Surprising Twists on Opening Day as Tiafoe and Shapovalov Face Early Exits in Tokyo
Fucsovics mounts a stunning comeback to defeat former finalist Tiafoe; Berrettini claims his first victory since May.
September 24, 2025
Richard A. Brooks/Getty Images
Marton Fucsovics climbs seven spots to No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
By Jerome Coombe
On an exhilarating opening day at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, both Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov faced unexpected setbacks that left fans in disbelief.
Tiafoe fell to Marton Fucsovics, a qualifier, in a nail-biting match ending 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, marking his first opening-round hard-court defeat of the season (10-1). The 2022 Tokyo finalist battled fiercely in a rollercoaster final set filled with service breaks, but Fucsovics clinched the victory through a series of intense baseline rallies.
Tokyo Debut Delight! 👏
Marton Fucsovics takes down 8th seed Tiafoe (3-6 6-1 7-5) to advance to Round 2 @japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/YCM4fIq1Dw
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 24, 2025
With this win, Fucsovics improved his record to 3-2 against Tiafoe and soared to No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The Hungarian, who secured his third ATP Tour title in Winston-Salem last month, is set to face either Brandon Nakashima or Jordan Thompson next.
Shapovalov also experienced an early exit, falling victim to Daniel Altmaier, who secured his fifth Top 30 win of the year with a score of 7-5, 6-3. In his first match since marrying partner Mirjam Bjorklund, Shapovalov lamented missed chances in the opening set.
After leading 5-3, Shapovalov dropped four consecutive games and squandered four set points while serving at 5-4, allowing Altmaier to seize the momentum and complete a quick 90-minute victory. Altmaier is now just one spot away from his career high at No. 49 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
In other early matches, Matteo Berrettini achieved his first win since May by defeating Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-2. After a two-and-a-half month injury layoff, Berrettini returned to action in Hangzhou last week but suffered a tough loss to lucky loser Dalibor Svrcina.
Catch Extended Highlights of Day 1 action in Tokyo:
Despite hitting 28 unforced errors against Munar, the former World No. 6 Berrettini capitalized on his aggressive style, hitting 32 winners. He also saved all eight break points he encountered, as reported by Infosys ATP Stats, and will now take on fourth seed Casper Ruud or Japanese wildcard Shintaro Mochizuki.
Nuno Borges also advanced by defeating wild card Yosuke Watanuki 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, marking his personal-best 25th win of the season. Borges will next face either second seed Taylor Fritz or Gabriel Diallo in his Tokyo debut.
