- Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki staged an astonishing comeback to defeat World No. 10 Taylor Fritz in the Japan Open, reaching the quarter-finals.
- Mochizuki’s triumph marks his first tour-level victory and comes after he rallied from a significant deficit in the third set.
- He is now set to face Alexei Popyrin in the next round, and his remarkable win has generated excitement and support from fans.
TOKYO (AP) — In a shocking upset at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki stunned World No. 10 Taylor Fritz in a thrilling second-round match. The 20-year-old Mochizuki, ranked 215th in the world, came back from a set down to defeat the defending champion Fritz 0-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) and advanced to the quarter-finals.
The match, which lasted for two hours and three minutes, saw a remarkable comeback from Mochizuki. Down 2-5 in the third set, he broke Fritz’s serve to love when it seemed that the American was on the verge of securing the victory. Buoyed by the vocal support of the home crowd, Mochizuki seized a 3-0 lead in the tie-break and clinched the win on his first match point.
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In the post-match interview, Mochizuki expressed his disbelief at the turn of events, saying, “I don’t really know what is happening right now. 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, who had earned his maiden tour-level win in the first round against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, is now the second Japanese player to defeat a Top 10 player this year, with Taro Daniel beating then-World No. 4 Casper Ruud in Acapulco.
After his stunning win against Fritz, Mochizuki celebrated with the crowd, and he is now set to face Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the quarter-finals. Popyrin secured his spot after overcoming Cristian Garin in a hard-fought match.
Earlier this year, Mochizuki won an ATP Challenger Tour event in Barletta, Italy, and his recent success in Tokyo has seen him climb 47 places to No. 168 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He currently holds the 22nd position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah.
Fritz’s elimination adds to the growing list of surprises at the Japan Open, where the top three seeds have been ousted early. Fritz was the highest-ranked American in the world and the defending champion, making his defeat all the more unexpected.
As the tournament unfolds, fans are left to wonder who will emerge as the new champion as top seeds continue to fall and exciting new talents like Shintaro Mochizuki make their mark on the tennis world.
