Roberto Carballes Baena stunned second seed Matteo Berrettini in a thriller at the Firenze Open, winning 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 in the last 16.

Berrettini edged a thrilling first set 7-5, which clocked in at 75 minutes long, and faced another stern challenge in the second.

At one point trailing 4-2, Berrettini fought back to set-up a tie-breaker that was equally tight, with Carballes Baena fighting back from 4-2 down to force a decider.

With the clock past the three-hour mark, Carballes Baena capped off a remarkable comeback in the third set to send Berrettini tumbling out of the tournament, coming back from a break down once again.

Earlier in the day, fourth seed Maxime Cressy was eliminated by American compatriot J.J. Wolf after a 6-3 6-4 defeat and fifth seed Aslan Karatsev was also eliminated, losing 6-1 6-7(6-8) 6-1 in a two-and-a-half-hour showdown.

At the Gijon Open, second seed Pablo Carreno Busta sealed a spot in the quarterfinals with a 6-4 7-6(3) victory over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, forcing three errors from Monteiro in the second-set tie-breaker.

Fifth seed Tommy Paul secured safe passage to the quarter-finals, beating Nicolas Alvarez Varona 6-3 7-6 (7-3), with Pedro Cachin and Sebastian Korda among the day's other winners.

Andy Murray recovered from a break down in the first set to surge into the second round of the Gijon Open with victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The three-time grand slam champion trailed 4-2 and 30-40 in the opener, but he saved break point with a brilliant volley before going on to hold and take command.

Murray won 10 of the next 13 games thereafter to claim a 7-5 6-2 win, and the former world number one felt Davidovich Fokina's frustration played a key role in the turnaround.

"In the first set, he was playing much better than me," said Murray, seeking his first ATP Tour title since prevailing in Antwerp in 2019.

"He had a lot of chances to get the second break of serve, and I managed to stay tough in those moments. At the 4-3 game, he played a bad game to give me the break back, and after that I started to play a little bit better.

"I think he was a bit frustrated, and then in the second set his level dropped a little bit, but the end of the first set was very important because he was playing very well and it was a difficult first set."

Murray will face either Pedro Cachin or qualifier Alexey Vatutin in the second round. Davidovich Fokina's fellow Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Albert Ramos-Vinolas lost to Ilya Ivashka and Marcos Giron respectively. There was victory for one home hope, though, as Nicolas Alvarez Varona moved into round two.

At the Firenze Open, Alexander Bublik secured his 100th Tour-level win with a straight-sets victory over Cristian Garin, while Mikael Ymer thrashed Tim van Rijthoven 6-1 6-2.

Oscar Otte and Brandon Nakashima were also victors in Florence on Tuesday.

Dominic Thiem produced a dominant display to cruise past Joao Sousa in the duo's first-round clash at the Gijon Open, only dropping two games for just the second time in his career.

The 2020 US Open winner did not face a single break point in his one-sided 6-2 6-0 victory on Monday, reaching the last 16 after 62 minutes.

It is just the second time in the Austrian's career he has lost as few as two games in a completed ATP-level match, having previously done so against Jaroslav Pospisil in 2013 (in a 6-1 6-1 win).

"Especially with the forehand, it was really good for basically the first time [since my injury]," Thiem said afterwards. "I'm very happy about it. This way is right, the direction is right."

Meanwhile, Argentina's Sebastian Baez was forced to retire when a set down to France's Constant Lestienne, and fifth seed Tommy Paul eased past 16-year-old home hope Martin Landaluce in straight sets.

Only one seed was in action at the Firenze Open on Monday, with Aslan Karatsev advancing courtesy of a walkover following an injury to Tallon Griekspoor. 

Taylor Fritz became the first American to win the Japan Open since Pete Sampras in 1996 after seeing off compatriot Frances Tiafoe with a victory that will take him into the top 10.

The 24-year-old beat Tiafoe in straight sets, though it was a tight affair as the match was decided via two tie-breaks, Fritz eventually triumphing 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) to clinch the ATP 500 event.

Nevertheless, Fritz looked the composed player for much of the contest as he created eight break chances to Tiafoe's three – though the latter managed to hang in for the most part.

The only breaks of serve came in back-to-back games early in the first set, with Tiafoe quickly hitting back before later holding off two set points to force a tie-break.

He would have been confident going into it after winning 13 successive singles tie-breaks prior to Sunday, but Fritz blew Tiafoe away in both, with the second coming at the end of a set in which neither player gave an inch.

A third tournament victory of 2022 ensures Fritz will break into the top 10 on Monday and provides a real boost to his hopes of qualifying for the end-of-season ATP Finals.

"Crazy, I don't even think it's set in just how fast the last four or five days have been," Fritz said afterwards.

"It's so crazy, and I couldn't have written it any better. It's exactly what I needed for the race [to Turin for the ATP Finals], for my ranking, to kind of put me in a good position for the end of the year, so it's amazing."

Fritz will be eighth in the world when the new rankings are released, making him the first American man to break the top 10 since Jack Sock did so in 2017.

Novak Djokovic claimed the 90th ATP Tour title of his illustrious career after landing the Astana Open crown with a straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Serbian also secured a place at next month's ATP Finals in Turin after prevailing 6-3 6-4 in just 75 minutes.

It was Djokovic's fourth piece of silverware of the season – adding to his triumphs in Wimbledon, Rome and Tel Aviv – and stretched his winning streak to nine matches.

The 21-time major winner had prevailed in each of his last six encounters with Tsitsipas and claimed a crucial break in game eight of the opening set, before serving it out to draw first blood.

Seeking his maiden ATP 500 title at the ninth attempt, Tsitsipas was aiming to join Djokovic in becoming only the second male player to win a tour-level title on all three surfaces this season.

However, the Greek ace hit 25 unforced errors throughout the contest to his opponent's seven and was broken again in game five of the second set.

Djokovic, who won 33 of his 38 first-serve points and did not face a single break point, subsequently sealed victory with a brilliant backhand winner to make it back-to-back titles following last week's triumph in Tel Aviv.

"I always hoped that I would be going to have a great career. Obviously, [I] didn't know the amount of finals I was going to play, the amount of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport.

"I'm just very grateful and blessed to be able to play this well at this stage of my life. I think the experience, probably, in these kinds of matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way.

"I could not ask for a better restart of the season. I'm super-pumped and motivated to end the season as well as I have done these past couple of weeks."

Novak Djokovic progressed to the Astana Open final after Daniil Medvedev retired from their last-four clash due to injury.

The two played out a thrilling first two sets, with Medvedev taking the lead before Djokovic fought back to level the match via a tie-break.

However, the Russian was unable to continue after sustaining a leg injury, keeping Djokovic in the hunt for back-to-back titles when he competes in the showpiece, where he will face Stefanos Tsitsipas.

"I really hope that his injury is nothing too serious,” said Djokovic. "I know Daniil, he's a great guy, he's a fighter, he's a big competitor.

"He wouldn't retire a match if he didn't feel that he [could] continue or [if it wouldn't] worsen his injury. He told me that he pulled an adductor muscle in his leg.

"It was such a close match, particularly in the second set. I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets. I was fighting and trying to find a way.

"I found a way to win the second, but I'm just sad for the tournament and for these people who were enjoying the battle, and for Daniil that it had to end this way."

Third seed Tsitsipas started slowly in the first set against Andrey Rublev but managed to triumph 4-6 6-4 6-3 in Saturday's other semi-final.

"My mentality kind of changed," said Tsitsipas, who will seek his first ATP 500 title at the ninth attempt. "I played with more of an aggressive game style and didn’t have anything by luck."

At the Japan Open, Taylor Fritz battled back from 3-1 down in the deciding set against Denis Shapovalov to claim a 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 semi-final victory and book his place in his third ATP Tour final this season.

Third seed Fritz faces an all-American clash in Sunday's final against Frances Tiafoe, who dropped his first set of the week as Soonwoo Kwon bageled him, but the US Open semi-finalist recorded a 6-2 0-6 6-4 win.

"It was a weird match, but I'm happy to get through," said Tiafoe, who progressed into his second final of the season and fifth overall.

"It's not always going to be pretty, it's not always going to be the best stuff, but a win is what matters."

Novak Djokovic set up a semi-final meeting with Daniil Medvedev at the Astana Open on Friday, cruising past Karen Khachanov in the last eight.

Djokovic complemented a fine display of serving by converting three of his five break points in a 6-4 6-3 victory, recording his seventh consecutive win following his absence from the US Open.

The 21-time grand slam champion has now reached six semi-finals this year, but saw room for improvement in his performance after beating the world number 18.

"I didn't play as well from the baseline as I did in the first two matches, but still it was enough," Djokovic said. "I managed to produce some good tennis when it was most needed in both sets."

Looking ahead to his final-four match, the Serb added: "I always expect highs from myself. Hopefully I can elevate still the level of my game for tomorrow, because it's going to be needed." 

Djokovic will face an 11th tour-level meeting with Medvedev in the next round after his fellow former world number one recorded a dominant 6-1 6-1 win over Roberto Bautista Agut.

On the other side of the draw, third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (10-8) 6-3, and will now face Andrey Rublev after he eased to a 6-1 6-2 win over Adrian Mannarino.

At the Japan Open, a knee injury forced Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios to withdraw from his meeting with Taylor Fritz, with the American set to take on Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals.

Seventh seed Shapovalov saw off Borna Coric 6-4 6-3 to reach the final four, while fourth seed Frances Tiafoe advanced with a 6-0 6-4 win against Miomir Kecmanovic.

South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo claimed the final place in the semi-finals in Tokyo, beating Spain's Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-0

Novak Djokovic is feeling "physically fresh and mentally motivated" after maintaining his positive form with victory over Botic Van De Zandschulp in round two of the Astana Open.

The Serbian brushed aside Cristian Garin in his opener and did likewise in Thursday's match with Van De Zandschulp, prevailing in just 71 minutes in the Kazakh capital.

Djokovic has now won six matches in a row and is seeking back-to-back titles after triumphing at the Tel Aviv Open last week – his 89th ATP singles crown.

He reeled off five games in a row in the second set to advance 6-3 6-1, with that his 30th tour-level victory of the year.

And as Djokovic nears the end of a rather mixed season, the 21-time grand slam winner is in the mood to add further titles to his collection.

"My season is different from any other so don't look at my season in comparison to others," he said in his post-match interview.

"I haven't played for over three months before Israel so I definitely am physically and mentally motivated to do well."

Awaiting Djokovic in the quarter-final is Karen Khachanov, who eliminated Marin Cilic with a 2-6 6-3 6-3 comeback victory.

World number four Daniil Medvedev also advanced thanks to a 6-3 6-2 win over Emil Ruusuvuori, while Hubert Hurkacz beat Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-4.

At the Japan Open, third seed Taylor Fritz defeated Hiroki Moriya in three sets and will now face fifth seed Nick Kyrgios, who recovered to beat Kamil Majchrzak 3-6 6-2 6-2.

Denis Shapovalov, looking to build on his run to the Seoul Open final, got the better of home hope Rio Noguchi with a 6-3 6-1 win to advance to the quarter-finals.

Novak Djokovic breezed past Cristian Garin in the Astana Open, taking just 62 minutes to secure a 6-1 6-1 victory in his opening match of the ATP 500 event.

Having won his 89th tour-level title on Sunday in Tel Aviv without dropping a single set, fourth-seed Djokovic wasted no time in securing a win to set up a second-round clash against Botic van de Zandschulp.

Also in Kazakhstan, third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas made hard work of his second-round tie against Luca Nardi, requiring two tie breaks in a two-hour showdown in a 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) victory to secure a spot in the last eight.

Andrey Rublev, Roberto Bautista Agut and Adrian Mannarino also sealed their places in the quarter-finals at the Astana Open on Wednesday, while Marin Cilic and Emil Ruusuvuori won their first-round matches.

Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz defeated James Duckworth 6-2 6-7 6-1 in the Japan Open, where there was also a victory for Denis Shapovalov against Steve Johnson.

In the doubles, top seeds Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis overcame home duo Yoshihito Nishioka and Kaichi Uchida, with second seeds Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell also progressing past the round of 16 stage.

Carlos Alcaraz was dumped out of the Astana Open in the first round on Tuesday, suffering a surprise 7-5 6-3 defeat to David Goffin.

Goffin entered the draw as a lucky loser after squandering two match points to lose his final qualification match against Luca Nardi on Sunday, but he produced a fine display to see off the world number one in one hour and 46 minutes. 

The Belgian had to rediscover his composure to take the opener after throwing away a 5-2 lead, but ultimately deserved his straight-sets win over the US Open champion. 

Speaking on court after his victory, Goffin said: "I always believe that I have the level to cause some trouble against those guys. 

"When you play against the world number one on a big stage, big crowd, the fire inside gives you so much power to play your best tennis because you don't have any choice."

Stefanos Tsitsipas was the only other seed in action in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, and he advanced to the round of 16 by beating home favourite Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3 6-4.

The Tokyo Open also lost its top seed, as Casper Ruud fell to a 6-3 6-3 loss to Jaume Munar, who claimed his first top-10 win since beating Alexander Zverev in 2019.

But the likes of Borna Coric and Nick Kyrgios fared better, claiming straight-sets wins over Thanasi Kokkinakis and Tseng Chun-hsin, respectively.

Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios only dropped four further points on his serve after being forced to save a break point in his opening service game, racing to a dominant 6-3 6-1 win.

Elsewhere, eighth seed Dan Evans fought back to beat Radu Albot 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 6-4, and Alex de Minaur lost 6-3 6-2 to Kwon Soon-woo. 

Nick Kyrgios' lawyers will apply for the tennis star's assault charge to be dismissed on mental health grounds, an Australian court was told on Tuesday.

Kyrgios was charged in July of this year in relation to the alleged assault of a former partner in January 2021.

The 27-year-old, who has enjoyed a fine season in 2022, reaching the final of Wimbledon and the last eight at the US Open, was not present for a hearing in Canberra on Tuesday, as he features in the Japan Open.

Michael Kukulies-Smith, who is representing Kyrgios, asked for the case to be adjourned so forensic mental health reports could be prepared.

The case was duly adjourned to February 3, 2023 by magistrate Glenn Theakston. It is then expected Kyrgios' legal representatives will apply to have the case dismissed, with Kukulies-Smith stating he was making the application having reviewed Kyrgios' "medical history since 2015, including public disclosures of his mental health struggles".

Australian law dictates that magistrates have the power to dismiss a charge if they believe an accused person is mentally impaired, and that dealing with a charge in such a manner would be of benefit to both the defendant and the community.

Kyrgios could face two years in prison should he be handed a maximum sentence.

World number nine Andrey Rublev comfortably beat qualifier Laslo Djere 6-4 6-3 to secure his place in the second round of the Astana Open.

The fifth seed found a crucial break of serve when leading the opener 5-4 to take the first set in Kazakhstan, before winning the next three games to put himself in the ascendancy in the second.

And despite a desperate last stand to stay in the match from Djere, Rublev held serve three times with relative ease to finish off his Serbian opponent.

Eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime served 14 aces to Roberto Bautista-Agut's two in their first-round match, but it was the Spaniard who advanced with a 6-4 7-6 (8-6) success.

Meanwhile, world number 10 Hubert Hurkacz overcame Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets.

Adrian Mannarino, the runner-up in Astana in 2020, came from a set down to beat Stan Wawrinka – playing as a wildcard – 1-6 6-2 6-3, and qualifier Zhizhen Zhang romped to victory with a superb third set to seal a 4-6 6-4 6-1 comeback win of his own over Aslan Karatsev.

At the Tokyo Open, fourth seed Frances Tiafoe cruised into the second round with a 6-3 6-4 triumph over Yasutaka Uchiyama, one of three Japanese players who crashed out at the first-round stage of their home tournament.

Uchiyama's countrymen Taro Daniel and Shintaro Mochizuki also tasted defeat at the hands of Bernabe Zapata Miralles and Brandon Nakashima, respectively.

Novak Djokovic scooped his 89th career title with victory over Marin Cilic in Sunday's Tel Aviv Open final.

Playing his first singles event since winning Wimbledon in July, Djokovic landed a 6-3 6-4 victory, improving his career head-to-head winning record to 19-2 against former US Open champion Cilic.

He broke serve to lead 3-1 in the opening set, and then struck immediately in the second set to tighten his grip on the contest, completing the task with a service winner on his first championship point.

This indoor hard-court success goes down as a third title of the year for Djokovic, who won the Internazionali d'Italia on clay before triumphing on the Wimbledon grass. He is the first man to win a title on all three surfaces in 2022 at ATP Tour level.

Prevented from playing the North American hard-court stretch of the season, due to his refusal to accept a COVID-19 vaccination, Djokovic sat out the US Open.

He made his first post-Wimbledon appearance at the invitational Laver Cup team event in London last week, which doubled up as Roger Federer's retirement party.

At the age of 35, Djokovic hopes to be a presence on tour for a good while to come, and Sunday's straight-sets picking apart of Cilic was a fresh demonstration of his enduring prowess.

Marc-Andrea Husler beat world number 31 Holger Rune 6-4 7-6 (10-8) to become the Sofia Open champion and earn his first tour-level title.

Rune reached Sunday's decider with a semi-final triumph over top seed Jannik Sinner, who was bidding to win three straight titles in Sofia.

But it was Husler who took the first set, breaking his Danish opponent in the first game of the match before holding in all five of his service games to clinch the opener.

The second set was another tight affair, as both players continued to dominate on their serve. However, the match hit a crucial juncture with Rune leading the second set 6-5, as he spurned two set points to break Husler and level the final up.

Husler survived to take the second set to a tie-break, though Rune again had the opportunity to make it one set apiece as he failed to convert another two set points in the tie-break.

And Husler took advantage with two crucial breaks of Rune's serve to seal the victory and become the first Swiss player to win an ATP Tour title since Roger Federer in 2019.

"I am completely taken aback," Husler said in his on-court interview.

"I am lost for words. It was a great match. I played a great, great match for sure. I just tried to stay focused, stayed calm and I am just really happy I was able to make it."

Yoshihito Nishioka produced an impressive display to shock Denis Shapovalov in the Korea Open final and win his first ATP Tour title in four years.

The Japanese player earned a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) triumph in a competitive contest against fourth seed Shapovalov on Sunday that lasted just under two hours.

Victory gave Nishioka his first trophy since the Shenzhen Open in 2018 and capped a memorable week that also saw him defeat top seed Casper Ruud at the ATP 250 event in Seoul.

Nishioka took a big step towards the second title of his career by breaking Shapovalov at a crucial moment when he was 5-4 up in the opener, both players having earlier saved break points.

His Canadian opponent was in the ascendancy after claiming an early break in the second set but Nishioka fought back from 3-1 down to force a tie-break and then won four of the first five points in the breaker.

Despite Shapovalov reducing the deficit, he was consigned to defeat when he sent a forehand wide, Nishioka dropping to his knees in delight after converting his second match point.

Shapovalov, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, has now lost in four consecutive ATP final appearances and still has just one career title to his name.