ATP Tour

Munar upsets ailing Fritz in Tokyo opener, Rune makes ATP Tour return

Jaume Munar earned the biggest win of his season on Thursday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where the Spaniard kept his composure to upset a physically hampered Taylor Fritz in Tokyo.

The 29-year-old Spaniard rallied from a set down to record an impressive 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3 victory against the 2022 champion Fritz at the hard-court ATP 500 event. Munar, after letting slip six set points in the first set, crucially saved two break points on serve at 3-4 in the second set, eventually securing victory in two hours and 57 minutes.

"Huge battle today. He is a great player and I have a lot of respect for him," Munar said. "We have already played three times... Today, I knew he was coming from Europe and it is never easy, but I was just trying to keep focus on my serve and my side of the court."

Third seed Fritz appeared to struggle physically throughout Thursday's encounter, frequently bending between points and receiving treatment early in the second set. The American still produced flashes of brilliance, but it was Munar who remained steady through pressure. The Spaniard finished having saved seven of the eight break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

With the triumph, the 29-year-old earned his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head win in three attempts against Fritz. The Spaniard will next face Jaime Faria. Earlier in the day, lucky loser Faria battled past Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Fritz's hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals have taken a hit following his latest defeat. The American, who reached the title match at the prestigious year-end event in 2024, is currently 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but is likely to fall further this week, with a number of his close competitors still alive in Tokyo and Beijing.

In other action, 2024 finalist Ugo Humbert upset fifth seed Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-3 in 70 minutes to advance to the second round. The Frenchman did not face a single break point throughout the 70-minute clash. With the victory, Humbert earned his fourth win in as many meetings with the American.

Elsewhere, Luciano Darderi also earned an upset win Thursday at the Japanese ATP 500 event. The Italian ousted sixth seed Casper Ruud 7-6(3), 6-3 in one hour and 48 minutes. The 24-year-old will next face recent Hangzhou semi-finalist Kyrian Jacquet, who defeated Holger Rune 6-3, 6-1 in 54 minutes. Rune was competing in his first ATP Tour match since last October.