David Goffin reached his second successive final at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2017 on Saturday, a result which sees the Belgian currently holding the last qualifying spot for next month’s Nitto ATP Finals. Goffin moved up one spot past American Sam Querrey (2,435) to No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Race To London — with 2,540 points — for a spot at the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November. Goffin started the week at No. 13 in the year-to-date standings. With Stan Wawrinka (seventh) and Novak Djokovic (ninth) set to miss London due to injury, Goffin is effectively eighth in the Race to secure a London berth. Fourth seed Goffin improved...
Top-seeded Marin Cilic leads a crop of three seeds into the semi-finals of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships on Saturday, with Frenchman Adrian Mannarino attempting to spoil the party. At the end of the weekend, one member of the semi-final quartet will earn their first Rakuten Japan Open title in Tokyo. Cilic, Mannarino and No. 8-seeded Diego Schwartzman have shown good form by now dropping a set yet this week. But with an ATP World Tour final on the line, anything can happen. In the opening match on Colosseum, 2016 finalist David Goffin, the No. 4 seed, brings a 2-1 head-to-head record on hard courts against Schwartzman, who is the first Argentine to reach the Tokyo semi-finals since Juan...
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares edged a high-quality doubles semi-final on Friday to remain on course at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2017. Soares is now one match win away from 400 career victories. Second seeds Murray and Soares scraped past Dominic Inglot and Daniel Nestor 6-7(3), 6-1, 11-9 in 87 minutes for a place in the Tokyo final. Murray first served on match point at 9/8 in the Match tie-break, but Inglot poached for a superb backhand volley at close quarters. Two points later, on Murray and Soares’ second match point, Soares struck a crosscourt backhand lob to seal victory. Murray and Soares move up one spot to No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, adding 120...
Watch highlights of Marin Cilic and David Goffin advancing to the semi-finals of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2017 on Friday. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Getty Images photo.
Adrian Mannarino reflects on avenging his Antalya Open final loss to Yuichi Sugita on Friday and the prospect of facing David Goffin in the Tokyo semi-finals. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.