Valentin Vacherot vs Arthur Fils — QF — Japan Open

Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reached the Japan Open semifinals with a three-set quarterfinal win over Arthur Fils, who won this title in 2024. Fils was ranked ATP No. 9, nine places above the eighth-seeded Vacherot, and the betting market had made him a 77 percent favorite. Fils broke in game 5 of both the opening and deciding sets for a 3-2 lead, and Vacherot recovered each time. He broke in game 10 of the first set for 5-5 and took it 7-5. Fils's lone break of the second set came in game 7, for 4-3, and he won that set 6-4 to level the match. In the third, Vacherot broke back in game 8 for 4-4 and went on to take the set 6-4. He won 81 percent of his first-serve points in that set and finished with 14 aces to Fils's six. The win reverses the result of their only previous meeting on record, a three-set loss to Fils in the Miami Open round of 16 in March. Vacherot arrived in Tokyo having won two of his previous eight matches and has now won three straight.