World No. 1 Rafael Nadal outclassed Nick Kyrgios, 6-2, 6-1, to bag his second China Open title Sunday and strengthen his bid for the year-end No. 1. Nadal extended his winning streak to 12 matches and remained undefeated since returning to the top spot on August 21. He also fortified his hold on the No. 1 spot, padding his lead over Roger Federer to 2,360 points. The title was the sixth for Nadal this year and the No. 75 of his career. Nadal moved to within two titles of tying John McEnroe for fourth on the Open Era list. He won the China Open crown, 12 years after he bagged his first trophy in the Chinese capital in 2005.
Nadal saved four break points and capitalized on Kyrgios’ 35 unforced errors to clinch the victory in one hour and 22 minutes and improve to 3-2 against the Australian. Nadal also avenged his loss to Kyrgios at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati. After the match, Kyrgios praised Nadal’s outstanding form and criticized his own play after a remarkable showing against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. Despite the loss, Kyrgios moved to 15th spot in the Emirates ATP Race To London, staying in the hunt for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals.
David Goffin captures Japan Open crown
Fourth seed David Goffin bagged the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2017 crown after beating Adrian Mannarino, 6-3, 7-5, in Sunday’s final with Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako among the spectators.
Goffin captured his fourth ATP World Tour title after 84 minutes of play. The win also moved Goffin to No. 8 in the race to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from November 12 to 19 at The O2 in London.
“It’s a really special trophy for me, as I won the tournament last week and now have again today,” said Goffin, who brings his nine-match winning streak to China where he will see action at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
The win improved Goffin’s record against Mannarino to 3-0. The 29-year-old Mannarino remained winless in four in ATP World Tour finals but he left Tokyo with $165,170 in prize money and 300 ranking points. Despite the loss, Mannarino is elated with his campaign this season, calling it “my best so far.”
Lucas Pouille opens Shanghai campaign with win
Lucas Pouille, seeded 15th in the event, opened his Shanghai Rolex Masters campaign with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Daniil Medvedev.
Pouille will next face Fabio Fognini, who defeated fellow veteran Fernando Verdasco in three sets. In other matches, Jared Donaldson defeated Pablo Cuevas, 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-4 in 2 hours and 21 minutes, while Gilles Simon ousted wild card Yibing Wu, 6-3, 6-4.
