Fritz loses to wild-card Mochizuki at Japan Open

Tennis

TOKYO — Taylor Fritz was eliminated from the Japan Open on Thursday after losing to Japanese wild-card Shintaro Mochizuki 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the second round.

The 20-year-old Mochizuki, ranked 215th in the world, trailed 5-2 in the third set before forcing the deciding tiebreaker. It was his first win over a top-10 player.

“I don’t really know what is happening right now,” said Mochizuki, who advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time. “I lost the first set so easy, so quick. Everyone knows he is a great player but I kept fighting and that is all I could do. I am so happy. I don’t know how, but I won the match.”

Mochizuki will next play Alexei Popyrin, who rallied from a set and a break down to beat qualifier Cristian Garin 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Alex de Minaur became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to make 10 tour-level quarterfinals in a season. He beat Diego Schwartzman 6-0, 7-5 .

De Minaur, ranked 13th, will next play either Zhang Zhizhen or Aslan Karatsev.

Articles You May Like

Autumn internationals: 20-minute red cards, shot clocks explained
Tyler, the Creator name-drops Coco Gauff in new album
Du Plessis wants Chimaev, not Strickland, next
Banchero scores 50, with 37 in ‘magical first half’
Raptors’ Barnes out weeks with orbital fracture

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *