The first three times Hyeon Chung played former World No. 3 Marin Cilic, he did not win a set. But on Thursday evening in Tokyo, Chung flipped the script, and denied the Croat a milestone achievement.

Chung finished strong against Cilic for a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory, reaching the quarter-finals of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships after two hours and two minutes. The South Korean also denied Cilic his 500th tour-level win in the process.

“I’m just really happy because this is one of the best wins in my career so far. It was a really tough match against one of the best players in the world,” Chung said. “I’m just trying to enjoy every point.”

Facing Cilic was a special challenge for Chung, who had not played the sixth seed since 2016 Brisbane. Cilic rallied to force a decider and then used two big first serves to save two break points in the first game of the third set. But Chung kept battling to break for a 1-0 lead, and he never relinquished that advantage.

“We played a few times before, but I never beat him in one set, so I was just trying to do my best,” Chung said. “He’s also a nice guy on and off the court, so I’m just trying to follow him all the time and I’m happy to win tonight.”

Chung struck 11 aces and won 90 per cent of his first-serve points (37/41), earning 53 per cent of his return points in the third set.

“I think it was good serving and I think I played good from the baseline,” Chung said. “I’m just trying to stay calm all the time.”

The former World No. 19, who won the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in 2017, struggled for much of this season with a back injury. But Chung will now face 2017 Tokyo titlist David Goffin for a spot in his first ATP Tour semi-final since 2018 Munich. The Belgian has won two of their three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings.

“He’s really one of the best players in the world,” Chung said. “We know how to play each other because we practised many times and we played a few matches, so I’m just trying to do my best tomorrow.”

John Isner hit 21 aces to advance to the China Open quarter-finals on Thursday with a 7-6(3), 7-5 win over Briton Daniel Evans in one hour and 51 minutes.

With his 28th match win of the year, Isner added 45 points to join 15th-placed Swiss Stan Wawrinka on 1,670 points in the 2019 ATP Race To London. Four of the eight singles berths remains up for grabs at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The 34-year-old American will next challenge third-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is also vying to compete at The O2 in London from 10-17 November, or defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia.

Isner, a 2010 semi-finalist in Beijing, recovered from 15/40 at 4-4 in the first set. He broke clear of Evans at 3/3 in the tie-break by winning four straight points. As pressure mounted on Evans’ serve in the second set, the World No. 48 was broken in the 11th game.

Evans had beaten the American en route to his first ATP Tour final at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com (l. to Albot) in February.

Third seed David Goffin has proven tough to beat in Tokyo, walking onto Colosseum at Ariake Tennis Park Thursday with a 10-1 record at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. And despite some moments of brilliance, #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov could not find a way in the key moments to change that.

Goffin, the 2017 Tokyo champion, defeated Shapovalov 7-6(5), 7-6(2) after one hour and 57 minutes to reach the quarter-finals at this ATP 500 event for the third time in three appearances. In 2016, the Belgian made the final before losing to Aussie Nick Kyrgios.

“It was tough. He was serving really well and I knew it’d be long sets with some tie-breaks. I tried to break him during the whole match, I didn’t, but I served really well. We were both really solid on our service games and during the tie-breaks I played very well,” Goffin said. “I’m really happy about my performance because it was a good fight.”

There were no breaks of serve in the battle, with Goffin saving the two break points he faced and Shapovalov staving off the four opportunities he confronted. But 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up Goffin won six of the first seven points in the first-set tie-breaks and the first six points of the second-set tie-break to gain insurmountable leads against the shotmaking 20-year-old.

Shapovalov showed plenty of fight, coming from 1/6 in the first-set tie-break to 5/6. But the dynamic lefty dug himself holes too deep to climb out of. And Goffin continued his pursuit of a fifth ATP Tour title.

Goffin, who became the first Belgian to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati, is into his seventh tour-level quarter-final of 2019. He will next play 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung, who upset sixth seed Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

“Today I think I was a little bit better. But he was serving so well, lefty, serving everywhere, great second serve as well, so it was tough to break him today,” Goffin said of Shapovalov. “I had to fight, but I was playing much better today.”

Shapovalov has also performed well in Tokyo, making the semi-finals last year on his debut. But the Canadian could not reach the quarter-finals for the second consecutive week after making the last four last week in Chengdu.

Did You Know?
Goffin is trying to finish inside the year-end Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the fourth time in five years. Last year, the Belgian completed his season as World No. 22.

Aussie John Millman reached his second ATP 500 quarter-final of the year on Thursday, defeating South African Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-2 in just 69 minutes to make the last eight at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

“I was really happy with how I played. I knew Lloyd was going to have a tough backup. That match yesterday, I watched,” Millman said. “Obviously I’m a massive admirer of fellow countryman Alex de Minaur [whom Lloyd beat] and I watched that game and it was so physical, so I really wanted to reduce those unforced errors, make Lloyd have to work for every single point and try to neutralise that serve, because we know it’s a cannon.”

Millman has found good form over the past month. The 30-year-old advanced to the quarter-finals in Winston-Salem and won an ATP Challenger Tour trophy in Kaohsiung. Although he has lost in the first round twice during that span, those defeats came against eventual US Open champion Rafael Nadal and Zhuhai winner Alex de Minaur.

“I got to play a match here [on Colosseum] in qualifying against Tatsuma, so I kind of knew what to expect. It’s quite blustery. When you actually get onto the court, you feel a wind there that you might not feel from the stands or outside,” Millman said. “But it’s a nice court, it’s set up very nicely. The amount of the support they get out there, a lot of the seats are filled up and that makes it a good atmosphere to play tennis in.”

In the next round, Millman will face a familiar foe in Japan’s Taro Daniel. Daniel won the pair’s only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting last year, but Millman has won by identical 6-1, 6-3 scorelines below tour-level.

“What makes him such a good tennis player is how much of a competitor he is. He’s been ultra competitive and so impressive in his first couple of rounds against Borna Coric and then beating Jordan Thompson today,” Millman said. “So I’m expecting a really tough, physical match. That’s what you expect when you play Taro and hopefully I can produce some good tennis.”

Millman and Daniel are good friends off the court. They even had dinner at an Indian restaurant in Tokyo before the start of this event.

“Taro is a very good friend of mine. We’ve played each other a fair amount of times, but not just that. Whenever we’re at tournaments, we’re looking to hit together or have dinner together,” Millman said. “He’s a very good friend, but you put friendships aside when you go out there and compete.”

“What makes him such a good tennis player is how much of a competitor he is. He’s been ultra competitive and so impressive in his first couple of rounds against Borna Coric and then beating Jordan Thompson today,” Millman said. “So I’m expecting a really tough, physical match. That’s what you expect when you play Taro and hopefully I can produce some good tennis.”

Millman and Daniel are good friends off the court. They even had dinner at an Indian restaurant in Tokyo before the start of this event.

“Taro is a very good friend of mine. We’ve played each other a fair amount of times, but not just that. Whenever we’re at tournaments, we’re looking to hit together or have dinner together,” Millman said. “He’s a very good friend, but you put friendships aside when you go out there and compete.”

The Big Four – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray – reunite at the 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters. Djokovic, Federer and Murray have combined to win all but the first edition of this ATP Masters 1000 tournament, the final stop of the three-week Asian swing. Nadal, a two-time finalist, will be going for a record-extending 36th Masters 1000 title as he aims to increase his lead over Djokovic in the battle for year-end No. 1.

Daniil Medvedev reached back-to-back Masters 1000 finals in the lead to the US Open, finishing runner-up to Nadal in Montreal and triumphing in Cincinnati (d. Goffin), and looks to continue his impressive run in Shanghai. A few weeks ago at the St. Petersburg Open, Medvedev became just the fifth active player to reach five consecutive finals, joining the Big Four.

Nitto ATP Finals hopefuls will look to gain up to 1,000 ATP Race To London points in Shanghai. BNP Paribas Open champion Dominic Thiem, who would qualify should he reach the Beijing final this week, is currently fifth in the Race standings, followed by Stefanos Tsitsipas, Roberto Bautista Agut and Matteo Berrettini. Defending champion Alexander Zverev will look to gain ground with a strong finish in Asia.

Here’s all you need to know about the Shanghai tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 2009

Tournament Dates: 6-13 October 2019

Tournament Director: Michael A. Luevano

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 5 October at 10:30am

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: starts Saturday, 5 October at 12:00pm
* Main draw: Sunday at 12:00pm, Monday – Friday at 12:30pm and 6:30pm, Saturday at 1:30pm and 8:00pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 13 October at 1:30pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 13 October not before 4:30pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

On my way to the Hai!
So excited to be coming back to Shanghai. Where should I visit this year?? Send me your ideas???? pic.twitter.com/onjKXpy2ma

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) October 2, 2019

Venue: Qi Zhong Tennis Center
Main Court Seating: 13,880

Prize Money: US $7,473,620 (Total Financial Commitment: US $8,322,885)  

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Novak Djokovic (4)
Most Titles, Doubles: Marcelo Melo (3)
Oldest Champion: Roger Federer, 36, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Andy Murray, 23, in 2010
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko in 2009
Most Match Wins: Novak Djokovic (32)

2018 Finals
Singles: [2] Novak Djokovic (SRB) d [13] Borna Coric (CRO) 63 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: [3] Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) d [6] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA) 64 62  Read & Watch 

Social
Hashtag: #RolexSHMasters
Facebook: @RolexSHMasters
Twitter: @SH_RolexMasters
Instagram: @1rolexshmasters

Did You Know… In its first five years, 2009-2013, the Rolex Shanghai Masters was named ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year, as voted by ATP players. Before the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Qi Zhong Stadium hosted the season finale, the Tennis Masters Cup, from 2005-08. David Nalbandian prevailed in five sets against Roger Federer in the 2005 final. The Swiss won the title the next two years, followed by Novak Djokovic.  

Matteo Berrettini’s first serve is one of the best on Tour. When facing break point, his big hammer simply has no peer.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers of the 10 best performers so far in 2019 with first-serve points won identifies that the 23-year-old Italian comes in a very respectable eighth best, winning 78.68 per cent (1993/2533) of first-serve points. But when facing break point, his win percentage jumps up 6.58 percentage points to 84.87 per cent (129/152). That improvement is head and shoulders above his competition.

Top 10 Category: First-Serve Points Won; Comparison Of Break Points vs All Other Points

Berrettini’s sizable jump of 6.58 percentage points is in stark contrast to the rest of the players in the group. The other nine players averaged a 2.06 percentage-point decrease in first-serve points won at break point compared to all other point scores.

When Berrettini reached the semi-finals of the 2019 US Open, his first Grand Slam semi-final, his ability to elevate first-serve performance around break points was clearly on show.

2019 US Open Berrettini First-Serve Performance
Break Points Saved With First Serve = 86.11% (31/36)
All Other Point Scores = 75.25% (307/408)

The Italian rose one spot last week in the ATP Race To London and currently sits in eighth position, with 2,185 points, only five points ahead of ninth-placed Kei Nishikori. But if Berrettini can hold onto that position or improve it in the next four weeks, he will make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.

Editor’s note: Craig O’Shannessy has worked with Matteo Berrettini as part of an association with the Italian Tennis Federation.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray won consecutive matches for the first time in more than 12 months on Wednesday. Off the court, he also experienced a first this week at the China Open in Beijing.

Murray was gifted a “fish fossil”, at least that’s what he thinks it was.

“I got given the other day like a fish fossil. That’s what it was, wasn’t it? It was really, really old. I don’t know how old. I got given that,” Murray said when asked if he’d been given any gifts by fans. “It was just pretty thoughtful. I’ve never been given that before, anything like that.”

Players leave the ATP Tour’s Asian Swing with some cultural experiences, a few wins and losses and usually, as Murray noted, unusual gifts.

“It’s not the case at any of the other tournaments we play at, when we play in Europe and stuff, the fans don’t tend to give gifts. Here, most years you get given a few things to take home,” Murray said.

Last week in Zhuhai, champion Alex de Minaur received a rabbit that he could wear on his head, and did in a video he shared on social media.

Alex de Minaur celebrating his win today with a special gift from a fan in China ?￰ﾟﾐﾬ

(?: @alexdeminaur on Instagram) pic.twitter.com/p0VBgGC14V

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 24, 2019

“I actually really like playing here. I think the fans here in China are like nowhere else. They’re really loud. I don’t think anywhere else I get given gifts by the fans,” De Minaur said. “So I really enjoy playing here and it’s always a special feeling once you come out here and you’re able to perform and play at a good level and get the win in front of these fans.”

Murray, who last won back-to-back matches in September 2018 in Shenzhen, will try to follow De Minaur’s lead and make his fans happy by winning the China Open title. The Scot faces top seed and World No. 5 Dominic Thiem on Friday for a place in the ATP 500 semi-finals.

Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski earned one of the biggest wins of their new partnership on Wednesday, upsetting top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah of Colombia 6-4, 6-2 at the China Open in Beijing.

Cabal/Farah, the reigning Wimbledon and US Open champions, had won 11 of their past 12 matches, dating back to the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati in August, where they finished runner-up before winning their second consecutive major title in New York.

But Murray/Skupski, who joined forces in June, knocked off the No. 1 team in the ATP Doubles Race To London, converting five of six break points to reach the ATP 500 semi-finals. Murray/Skupski fell to the Colombians in the semi-finals of the US Open.

The Britons will next meet the winner of Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek and Fabio Fognini/Dominic Thiem. Murray/Skupski, despite their late start to the season, have an outside chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London. Murray/Skupski are currently in 17^th place, with 1,540 points, 1,030 points behind Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury (2,570), who hold the eighth and final qualification spot.

In the only other doubles match of the day, Russians Karen Khachanov/Andrey Rublev ousted John Isner/Alexander Zverev 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 and will meet the winner of Chinese wild cards Mao-Xin Gong/Ze Zhang and second seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo. Kubot/Melo are second in the Doubles Race, with 3,445 points, and are next in line to qualify.

Bopanna/Shapovalov Battle Past 2017 Champ Uchiyama & Martin In Tokyo
Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov got off to a good start in their doubles campaign at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, ousting 2017 champion Yasutaka Uchiyama and his partner Fabrice Martin 6-3, 7-6(3) after one hour and 21 minutes.

Although Uchiyama was the home favourite as a Japanese player, fans cheered loudly throughout for both teams, creating for an exciting atmosphere under the lights of Rakuten Card Arena.

“The fans are amazing here,” Shapovalov said. “We played a guy from Japan, [but] we still had a lot of people cheering for us. For me especially, I feel like it’s really important for my game, it really pumps me up and keeps me in it and it’s the same for Rohan, I’m sure.”

Bopanna and Shapovalov fell behind 0/3 in the second-set tie-break after failing to serve out the match at 6-5. But they reeled off seven consecutive points to advance to the quarter-finals. And the fans made sure to stick around to show them their appreciation.

“I think it’s fantastic to always play with a good atmosphere, especially when you play somebody from their own country. They want people to come out and watch,” Bopanna said. “I think it was a good match for us.”

Shapovalov will have to play two matches — one singles and one doubles — on Thursday as he attempts to keep his hopes alive in both draws. In singles, he will face 2017 Tokyo champion David Goffin, and in doubles, the Canadian-Indian duo will battle Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor, who eliminated top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the first round.

“I’m young, so I’m ready to go,” Shapovalov said, cracking a laugh.

In the other doubles match of the day, second seeds Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin moved past Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak 7-6(5), 6-3. The Frenchmen will play fourth seeds Mate Pavic/Bruno Soares or Dominic Inglot/Austin Krajicek for a place in the last four.

Dominic Thiem’s final push for another Nitto ATP Finals appearance continued with comfort on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Austrian knocked out home favourite Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 6-3 to make the China Open quarter-finals in Beijing.

Thiem needs to reach the ATP 500 final to guarantee his spot for a fourth consecutive year at the season-ending championships, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London. He is currently in fifth place in the ATP Race To London (3,935 points), next in line to qualify as the Race leaders – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev – have already booked their spots.

Thiem will next meet former World No. 1 Andy Murray in the Scot’s biggest test of his comeback from a second right hip surgery on 28 January. Murray beat countryman Cameron Norrie 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-1 to win consecutive matches for the first time since September 2018 in Shenzhen.

The Brit leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Thiem 2-1 and won both of their hard-court meetings (2015 Miami, 2014 Rotterdam).

Thiem, playing his first match since helping Team Europe win its third Laver Cup, broke twice in the opener after an aggressive start from Zhang saw the Chinese right-hander serving and volleying to take advantage of Thiem’s deep return position. The Austrian broke once more during the eighth game of the second set before serving it out to love.

World No. 9 Karen Khachanov fought past Frenchman Jeremy Chardy to secure a place in the quarter-finals, advancing 7-6(0), 7-6(5) in a match that featured no breaks of serve.

Khachanov won 96 per cent (43/45) of his first-serve points and didn’t face a break point. Chardy saved all three break points faced. The 23-year-old Russian will try to reach his second semi-final of the season (Montreal) against Italy’s Fabio Fognini.

Fognini, who’s still in Nitto ATP Finals contention, improved to 5-1 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Russian Andrey Rublev with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Fognini saved 10 of 12 break points faced.

The Italian is trying to make his debut at the season-ending championships. The 32-year-old is currently in 13^th place (2,055 points) in the ATP Race To London, only 130 points behind countryman Matteo Berrettini (2,185 points), who currently holds the eighth and final qualification spot.

In a flash on Wednesday afternoon, Japanese qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama trailed Moldovan Radu Albot 0-3 and faced a break point to go down two breaks. But Uchiyama struck a forehand winner and eventually held. Although he did not win the first set, the 27-year-old used that moment to gain a foothold in the match, and that would pay dividends.

Uchiyama rallied for a 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 victory at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships against the World No. 45 after two hours and 25 minutes, advancing to the quarter-finals of an ATP 500 event for the first time.

“It was amazing,” Uchiyama said. “[It is my] first time in the quarter-final of an ATP 500 and especially in my home country, it’s really special.”

The World No. 136 — who is at his career-high ATP Ranking — had only won one main draw match in Tokyo before arriving here last week for qualifying. But he was undeterred when the gritty Albot jumped out to an early lead.

“I was thinking too much about his defence and his running. He was really quick on the baseline, so I was thinking too much to go for it and I made a few mistakes at the beginning,” Uchiyama said. “After 3-0, I was focussing more on myself, playing like the usual.”

Uchiyama, who made his first tour-level quarter-final this January in Brisbane, saved five of the seven break points he faced and won 62 per cent of his second-serve return points en route to victory. And with the crowd fully behind him, he served out the match at the first time of asking.

“I was really tired at the end of the match. That’s why I wasn’t thinking too much about the win, I was just focussing on every single point,” Uchiyama said. “I think that was a good way to play the last game.”

Uchiyama will play American Reilly Opelka for a spot in his first ATP Tour semi-final. Opelka struck 19 aces in a 7-6(4), 7-6(2) triumph against French veteran Gilles Simon.

“Every single match is a big challenge for me, so I just have to focus on every single match,” Uchiyama said. “I think everyone is missing Kei, but it’s good that Japanese guys are winning matches here. I’m happy to make them happy.”

Did You Know?
Uchiyama was one of four Japanese players to reach the second round in Tokyo this year. This was the first time that happened since 2003.