Canadian tennis sensation Felix Auger-Aliassime got off to a confident start at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, defeating Australian Aleksandar Vukic in a hard-fought battle, 7-6(3), 6-7(2), 6-2.
Auger-Aliassime entered the match with the weight of recent struggles, having secured just two wins in his previous 11 outings. However, he demonstrated resilience and determination, especially in the deciding set against Vukic, to advance to the tournament’s second round in Tokyo.
Reflecting on his performance, the World No. 17 expressed his relief and optimism: “It is a big relief. There have been tough times lately where I was wondering what to do. I have to keep on training and believing and hope my level will come back. I am happy to get the victory today. It is a positive.”
In the third set, Auger-Aliassime won an impressive 80 percent of points on Vukic’s second serve and capitalized on all three of his break-point opportunities, securing his place in the next round. He is set to face Austrian player Sebastian Ofner, who defeated Christopher O’Connell 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-5.
In other action at the ATP 500 hard-court event in Tokyo, Australian Jordan Thompson dealt a setback to Alexander Zverev’s hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. Thompson emerged victorious, defeating the German 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round.
Thompson, ranked World No. 60, has now secured two significant victories over Top 10 players this year, including a win against then-World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Indian Wells. He expressed his belief in his ability to compete at this level: “If you don’t believe you can win, you may as well not be there. I enjoyed the challenge.”
Thompson’s next opponent will be determined between Ben Shelton and Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel.
As for Zverev, his seventh-place position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin is currently 450 points ahead of ninth-placed Taylor Fritz. The Top 8 players qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, held in Turin from 12-19 November. Zverev, a two-time winner of the prestigious year-end event, will be keen to maintain his position.
Additionally, three American players secured opening-day wins in Tokyo, including fifth seed Tommy Paul, who overcame a challenging start to defeat Daniel Altmaier 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. Mackenzie McDonald also secured a victory, setting up an intriguing second-round clash with Paul.
Paul, who is currently 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, will aim to make a deep run in Tokyo to boost his chances of Nitto ATP Finals qualification.
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