really well today and made things difficult,” Shelton said in his post-match interview after clinching his 35th win of the season. “It was a great match, a different feel compared to my first round, I feel like I’m really coming into form here.

“I thought I did a great job adjusting today, the ball was bouncing much lower and although this is my seventh singles match in Tokyo, it was the first time I played with the roof closed. There’s always going to be new challenges and weather issues. We’re lucky we have a roof here and we’re not sitting around waiting for the weather to clear up.”

Jack Draper continued to make his mark against the ATP Tour's top stars in 2024 by downing second seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 on Friday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

Draper, at a career high of World No. 20 after reaching his maiden major semi-final at the US Open, clinched his third win in four matches against Top 10 opponents by defeating Hurkacz in Tokyo. The 22-year-old built on his momentum from New York by winning 76 per cent of his first-serve points to defeat the World No. 8 in one hour and 24 minutes.

“I was pleased with a lot of things today, I thought my attitude was really good and I got myself out of some tough situations,” Draper said in his post match interview. “I played some pretty big points on my terms and that’s something I’ve wanted to do.

“He’s probably the best server in the world right now so I'm really happy with my composure, the way I approached the game and hopefully I can carry this momentum forward.”

Look at what it means to the fans ☺️@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/9uKde0Lmvm

Faced with one of the biggest serves on the ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz had little time to settle into his latest campaign at the China Open in Beijing.

However, the top seed adjusted quickly to the firepower of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Friday at the ATP 500, where he delivered a rock-solid performance for a 6-4, 6-4 first-round triumph. Alcaraz broke the Frenchman’s serve in the opening game of each set to overcome his fellow 21-year-old in 81 minutes.

“The plan was just to put as many returns in as I can,” said Alcaraz. “Honestly it wasn’t easy. He was serving 230 or 240 [km/h] almost every serve. Second set, 210 or 215. So, it wasn’t easy to play against him. He’s a really powerful player. Big serve, big shots from the baseline. So I had to be really focused. That was the plan. Try to not make too many mistakes and play aggressive from the baseline.”

Mission accomplished ?@CarlosAlcaraz moves on in Beijing.@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/AheCkhz4Oz

Alcaraz converted both break points he earned in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Lyon champion Mpetshi Perricard. Although the Frenchman finished the match having won 83 per cent (20/24) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, his victory bid was undermined by lapses at the beginning of each set.

After last year coming within touching distance of the trophy at the China Open, will 2024 be the year when Daniil Medvedev gets over the line in Beijing?

The third seed made an encouraging start to his campaign on Friday at the ATP 500 event, where he downed Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round. Medvedev stayed rock solid throughout the match to notch a 92-minute triumph and bounce back quickly from defeats to Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton last week at the Laver Cup.

Locked and loaded ?

2023 runner-up @DaniilMedwed outwits Gael Monfils 6-3 6-4 to reach the second round in Beijing.
@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/y0tjBAmUn3

Monfils’ victory bid was undermined by his inability to match Medvedev’s consistency in the Chinese capital. The Frenchman offered 46 unforced errors to just 22 from Medvedev, who converted five of 10 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I think the gameplan didn’t change too much [throughout the match],” said Medvedev, who fell to Jannik Sinner in the 2023 final and will play Adrian Mannarino in this year's second round. “In a way, we both only really like to attack. I guess me maybe a bit more than him, but I think for him it is tough to attack. He defends very well. You have to be a really good attacker, like one of the best, or you need to wait for the opportunity.

Andrey Rublev does not shy away from expressing his raw emotions. That was also the case off the court, recently.

As part of the ATP’s This Is Tennis campaign, Rublev shared a special message for his 12-year-old self, reflecting on his journey and what he has learned.

“What I’ve learned is success isn’t going to make you happy, only you can do that for yourself,” he shared.

It is in the self-reflection, in the vulnerability, that we learn the most… ⁰⁰This is Andrey Rublev, raw and real, sharing some truths with his younger self ♥️⁰⁰#ThisIsTennis | @AndreyRublev97 pic.twitter.com/o55xdQXYy0

The No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings shared plenty of more advice with his younger self. What did Rublev say?

One of the best doubles teams of this generation, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, announced their split on social media this week following a successful six-year partnership.

“Six years is a long time in the life of a professional tennis player,” Ram wrote on Instagram. “Joe and I had some amazing wins, some epic matches and moments, and some gut wrenching losses.”

“We played together for six years, but we made memories and friends for a lifetime... and for that I’m truly grateful."

In their six-year partnership, the duo was one of the most successful doubles teams on the ATP Tour, winning four major trophies together. After hoisting their maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 Australian Open, the pair found dominance at the US Open, where they won three straight titles from 2021-2023.

Aside from their success in major tournaments, Ram and Salisbury also won back-to-back titles at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022 and 2023. In October 2022, Ram, then 38 years old, made history when he became the oldest first-time World No. 1 in PIF ATP Doubles Rankings history. Salisbury also reached World No. 1 in April 2022.

Pablo Cuevas, who earlier this week announced his retirement, could surely write a book of stories after a career that spanned more two decades. What all started with the simple fun and games of a child, eventually led to him becoming the best tennis player in the history of Uruguay, where he now plans to give something back so that others can walk in his footsteps.

As a child, at just 10 years of age, he would cross one of the biggest rivers in South America in a kayak, on his own: he would paddle four kilometres, 35 minutes, crossing from one country to another, just so he could play tennis every day. He was driven by a dream.

Cuevas would leave his school in Concordia, Argentina, but his tennis group, he reason for his daily international trip, was on the other bank of the river, in Salto, Uruguay. The son of an Argentine father and a Uruguayan mother, there was no stopping a young Cuevas from practising and having fun. His attitude certainly paid off in the long run.

“Tennis prepared me, it allowed me to travel the world, to discover myself,” the Uruguayan told ATPTour.com the day after announcing his retirement. “That was the goal I started with when I wanted to play tennis because it was what I enjoyed doing and I was able to enjoy myself a lot along the way.”

Cuevas peaked at No. 19 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2016, won six ATP Tour titles and claimed 242 tour-level wins on the circuit, including three against members of the Top 5.

Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka and Buyunchaokete have been awarded wild cards for the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the tournament announced Wednesday.

Nishikori, 34, will be making his first appearance in Shanghai since 2018. The Japanese star has made at least the quarter-finals twice in his previous six appearances. Nishikori reached the last eight in his previous ATP Masters 1000 outing in Montreal in August.

Wawrinka, former World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will compete in Shanghai for the 13th time. The 39-year-old has twice reached the quarter-finals.

The home favourite Buyunchaokete will be making his second appearance in Shanghai. Last week, the 22-year-old reached the semi-finals of the Hangzhou Open, before falling to Zhang Zhizhen.

The Rolex Shanghai Masters runs from 2-13 October.

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Former two-time champion Kei Nishikori is a match winner at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships once again.

Competing in Tokyo for the first time since 2018, the Japanese star overcome Hangzhou champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the second round at the ATP 500 event.

Nishikori returned from injury this year and made the quarter-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal in August. The former No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings now leads Cilic 10-6 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but did lose their biggest meeting in the US Open final 10 years ago in 2014.

"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."

KEI NISHIKORI.

That’s the tweet…@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/V2RKWicpmQ

Defending champion Jannik Sinner did not have things all his own way on his return to the China Open on Thursday, but he found a way to move past Nicolas Jarry and earn his 12th consecutive win.

The Italian was overpowered by the big-hitting Chilean in the first set. However, the top seed would not be denied, raising his consistency, intensity and level to record a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 first-round victory in Beijing.

"He played good tennis," said Sinner, who is 56-5 on the season. "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."

Up and Running ?

Defending champion @janniksin comes from a set down to defeat Jarry 4-6 6-3 6-1 in Beijing!@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/2kEi7fWnjK

Sinner committed 11 unforced errors and produced a number of stunning baseline passes to blunt the constant net approaches from Jarry, who upset then-World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz for the biggest win of his career in Buenos Aires in February.

The ATP Tour's finest head to China for the eighth ATP Masters 1000 event of 2024 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Among those in action are the No.1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Chinese tournament:

When is the Rolex Shanghai Masters?
The ATP Masters 1000 event will be held from 2-13 October. The hard-court tournament, established in 2009, is played at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center. The tournament director is Michael A. Lueveno.

Who is playing at the Rolex Shanghai Masters?
Top 10 stars Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz are among those set to compete in Shanghai. Zhang Zhizhen and #NextGenATP Shang Juncheng will lead the home charge.

When is the draw for the Rolex Shanghai Masters?
The Rolex Shanghai Masters draw will be made on Monday, 30 September at 10:30 a.m local time (China Standard Time).

The day after he lost second spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Alex Michelsen responded in style at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The #NextGenATP American on Thursday upset fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 on his debut at the ATP 500 in Tokyo. With his one-hour, 48-minute win, Michelsen rose back above Chengdu champion Shang Juncheng into second in the Live Race as he bids for his second straight appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Flying into the second round ✈️

Alex Michelsen comes from a set down to grab one of the biggest wins of his career, d. Tsitsipas 4-6 6-1 6-2.@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/ifWo8m36K8

After coming through qualifying to earn a main-draw spot in Tokyo, Michelsen converted all five break points he earned against Tsitsipas, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Greek appeared to struggle with the hot and humid conditions in the Japanese capital, and he could not build on his momentum after taking the opening set in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.

It was a second Top 20 win on hard courts for the 20-year-old Michelsen, who also defeated Alex de Minaur in Los Cabos earlier this year. His next opponent in Tokyo will be his fellow qualifier Christopher O’Connell or Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Adrian Mannarino celebrated a landmark 300th win on the ATP Tour on Thursday as he rallied to defeat Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 and advance to the second round at the China Open.

The No. 44 in the PIF ATP Rankings converted three of his six break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to record victory in one hour and 57 minutes. He extended his Lexus ATP Head2Head against the Italian to 3-2, having won the past three matches against his opponent.

Mannarino became the 12th Frenchman in the Open Era to achieve the milestone. The former No. 17 player, who reached the semi-finals on hard courts at the Dallas Open earlier this year, earned his first tour-level win in October 2008, when he beat Andreas Seppi in Metz. 

The 36-year-old has returned to compete in Beijing for the first time since 2016, when he suffered a second-round loss to Rafael Nadal. He made his debut at the event in 2015, falling in the opening round to Yen-Hsun Lu.

The Frenchman will face either compatriot Gael Monfils or third seed Daniil Medvedev in the next round in Beijing.

Defending champion Ben Shelton made a winning start in his bid to retain his Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships title on Thursday, when he clawed past big-serving American Reilly Opelka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

The 21-year-old American captured his maiden tour-level trophy 12 months ago at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo and improved throughout against Opelka to reach the second round at this year’s event after one hour and 47 minutes.

"I have a lot of love for this tournament and this city," Shelton said on his title defence. "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."

Big Ben energy in Tokyo ?@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/WHOLi8VIei

After levelling the match, the eighth seed fired 11 winners and did not face a break point in the third set to earn his second consecutive win, having defeated Daniil Medvedev at the Laver Cup in Berlin.

Tokyo is a special place for Ben Shelton. After all, it is the city where last October the big-serving American claimed his first ATP Tour title.

Nearly one year later, the 21-year-old, who reached a career-high World No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings in August, is back where he made his title breakthrough.

“It just makes me excited to play here again,” Shelton said. “A lot of people talk about the pressure of defending something. I think I play my best tennis in the cities where I have great memories.”

Shelton entered the 2023 Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships just a month after achieving his career-best result at the US Open, where he reached the semi-finals. The American entered the Tokyo main draw unseeded and played in the same half of the draw as Top 10 players Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev.

While both Zverev and Ruud fell in the first and second round, respectively, Shelton’s path presented its own challenges. Three separate matches required three sets, and on each of those occasions, the 21-year-old began the match by losing the opening set.

Casper Ruud’s activities span much further than the lines that enclose a tennis court.

Aside from his golfing escapades and deep admiration for his favourite music artist, The Weeknd, the Norwegian places a lot on the importance of empowering children through sport and education.

Ruud assumed the role of Global Ambassador for the W Initiative in 2022 and hopes to reach out to young people by hosting an annual tennis event. The most recent edition took place on 15 September.

W Initiative is a humanitarian foundation, which aims to improve the quality of life for children and young people from diverse backgrounds, achieved through the support of projects in Norway, as well as abroad in countries such as Uganda and Fiji.

For a third consecutive year, the No. 9 in the PIF ATP Rankings took part in bringing tennis to a wider audience and interacted with the adults of tomorrow. It was a particularly warm occasion this time around as Ruud returned to his native Oslo, where he was once a child with a dream.