Japan Open: Fritz to play Fils as Tiafoe faces Nakashima

Top seed Taylor Fritz will take on Frenchman Arthur Fils in an exciting first-round match as several stars at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships will be aiming for long runs to increase their chances of making the Nitto ATP Finals.

The American won the trophy in 2022 at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, where he had previously competed. The 26-year-old is ranked sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as he lands in Tokyo.

He reached the final of the US Open earlier this month. Fritz might face former Top 10 player Matteo Berrettini in the second round if he defeats Fils. After Monday’s draw, the Italian, who has won three titles at the tour level this year, will play a qualifier in his opening match.

Hubert Hurkacz, ranked second, Casper Ruud, ranked third, Stefanos Tsitsipas, ranked fourth, and Tommy Paul, ranked fifth, are all in the running for the Nitto ATP Finals and will be competing in Tokyo.

Hurkacz will take on Marcos Giron in the opening round with the goal of winning his maiden fight in Tokyo on his third try. In the second round, the Pole might face Jack Draper, a semifinalist at the US Open. Starting against a qualifier, the British left-hander is ranked No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings, which is a career-high position.

Jordan Thompson will take on sixth-seeded Holger Rune in the quarterfinals of the ATP Live Race To Turin, where Ruud, who is ranked sixth, will play the Norwegian. Fritz and Ruud are in the same half. Stefanos Tsitsipas starts against a qualifier in the bottom half of the draw and is favored to face Paul in the round of eight. Paul fights Matteo Arnaldi in the opening frame.

Kei Nishikori, the home favorite, has won two Tokyo championships. In the opening round, the Japanese wild card takes on former World No. 3 Marin Cilic. In their ATP meeting, Nishikori has a 9-6 lead over the Croatian; the two met in the 2018 US Open.

The seventh seed In the opening round, Frances Tiafoe faces American Brandon Nakashima, and the reigning champion Ben Shelton faces American Reilly Opelka. Yoshihito Nishioka, a Japanese wild card, takes against Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Shintaro Mochizuki, a semifinalist the year before, goes up against Ugo Humbert.

The hard-court event starts on Wednesday.