ATP 500 Tokyo: our winner prediction for the Japanese tournament
by Cydias Aujard | by Cydias Aujard
No British players present
Last season, Jack Draper, the only British player in this Tokyo tournament (which tennis predictions are worth following), managed to reach the quarter-finals, losing to France's Ugo Humbert, but this season looks set to be very different. The 23-year-old talent will not be taking part, meaning there will not be a single British representative in the Japanese capital.
The new world no.1 will be there
In this edition, two big names are among the favourites to win the tournament. The first is Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, who will be seeded number one. Winner of last year's Beijing tournament, he is taking on Tokyo this season in exceptional form. Fresh from winning the US Open Grand Slam for the second time in his career after defeating Jannik Sinner in two finals at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, the new world number one is likely to arrive in Tokyo with little energy left. Although he has all the talent necessary to win the title, his motivation is likely to be slightly lower in this tournament, which could allow another big name to prevail in the final.
An American for the title
Taylor Fritz, seeded number 2, is back in this tournament, which he knows well having won the title in the 2022 season. A member of the top 10 for four seasons now, the 27-year-old American has won at least two titles each season for several years and always manages to add a hard court title to his annual tally. Winner of both the Eastbourne and Stuttgart grass-court tournaments, he arrives here determined to win in front of the Japanese crowd. A semi-finalist at Wimbledon this summer, the world number 5 also reached the semi-finals in Toronto on 7th August before reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open.
Having been stopped just short of the final and therefore another title this season, Taylor Fritz will be keen to avoid another disappointing return to the United States and should be able to prevail once again in the Japanese capital. What's more, his two victories in the Laver Cup against Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev should have given him the confidence he needs to string together another series of wins and go all the way to the title this time.
Our ATP 500 Tokyo winner prediction: Taylor Fritz wins the title!
