TOKYO – Former UCLA men’s tennis standout Marcos Giron, winner of the 2014 NCAA singles championship as a member of the Bruins, advanced to the singles semifinal round at the 2023 Japan Open Tennis Championships after starting his time at the Ariake Coliseum in the qualifying rounds.
Giron had his run stopped Saturday by Ben Shelton in a three-set thriller. Giron beat ATP top-20 players Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud in the semifinal and quarterfinal rounds, respectively. The ATP 500 semifinal-round appearance marked the first of Giron’s career.
Giron, who entered play ranked No. 79 on the ATP’s singles list, was tasked with taking down Japanese counterparts Kaichi Uchida and Yasutaka Uchiyama to earn a spot in the main draw. Giron would accomplish both in straight sets, besting Uchida 6-4, 6-3 and Uchiyama 6-3, 6-2. Those victories set up a first-round meeting with another opponent from the host country, Yoshihito Nishioka, who entered the match ranked No. 44 in the world. A marathon first set went Giron’s way following a 16-14 tiebreaker, but Nishioka answered by taking the second. Giron made a statement in the third, surrendering just one game en route to a 7-6(14), 4-6, 6-1 win.
Next up was Ruud of Norway, the tournament’s No. 2 seed and World No. 8. The 6-3, 6-4 decision represents Giron’s third career triumph over a top-10 player – and second of 2023. He previously knocked off No. 6 Holger Rune of Denmark at August’s Canadian Open and No. 10 Matteo Berrettini of Italy at the 2020 Paris Masters.
The quarterfinal round saw Giron down No. 8 seed and World No. 17 Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-4. Then, in a matchup of NCAA singles champions (Shelton won while at Florida in 2022), Giron and Shelton traded tiebreaker wins in the first two sets. Giron took the final seven points of the first, but Shelton was able to answer.
From qualifying to final four ??
Marcos Giron topples Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-4 to reach his first ATP 500 semi-final.#kinoshitajotennis | @japanopentennis pic.twitter.com/xHiphe2TW0
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 20, 2023
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