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Three Points

🎾 A repeat performance?: Much was made a week ago when Taylor Fritz defeated Carlos Alcaraz in San Francisco at Laver Cup. It’s understandable. Fritz played a near-perfect match against the world number one. But, as I asked on social media, can Fritz repeat that performance when it matters? He’ll have his chance to answer that question in the final of Tokyo after defeating Jenson Brooksby in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-3, and Alcaraz took three sets to defeat Casper Ruud, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

  • What he said: “Honestly, just by botting,” Fritz said when asked how he won. “I served insanely well: High percentage first serves and spots too. It felt like any game that I didn’t hit three aces, he was really outplaying me from the baseline. I was able to hang in on my serve, and then capitalise on that scoreboard pressure. My serve got me through it.”
  • And what he said: “I know he’s playing great tennis lately,” Alcaraz said of Fritz. “Since the Laver Cup against me, against Zverev, and here in this tournament, he’s feeling great and really comfortable on the court. Everything is different since San Francisco... But it’s another challenge for me and I’m looking forward to it.”
  • Noteworthy: Fritz will be wise to test Alcaraz’s movement since it remains unclear where things stand after the world number one took a spill in his first-round match, tweaking his left ankle.

🎾 Shanghai’s in play: The Masters 1000 event in Shanghai released the singles draw on Monday. Prepare for another two-week event in which there are only men, which guarantees a mid-tournament slump.

  • First-rounders: Also prepare for some spicy first-round matches, such as Marin Cilic vs. Corentin Moutet — a repeat face-off from just two weeks ago when they played during Davis Cup (it was a highly testy affair). Can Matteo Berrettini overcome his doubts and Adrian Mannarino to win his first match on a big stage since Wimbledon? And can Stan Wawrinka prove that he deserved the wild card by taking down Fabian Marozsan? More questions to come after qualifying has completed play.

🎾 Not again: Another player. Another round of insulting comments in China. Another CYA apology. This time it was top 10 player Lorenzo Musetti who lost his cool and took it out on Chinese fans during his match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Beijing.

  • What he said: “They are always coughing, these fucking Chinese. They are always coughing, for fuck’s sake. They cough every three seconds,” he said in Italian during the match.
  • The apology: “I would like to sincerely apologize for what I said in frustration yesterday during my match,” Musetti posted on social media. “My words were directed only at a few individuals in the crowd who were coughing repeatedly and disturbing the play. They were never, in any way, meant for the Chinese people. It happened in a moment of stress and tension in the second tiebreak, but still, this is no excuse at all.”

And, that’s game.

On The Radar

More tennis matches we’re monitoring today:

Beijing - WTA 1000 (Hard)

  • Belinda Bencic vs. Coco Gauff (4th round)
  • Karolina Muchova vs. Amanda Anisimova (4th round)
  • Jasmine Paolini vs. Marie Bouzkova (4th round)
  • Eva Lys vs. McCartney Kessler (4th round)

Beijing - ATP 500 (Hard)

  • Jannik Sinner vs. Alex de Minaur (Semifinals)
  • Learner Tien vs. Daniil Medvedev (Semifinals)

Tokyo - ATP 500 (Hard)

  • Carlos Alcaraz vs. Taylor Fritz (Final)

*ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai to begin later this week.

📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.

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