Lakshya in semifinal, Prannoy-Double duo of Satwik/Chirag out of Japan Open
Lakshya ,who won the Canada Open Super 500 earlier this month, jumped out to a 5-3 lead early on before closing to 11-7 at the break.
Top seed Marin Cilic made quick work of Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday, winning 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round of the Japan Open.
The towering Croatian, runner-up to Roger Federer at this year’s Wimbledon, took just 73 minutes to complete a one-sided victory in Tokyo against a player ranked 110 places below him.
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World number five Cilic, a former US Open champion, rifled eight aces and totally dominated on serve on a speedy hardcourt surface that suits his power game.
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South African Kevin Anderson, who was beaten by Rafa Nadal in the US Open final last month, also advanced in straight sets, the fifth seed ousting Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-2, 7-6.
And controversial Australian Bernard Tomic recovered from a wobble to beat Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
In other matches, American Ryan Harrison overcame Japan’s Yusuke Takahashi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 while Frenchman Adrian Mannarino dumped out another local favourite, Go Soeda, 7-5, 7-6.
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