China Open—Beijing, China
Alcaraz Prevails in Beijing Opener; Draper Upsets Hurkacz in Tokyo
No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the third round of the Beijing Open on Friday, defeating talented Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-4.
Needing one hour and 21 minutes to advance, Alcaraz hit five aces, overcame seven aces from his opponent and won 82 percent of his first serve points.
Notching his 44th singles victory of the season, Alcaraz will next face Tallon Griekspoor for a place in the quarterfinals.
Other winners on the day included No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev, No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev, No. 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti, No. 7 seed Karen Khachanov, Roberto Bautista Agut, Yunchaokete Bu, Francisco Cerundolo and Roman Safiullin.
On the women’s side, No. 2 seed Jessica Pegula, No. 10 seed Anna Kalinskaya, No. 12 seed Diana Schneider, No. 15 seed Paula Badosa, No. 26 seed Katie Boulter and Naomi Osaka all advanced.
Saturday’s schedule will feature top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik as well as No. 3 seeds Jasmine Paolini and Daniil Medvedev and Olympic Gold Medalist Qinwen Zheng.
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Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships—Tokyo, Japan
Inform Brit Jack Draper continued his sensational season on Tour on Friday in Tokyo, Japan, dismissing No. 2 seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4.
In a match that lasted one hour and 24 minutes, Draper used his lefty game to generate 11 aces, hit 27 winners and break the serve of his towering opponent on two occasions.
Currently ranked No. 20 in the world, Draper will next face Ugo Humbert for a place in the semifinals.
Humbert recorded an impressive victory over American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-2.
Other winners on the day included defending champion Ben Shelton and Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Shelton ousted Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-3 and Fils advanced when Matteo Berrettini was forced to retire with a leg injury after the first set.
Saturday’s action will feature No. 5 seed Tommy Paul, No. 6 seed Holger Rune and home-country favourite Kei Nishikori.
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