Here’s everything you need to know about the China Open and Japan Open – both live on Sky Sports this week – including who is playing in each tournament and the Brits involved…
Who is competing at the China Open?
The China Open in Beijing sees both a women’s and men’s singles tournament take place simultaneously – a WTA 1000 event and an ATP Tour 500 tournament.
Iga Swiatek won the women’s event in 2023, when the tournament returned for the first time in four years after disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the women’s world No 1, and five-time Grand Slam champion, withdrew last week ahead of her title defence, due to “personal matters”.
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Aryna Sabalenka battled past Jessica Pegula to win the US Open
Aryna Sabalenka, fresh from her US Open win, will now serve as the top seed, with Jessica Pegula – who she beat to the title at Flushing Meadows – seeded second. 2019 winner Naomi Osaka has been handed a wild card into the main draw, while two-time champion Caroline Wozniacki (2010, 2018) is also included in the field.
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Highlights of the US Open final between Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz
In the men’s tournament, world No 1 Jannik Sinner is back to defend his title, while last year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev also returns, as four of the world’s top five take part – along with Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz.
There is no Novak Djokovic, however. The six-time China Open champion has instead opted to rest up ahead of the Rolex Shanghai Masters 1000 event taking place next week.
Draper back in action at Japan Open
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Draper shows his optimism despite a semi-final exit to Sinner at the US Open
British men’s No 1 Jack Draper is playing in the Japan Open, another ATP Tour 500 tournament also live on Sky Sports this week.
The 22-year-old starred in the US Open as he reached a first career Grand Slam semi-final earlier this month, breaking into the world’s top 20 as a result.
“I want to get to the position where I’m consistently winning and playing at a high level week in, week out,” Draper said ahead of the Japan Open, where he is seeded 10th, and opens against Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci in a battle of the left-handers in Tokyo on Thursday – from 3am live on Sky Sports Tennis.
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“I want to have a good Asia swing and a good indoor season. The work’s not done yet. This period for me, I’ve played a lot of tennis and I’ve travelled a lot, it’s about looking after my body, making sure I don’t break down.
“I want to keep my motivation strong so that I can finish the year hopefully in a really strong way and then obviously have a prolonged pre-season and work really hard on my body and improve ready for next year.”
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Highlights of the US Open semi-final between Sinner and Draper
The winner of the match will face second seed Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.
The British No 1 experienced a disappointing Davis Cup campaign but he has already advanced in the doubles event with Czech partner Tomas Machac, beating Alexander Erler and Matwe Middelkoop 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 10-8.
What other Brits are involved in China?
Women’s British No 1 Katie Boulter is among the WTA 1000 field in Beijing
While Draper is flying the flag for Britain in Japan, Cameron Norrie has pulled out of the China Open as he continues to recover from a forearm injury that saw him withdraw from the US Open.
Women’s British No 1 Katie Boulter is among the WTA 1000 field in Beijing, seeded 28th, while Harriet Dart is also included in the entry list.
Heather Watson lost in the second round of qualifying at WTA Beijing to Zarina Diyas 6-0 6-2.
Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu has withdrawn with a foot injury, the former US Open winner explaining that she had sprained ligaments.
It is a tough injury for Raducanu as, with no ranking points to defend, she had a big opportunity to push on from her current ranking of 70th in the world over the next few weeks.
“I think the rest of the year, as long as I’m healthy, I’m going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can,” the 2021 US Open champion said recently.
“It’s something I’m really light on since the grass through the [Washington] DC period. I’ve not played many points, even in practice.
“For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can.”
Watch both the China Open and Japan Open, live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+ from Wednesday, September 25, with coverage of day one under way from 4am.
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
- Japan Open – ATP 500 (September 25-October 1)
- China Open – ATP 500 (September 26-October 2)
- China Open – WTA 1000 (September 25-October 6)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
