The 2016 edition of the Rakuten Japan Open is a tournament which suffered a major setback after its defending champion, Stan Wawrinka, pulled out with a back injury. The reigning U.S. Open champion might be absent, but native son Kei Nishikori will lead the field of strong contenders featuring Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych, Nick Kyrgios, David Goffin and Gael Monfils.
The competition in the 32-player main draw begins on Monday, October 3.
Event Details
Event: Rakuten Japan Open
Category: ATP World Tour – 500 Series
Date: October 3 -9 , 2016
Location: Ariake Coliseum – Tokyo, Japan
With a prize money allotment of just under 1.4 million dollars, the 500-point tournament is less than half as lucrative as the China Open in Beijing. This is the ATP event with the longest history in Asia, dating back to 1972. It has to be a source of frustration for local organizers that another tournament has been able to surpass it by such a wide margin.
The points structure under the ATP system is that the championship means 500 points. A runner-up finish is worth 300. A semifinal result is 180 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 90 points. A round-of-16 results provides 45 points.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2015 – Stan Wawrinka def. Benoit Paire – 6-2, 6-4
2014 – Kei Nishikori def. Milos Raonic – 7-6, 4-6, 6-4
2013 – Juan Martin del Potro def. Milos Raonic – 7-6, 4-6, 6-4
2012 – Kei Nishikori def. Milos Raonic – 7-6, 3-6, 6-0
2011 – Andy Murray def. Rafael Nadal – 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
Player Info:
It’s worth taking a look at three featured players in the tournament:
This year Kei Nishikori hasn’t enjoyed much success on the tour but is having a very solid season. The Japanese star made the finals of the Toronto Masters, beat Rafael Nadal to win bronze in the Rio Olympics, and made the semifinals of the U.S. Open. His best moment came at the quarterfinals in New York, where he notched his biggest win of his season, overcoming Andy Murray in five energy sapping sets. That four-hour victory took its toll on Nishikori as he visibly ran out of gas in the semifinals against Stan Wawrinka, falling 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 in hot and humid conditions. Nishikori will bid for his third Japan Open title after Benoit Paire upset him last year in three sets at the semifinal stage. Nishikori has only won one title. Of late, he has been playing some fabulous tennis and it’ll take an exceptional performance to beat the No. 1 seed in front of his home crowd.
Marin Cilic looked every inch a genuine title contender at the U.S. Open after he produced some of the best tennis of his career to win his first Masters title at the Western and Southern Open in Ohio. In an unexpected turn of events at the U.S. Open, he was shellacked in the third round by Jack Sock with ease. Cilic regrouped and recovered from his embarrassing straight sets demolition by beating the ATP’s new rising star Lucas Pouille in four sets and hammering Richard Gasquet in straight sets to power Croatia to the Davis Cup final. Cilic has had a mediocre 2016 by his standards and is 10th in the ATP race. He is currently in decent form and will be eyeing one of the eight spots in London for the World Tour Finals. It’ll be a surprise if he doesn’t go deep in to this tournament.
Nick Kyrgios has the talent to reach great heights, has flair and charisma to woo the crowd, audacity to pull off the shots that normal players dream of, and the raw power to dismantle his opponents. These are the ingredients which have made him a hot property in men’s tennis. However, he lacks consistency. In his opening round match against Kevin Anderson at the Chengdu Open, the second-seeded Kyrgios lost the plot after attaining a winnable position. He was up a set and a break and then led in the second set tiebreaker but somehow lost the 14-point tiebreaker from an advantageous position. The third set was a complete blowout loss which lasted only 20 minutes.
Kyrgios has won two titles but has failed to make an impact at the majors this season. Former tennis great Andre Agassi believes Kyrgios can go all the way and become World No. 1 if he fixes his attitude. If and when he makes that change is the question. The Japan Open has a strong field and it’ll be interesting to see how far his carefree attitude carries him in this tournament.
Ariake Coliseum
The facility is in step with the times. There are 48 courts at the Coliseum’s larger tennis facility, and the main stadium court itself has a retractable roof, ensuring tennis during rain or other inclement weather.
