Ben Shelton’s breakthrough season hit new heights on Sunday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he defeated Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1 to win his first ATP Tour title.

The American rallied from a set and 2-5 down to come through his semi-final match against Marcos Giron and he used that momentum in the final in Tokyo, where he consistently took the ball early on return to rush Karatsev, triumphing after 84 minutes.

“That meant a lot to me and my team,” Shelton said. “We have been working really hard since the beginning to build my game and win titles on the ATP Tour. I made some deep runs lately. You see the great champions, they finish weeks off. They win titles, they don’t just get to finals. They are able to maintain their level throughout the week. I am not saying I am anywhere there yet, but to be able to do it for one week, put together five matches in a row in Tokyo is really special.”

The American is the sixth first-time tour-level winner of the season and the first player since Lorenzo Musetti in Hamburg in 2022 to win their maiden ATP Tour title at a 500 event. He will rise to a career-high No. 15 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, having started the season at No. 96.

“I am really looking forward to this tail-end stretch of the year,” said Shelton, who is third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah. “I think it is a great opportunity for me. Earlier in the season I was losing early in weeks, so my match count is not that high, so I am feeling fresh. I am looking forward to finishing the season strong.”

Shelton played with freedom against Karatsev in his maiden tour-level title match. The 21-year-old struck 18 winners and caused Karatsev problems with his swinging lefty serve, winning 80 per cent (32/40) of points behind his first delivery.

He now leads Karatsev 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, while he is the second consecutive American to triumph in Tokyo after Taylor Fritz won the crown in 2022.

Earlier this season, Shelton advanced to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, before he reached the semi-finals at the US Open, becoming the youngest American man to advance to the last four in New York since Michael Chang in 1992. He now owns a standout 14-2 record in his past 16 matches, having also reached the quarter-finals in Shanghai last week.

Karatsev was chasing his fourth tour-level title and first since he beat Andy Murray in Sydney in 2022. The 30-year-old used his forehand to great effect in the first set, but struggled to find consistency from the baseline as the match went on, committing 20 unforced errors.

Rinky Hijikata and Max Purcell capped a dream debut week as a team on Sunday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where they defeated Jamie Murray and Michael Venus 6-4, 6-1 to win the title.

The Australians upset third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer to reach the championship match and backed up that standout win with a dominant display against Murray and Venus. Hijikata and Purcell saved both break points they faced and were impressive on return, winning 47 per cent (28/59) of points on Murray and Venus’ delivery to seal victory after 73 minutes.

It has been good,” Hijikata said. “It was the first time pairing together in doubles and I think we got better as the week went on. We enjoy playing with each other and I feel we played some really good tennis.”

With their title run, Hijikata and Purcell became the first Australian team to win the Tokyo doubles title since Jordan Kerr triumphed with Swede Robert Lindstedt in 2007.

Hijikata, 22, holds a 2-1 tour-level record in doubles finals, while Purcell improved to 4-6 in title matches. Sunday’s triumph was Purcell’s first crown on hard courts. The 25-year-old won Wimbledon earlier this year with Matthew Ebden.

Murray and Venus are eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as they seek a qualification spot at the Nitto ATP Finals. They may need to finish in the Top 7 to clinch a spot in Turin, though, as 17th-placed Hijikata and Jason Kubler triumphed at the Australian Open in January. If they finish inside the Top 20, they will qualify having won a Grand Slam title in 2023.

With just three weeks to go until the Nitto ATP Finals, players continue to jockey for position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. This week will see two ATP 500s provide opportunities for movement, with action at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna and the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Daniil Medvedev, who has already qualified for Turin, is set to lead the Vienna field as the top seed and defending champion. He will be joined by fellow Top 10 stars Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev. Holger Rune is the best-placed of many Turin hopefuls in Basel, where Top 10 players Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz will also compete.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at both events.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN VIENNA
1) Defending Champ Medvedev: Medvedev won the second of his two 2022 titles in Vienna 12 months ago. He enters the ATP 500 with five tour-level trophies to his name in 2023 — though he has not claimed a crown since his surprise May run on the clay of Rome. He will begin his tournament against in-form #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils.

2) Can Sinner Bring Beijing Best?: Jannik Sinner won his third title of 2023 earlier this month in Beijing and then qualified for his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals with an opening win in Shanghai. Entering Vienna at a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of World No. 4, Sinner will bid for his 10th career tour-level title. The second seed this edition, the Italian reached the Vienna semi-finals in 2021.

3) Rublev, Tsitsipas, Zverev Can Inch Closer To Turin: Rublev, Tsitsipas and Zverev occupy fifth, sixth and seventh place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. As the three highest-placed men who have yet to clinch qualification, all three have a big opportunity in Vienna. They will hope to join the already-qualified Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Medvedev and Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals.

They are seeded third through fifth in Vienna, where Rublev triumphed in 2020 and Zverev lifted the trophy in 2021.

4) Americans Paul, Tiafoe Among Chasing Pack: Currently on the outside looking in for a place in Turin, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe could start a late surge with a deep run in Vienna. Sixth seed Paul will try to secure his first win in Vienna against a qualifier, and seventh seed Tiafoe will face a tricky test against Briton Daniel Evans.

5) Koolhof/Skupski Lead Doubles Field: Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski, the second-placed team in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, will be the top seeds in an intriguing Vienna doubles draw that also includes Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, and defending champions (and home favourites) Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BASEL
1) Rune Continues Quest For Turin Debut: Rune reached the title match last year in Basel, part of a run of four straight finals to close the 2022 season that included titles in Stockholm and Paris. This year, the Dane hopes to finish his season at the Nitto ATP Finals. He is currently eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, clinging to the final qualifying spot by 145 points over ninth-placed Fritz.

Having won one match since Wimbledon, Rune will hope to find his form at the Swiss ATP 500 as he battles to maintain his position. The Dane also announced in the past week that he has hired a new coach: Boris Becker.

2) Fritz, Ruud Also In Turin Hunt: Last year at the Nitto ATP Finals, Ruud reached the final and Fritz made the semis in his debut. Both players are currently on the outside looking in, but could make their move in Basel.

Fritz made the quarter-finals at this tournament in 2018, and will hope for a deeper run this edition, beginning with a clash against Max Purcell. Second seed Ruud will look to bounce back from an early defeat to Marcos Giron in Tokyo. Last year as the second seed in Basel, he was beaten by home favourite Stan Wawrinka in the opening round. He will face a tough opening challenge against Alexander Bublik.

3) Can Hurkacz Recapture Shanghai Form?: Hubert Hurkacz stepped up his late bid to reach Turin by winning the Rolex Shanghai Masters title two weeks ago, saving a match point to beat Andrey Rublev in the final. But he was beaten three days later by Zhang Zhizhen in the Tokyo opening round.

With a few days off before he returns to action in Europe, can Hurkacz get back to the level that saw him soar in Shanghai? The Pole enters the week 11th in the Live Race, 335 points behind Rune.

4) De Minaur Seeks Fifth Final: Fifth seed Aussie Alex de Minaur reached a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 11 earlier this month on the strength of four final appearances this season, including a title in Acapulco. Another deep run could boost the 24-year-old’s hopes of qualifying for his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals. Currently 13th in the Live Race, he will need a deep run in Switzerland, where he will open against Diego Schwartzman.

5) Home Favourite Wawrinka Set For 16th Basel Appearance: Swiss legend Wawrinka has compiled a 15-14 record across 15 previous showings in Basel. He reached the quarter-finals in each of his past three appearances (2016, 2019, 2022) and twice reached the semis, in 2006 and 2011. The home hero will begin his event against a qualifier.

After a 21-month wait, Gael Monfils is an ATP Tour finalist once again.

The Frenchman eased past Laslo Djere 7-5, 6-2 on Saturday to book a championship-match spot at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open. Monfils held his nerve after letting slip an early 4-0 lead in Stockholm, winning eight of the final 10 games from 5-5 in the first set to set a final clash on Sunday with qualifier Pavel Kotov.

Monfils converted five of seven break points he earned and sent down nine aces to overcome Djere in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. He is now the oldest finalist in Stockholm tournament history at 37-years-old, and will chase his 12th ATP Tour title on Sunday when he meets Kotov for the first time at tour-level.

“It’s great, I feel great. It’s obviously been a long time for me, because I haven’t played so much,” said Monfils on returning to an ATP Tour final at an event where he lifted the trophy in 2011. “A lot of good memories here, it’s obviously great to be back in a place where you won.”

Kotov earlier made it six matches down, one to go, in Stockholm by defeating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4. The No. 109-ranked Kotov powered 25 winners to his opponent’s 17 to back up his career-best quarter-final win against third seed Tallon Griekspoor in style.

“I’m extremely happy and super tired,” said Kotov, who came through two rounds of qualifying prior to taking his place in the main draw in Sweden. “It was my dream to play a final and now it is 2023 and it’s my first one. It’s a super end to the season for me.”

That 1st final feeling! 😁

Qualifier Pavel Kotov gets the job done 6-3, 6-4 facing Kecmanovic @sthlm_open | #bnpparibasnordicopen pic.twitter.com/ncQlusVHwT

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 21, 2023

Kotov broke Kecmanovic’s serve decisively midway through each set to seal a 91-minute triumph in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash. He has now dropped just one set across his six matches in the Swedish capital.

“I tried to stay very aggressive,” said Kotov of Saturday’s semi-final win. “I tried to make as few mistakes as I could, but still it was a very tough match. I’ve had a great week here, it’s amazing.”

Kotov, who also reached the semi-finals in Marrakech in April, is up 28 spots to No. 81 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Stockholm.

The Erste Bank Open draw has thrown up plenty of blockbuster first-round match ups as a host of the world’s top stars arrive in Vienna for the ATP 500.

Home favourite and 2019 champion Dominic Thiem will be out for revenge when he takes on fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tstisipas edged the Austrian in deciding-set tie-breaks both in Madrid and at Wimbledon earlier this year, but the former World No. 3 Thiem will hope to be inspired by his home fans inside the Wiener Stadthalle as he looks to rediscover his best form.

Daniil Medvedev is in the same half of the draw as Thiem and Tsitsipas, but the top seed and defending champion will not be looking past his first-round challenge in Vienna. He plays #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils, who is enjoying a breakout year on the ATP Tour and beat Tsitsipas in the Antwerp semi-finals on Saturday.

Grigor Dimitrov and Lorenzo Musetti will await Medvedev or Fils in the second round. The pair has not met since 2021, when Musetti prevailed in straight sets on the hard courts of Acapulco.

In the bottom half of the draw, Jannik Sinner against Ben Shelton represents another popcorn opener in Austria. The pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting took place in Shanghai under two weeks ago, when Shelton edged the Italian in a third-set tie-break. The 21-year-old Shelton plays his maiden ATP Tour final against Aslan Karatsev in Tokyo on Sunday, before flying to Vienna.

Seventh seed Frances Tiafoe is a potential quarter-final opponent for Shelton and Sinner. The American starts his campaign against Daniel Evans. Third seed Andrey Rublev or fifth seed Alexander Zverev are also seeded to meet in the quarter-finals. Rublev begins against Alexei Popyrin, while Zverev will hope to spoil the party for home fans when he steps out against wild card Sebastian Ofner.

Home Favourite Wawrinka To Dash Fritz’s Turin Hopes In Basel?
A two-time semi-finalist at the Swiss Indoors Basel, Stan Wawrinka will hope his home fans can fire him up for another deep run this week at the ATP 500.

The 16-time tour-level titlist Wawrinka opens against a qualifier in Basel, where he could meet third seed Taylor Fritz in the second round. A deep run in Switzerland would be a significant boost for Fritz’s Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances — the American is currently ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

Just above Fritz in eighth in the Live Race is Basel top seed Holger Rune. The Dane meets Miomir Kecmanovic first up as he looks to bounce back quickly from a first-round exit in Stockholm. Should he make it to the quarter-finals, Rune could face eighth seed Sebastian Korda or former World No. 1 Andy Murray. Wawrinka and defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime are among Rune’s potential semi-final opponents.

Three other Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopefuls, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur and Hubert Hurkacz, are in the bottom half of the Basel draw. Ruud opens against Alexander Bublik, who will first play in the Antwerp final on Sunday, while De Minaur starts against former Top 10-star Diego Schwartzman. Fourth seed Hurkacz, an ATP Masters 1000 champion earlier this month in Shanghai, starts against Dusan Lajovic.

French teen Arthur Fils has become the youngest European Open finalist in history after a clutch 7-6(5), 7-6(4) win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Antwerp semi-finals Saturday.

The 19-year-old, who made his main-draw tour-level debut less than a year ago at the Rolex Paris Masters, is now one win away from his second title of the season and from breaking into the Top 35 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time after beginning the year outside the Top 250.

Fils, who looks certain to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah next month, saved two break points at 5-all in the first set. In the second set he failed to serve out the match at 5-4 but steadied with a love hold and dominant tie-break to close out the match and seal the second Top-10 win of his career.

“I was very tight and my first serve just wouldn’t go [in]… so I said maybe it would be tough,” Fils said of trying to serve out the match. “He had some great points and I made some bad mistakes.
“But I was very happy with how I played in the tie-break and now I will try to bring my best in the final.”

Tsitsipas, who was chasing his second title of the season, remains in strong contention to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, as he continues to hold down sixth place in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin.

Fils next will play World No. 36 Alexander Bublik, who came into the event having lost in the opening round of all five tournaments he had contested since his run to the Wimbledon fourth round. 

Bublik put himself into position to return to the Top 30 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after moving into the Antwerp final with a 6-4, 6-4 win over German qualifier Maximilian Marterer.

The 26-year-old Kazakhstani heads into Sunday’s title match with a 2-6 record in tour-level finals, with his two trophy lifts coming in Halle earlier this year (d. Rublev) and in Montpellier in 2022 (d. Zverev).

“I played Max in a very tough match at Wimbledon earlier this year. It was the same game plan to be solid, stay focussed and use my experience,” Bublik said. 

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus did just that on Saturday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where they edged Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-6(5), 2-6, 14/12 in a tense semi-final clash.

American duo Lammons and Withow saved four match points from 5/9 in the Match Tie-break and denied their opponents a further three times on match point before the British-Kiwi team finally sealed a one-hour, 45-minute triumph in Tokyo. Murray and Venus will now face Rinky Hijikata and Max Purcell in the championship match on Sunday as they chase their fifth ATP Tour crown of the year.

Victory on Sunday would also be a further boost for Murray and Venus’ Nitto ATP Finals qualification prospects. They leapfrogged Lammons and Withrow into eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings after Saturday’s win, and would move within 47 points of seventh-placed Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury with the Tokyo crown.

Ben Shelton’s first full season on the ATP Tour hit new highs Saturday in Tokyo, where the #NextGenATP American defeated countryman Marcos Giron to reach the final at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The 21-year-old Shelton prevailed 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-4 in a two-hour, 50-minute semi-final clash inside Ariake Coliseum to reach his maiden tour-level championship match. He kept his cool after dropping the first set, converting four of eight break points he earned to set a final meeting on Sunday with Aslan Karatsev.

“It’s a huge achievement for me and my team, especially the way the match panned out today,” said Shelton. “Definitely one of the toughest matches I’ve played in my life. Marcos was waxing me from the baseline in almost every rally and I had to completely change my game to even have a chance against him.

“To be able to get through that match, to not only figure some things out but get a win and be going into my first ATP final, the win couldn’t be sweeter.”

ATP Tour final: Unlocked 🔓@BenShelton defeats Marcos Giron to reach his first tour-level final of his career in Tokyo.#kinoshitajotennis | @japanopentennis pic.twitter.com/JQFrPq3Ta9

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 21, 2023

Shelton reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and the semi-finals at the US Open this year, but until Saturday he was the highest player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings not to have reached an ATP Tour final. He set that record straight by clinching a decisive break in the seventh game of the deciding set against Giron to seal his third three-set victory of the week in Japan.

“The legs are a little heavy today, but they’ll definitely be recovered by tomorrow, I’ll be ready to go,” said Shelton when asked how he was holding up physically. “I think if nothing else, adrenaline will get me through the match.”

Following Shelton and Giron on to court were Karatsev and home wild card Shintaro Mochizuki, whose dream run to the semi-finals has kept the Tokyo crowds in raptures this week. The #NextGenATP Japanese was unable to ride his momentum any further, however, as Karatsev triumphed 6-3, 6-4 to reach the championship match without having dropped a set across his four matches.

“Everybody came to support this young guy, it was something special to play here with the crowd full,” said Karatsev after his 94-minute win. “I tried to keep my game plan very simple, not pay too much attention to the crowd, and I managed to do it.”

With his win, Karatsev advanced to his fifth tour-level final, and his first since Sydney in January 2022 (d. Murray). The World No. 50 seeks his fourth ATP Tour crown when he faces Shelton, against whom he fell to a four-set defeat in the pair’s only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting at the US Open in September.

Despite defeat, Mochizuki can look back on a breakthrough week in his homeland. The 20-year-old had not won a tour-level match prior to this week but has risen 84 spots to No. 131 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run. The 20-year-old has also propelled himself into contention for Next Gen ATP Finals qualification — he has risen 14 spots to 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah this week.

Shintaro Mochizuki has enjoyed the best tournament of his career at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he will play Aslan Karatsev in the semi-finals. The 20-year-old is trying to become the first Japanese champion at the tournament since Kei Nishikori in 2014.

His big run has helped the home favourite soar to 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Mochizuki has a chance the rest of the week to entrench himself in competition for a place at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the rising star.

1) Tokyo Breakthrough
Entering the week, Mochizuki had played in eight tour-level main draws, including an ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami in 2021 and Wimbledon this year. However, he had never won a tour-level match.

That all changed this week in Tokyo, where Mochizuki is into his first ATP Tour semi-final. By defeating Alexei Popyrin in the last eight, the home favourite became the first Japanese player to reach the semi-finals of the tournament since Kei Nishikori in 2018, and the lowest-ranked semi-finalist overall since World No. 479 Kelly Jones in 1986. Mochizuki is No. 215 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

2) Federer Gave Him Key Advice
Mochizuki revealed two years ago that his idol, Roger Federer, provided critical advice for his career. The Japanese star recalled to ATPTour.com that Federer had followed his run to the 2019 Wimbledon boys’ singles title and invited him to be a practice partner at that year’s Nitto ATP Finals.

“He’s my hero. At the Nitto ATP Finals, I was there as a hitting partner and I got to hit with him,” Mochizuki said. “It was a dream. In tennis he hits so easy, just relaxed when he’s playing.

“Many people are just playing with the power and emotions, but he’s just hitting balls so easy. He taught me that if you have any chances to play bigger events, just go for it.”

In addition to his Miami appearance in 2021, Mochizuki has played qualifying at Masters 1000 events on three other occasions.

3) Japanese Star Has Received A Santoro Comparison
Just before becoming a teen, Mochizuki began training at the IMG Academy in Florida, where the likes of another Japanese star, Nishikori, has long been based. Another product of the academy is former doubles World No. 1 Max Mirnyi, who made an interesting comment about Mochizuki’s game.

Mirnyi compared Mochizuki’s game to one of the craftiest players in recent history: Fabrice Santoro.

“Fabrice is a player who really utilised the power of the oncoming ball to him and also was very crafty with his hands,” Mirnyi said. “Just like Fabrice was fun to watch, Shintaro is one of them.

“He sees the court extremely in a different dimension. He uses the angles well, cuts them off well and likes to come into the net. He takes the ball early and he’s got good feel with his hands.”

4) Baseball Among His Hobbies
Mochizuki considered quitting tennis aged nine to pursue baseball, which is one of his favourite sports outside of tennis. The Japanese player has long loved playing and watching baseball when he can, but never pursued playing the sport professionally. His favourite team is the New York Yankees.

Earlier this year, Mochizuki explained that countrymen Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish, Major League Baseball stars, are his favourite players.

“I’ve never met them, but I think they’re super strict with nutrition, fitness, everything they do is amazing,” Mochizuki said. “I think that’s why they’re playing at that level. I learn a lot of things from baseball players. Those guys always have a purpose to work, to practise, to go to the gym, to sleep, also their recovery is very important.”

Other hobbies for Mochizuki include hanging out with friends, watching YouTube videos, listening to Japanese music and singing for fun.

5) He Is A Former Junior World No. 1
Mochizuki showed his talent from a young age, having first held a tennis racquet aged one. He ascended to the top of the junior rankings just one month after his 16th birthday, following his triumph at the 2019 Wimbledon boys’ singles event.

The Japanese player also defeated Carlos Alcaraz when they were juniors. Born less than a month apart in 2003, they competed against one another at the 2017 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, where Mochizuki emerged victorious 6-2, 6-3. He also made the Roland Garros boys’ singles semi-finals in 2019.