Sunday is of the utmost importance in Tokyo, as one player in the final is competing for a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals, while his opponent is attempting to capture his maiden ATP World Tour title. The championship match of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships features unseeded Adrian Mannarino against No. 4 seed David Goffin, who has won both previous meetings, in Marseille (2012) and Basel (2015). Mannarino is trying to become the first Frenchman to win the Tokyo title since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2009, while Goffin is attempting to become the first Belgian to win the event. Goffin is appearing in the Tokyo final for the second-straight year (l. to Kyrgios) and the he enters his attempt...
1. Roger and Rafa in China: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are the top two seeds in the tournament for the first time. Nadal leads Federer by 2,160 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London (going into Beijing F), with 4,000 points still available for both players at Shanghai, Basel, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. 2. Rafa at No. 1: Nadal has played at every edition of the Shanghai Rolex Masters except 2012. He is 12-7 at the tournament, posting his best finish as runner-up at the inaugural event in 2009 (l. to Davydenko). The Spaniard is ranked No. 1 for the 149th week of his career and making his third Shanghai appearance as the top player in...
The leader in the Emirates ATP Race To London is playing an opponent who is attempting to salvage his dreams of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in a blockbuster final at the China Open on Sunday in Beijing. World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is pitted against No. 8 seed Nick Kyrgios in the fifth Fedex Head 2 Head meeting between the two (2-2) and the third of this season alone. Nadal won 6-3, 6-1 in May in the third round at the Mutua Madrid Open before Kyrgios won 6-2, 7-5 in the quarter-finals at Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati in August. This is their first meeting in a final. Nadal is appearing in his fourth China Open final...
In the best form of his career, Kevin Anderson is in the hunt for a first trip to the Nitto ATP Finals. Learn more about the South African in this edition of ATP World Tour Uncovered presented by Peugeot.
Roger Federer returns to the ATP World Tour this week at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. But before play gets underway in the ATP Masters 1000 event, he entertained fans in a more light-hearted way on Saturday. Federer got into a dance-off with none other than Mickey Mouse himself on centre court at QiZhong Stadium, showing that he can do more dancing than simply running around a backhand to hit a forehand. The Swiss will resume his pursuit of a record-tying sixth year-end Emirates ATP Rankings No. 1 spot when he plays the winner of Rakuten Japan Open semi-finalist Diego Schwartzman and a qualifier in the second round. A big week in Shanghai will go a long way for the Swiss....