5 shocking results of the day from China Open & Japan Open ft. Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev
Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev were among the biggest names to fall at the 2024 Japan Open and China Open, respectively, on September 30. The women's draw of the China Open also saw several heavyweights ousted from the tournament on day 6 of the proceedings.
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev, the top 3 seeds at the China Open, faced little resistance in their quarterfinal matches at the ATP 500 tournament. On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka, Zheng Qinwen, and Naomi Osaka also sailed past their opponents for a spot in the fourth round. Meanwhile, at the Japan Open, an all-French final is now set, with Ugo Humbert vying for his seventh ATP Tour title in as many finals.
Many stars were also shown the exit door, with Holger Rune among them. Having said that, let's take a look at the five most shocking results from day 6 of the 2024 China Open and Japan Open:
#5 Beatriz Haddad Maia
Beatriz Haddad Maia came to Beijing in prime form after picking up her first WTA Tour title of the year at the WTA 500 Korea Open in Seoul. The Brazilian was seeded 13th at the China Open and defeated local wildcard Sijia Wei in the second round. The 28-year-old faced 18th-seeded Madison Keys in the third round and was overwhelmed by the American's powerful ball striking.
While Keys was broken in the first game, she recuperated quickly and broke Haddad Maia twice to take the one-set advantage. The American switched gears in the second set and broke the Brazilian's four times to record a comprehensive 6-3, 6-3 win. Haddad Maia struggled with serving throughout the match, landing only 55% of first serves and winning just 11 out of 29 points on the second serve.
#4 Daria Kasatkina
Daria Kasatkina finished runner-up to Beatriz Haddad Maia in the Korea Open final before coming to the China Open. She continued her great form to beat Jana Fett in the opening match in Beijing. The Russian, seeded ninth, came up against 34th seed Amanda Anisimova in the third round. Anisimova had defeated Kasatkina in straight sets on four previous occasions, and their latest meeting was no different.
While the duo traded two breaks in the first set, Anisimona eventually took the one-set lead via the tiebreaker. The American broke her Russian rival two more times in the second set and emerged victorious 7-6 (1), 6-4 in an hour and 46 minutes. Points won on second serve was the key difference between the two players, with Kasatkina winning just 21% compared to Anisimova's 50%.
#3 Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini endured the biggest upset in the women's draw of the China Open on day 6. The Italian, a recent runner-up at both the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon, was seeded third at the WTA 1000 tournament and was pushed to three sets by Clara Tauson in her second-round match. Despite overcoming Tauson, Paolini was unable to maintain her momentum against 31st seed Magda Linette in the third round.
Both women struggled with their serves in the first set, but Linette just managed to edge past Paolini to take the lead. The Italian fell by her waistside in the second set and was bageled in a little over 30 minutes. Linette walked away with a 6-4, 6-0 win and a place in the third round of the China Open for the first time in her career.
#2 Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev had a tough start to his 2024 Asian swing, needing three sets to defeat Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round of the China Open. The Russian, seeded fourth, faced Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round, and the rain-affected match stretched two days, with Rublev emerging victorious. In the quarterfinals, Rublev faced local wildcard Yunchaokete Bu and was stunned by the Chinese player.
Bu, who reached his maiden ATP Tour semifinal at Hangzhou last week and defeated Jerry Shang and Lorenzo Musetti in Beijing, fed off of the energy from home fans. The 22-year-old won 80% of points on his first serve and converted all four breakpoint opportunities on Rublev's serve to win the match 7-5, 6-4. This was the biggest win of Bu's career. He also became the lowest-ranked player to reach the China Open semifinal since 2008.
#1 Holger Rune
After a disappointing second-round loss at the Hangzhou Open, Holger Rune was searching for a strong performance at the Japan Open. The sixth seeded Dane achieved the goal with wins over Alejandro Tabilo, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Kei Nishikori to reach the semifinals. Holger Rune faced Arthur Fils in a highly anticipated last-four clash in September.
Fils has been giant-killer of the week at the Japan Open, having beaten top seed Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini, and defending champion Ben Shelton to set up a clash against Holger Rune. The semifinal match saw both players displaying their supreme serving skills, and both sets going into extensive tiebreakers.
Arthur Fils remained calm and composed at critical moments as Rune staved off five match points and ultimately won the match 7-6 (8), 7-6 (10) in a two-hour and 25-minute contest. The Frenchman will now face his compatriot Ugo Humbert in the title contest of the ATP 500 tournament on October 1. Meanwhile, Rune continues his quest for his first title on the 2024 ATP Tour.