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Ben Shelton lifted the 2023 Japan Open trophy, ousting Aslan Karatsev in a keenly contested two-set final on Sunday.
The match started out with both players playing well and holding their serve with relative ease. There were no breaks in the first 10 games, but Shelton managed to strike in the nick of time to close out the tight opening set 7-5.
With a set in his pocket, the youngster grew in confidence and broke his opponent to start off the second set. He would go on to score two more breaks of serve to close out the match with relative ease 7-5, 6-1.
Shelton never dropped his serve in the contest, fending off the sole breakpoint that he faced with aplomb. He won a terrific 80% first-serve and 78% second-serve points.
The total prize pool at the Japan Open, an ATP 500 event, was $1,857,660. Shelton's run to the title fetched him a check worth $347,390. And while he came up short in the summit clash, it was a good payday for runner-up Aslan Karatsev too, as he earned $186,920 for his effort over the week.
Beaten semifinalists including home favorite Shintaro Mochizuki and Shelton's compatriot Marcos Giron, meanwhile, will each earn $99,615. The players who were eliminated in the quarterfinals will each pocket $50,895.
Being an ATP 500 event, the Japan Open had a field of 32 players. Those who were ousted in the second round will each be paid $27,170, while those beaten in the opening round itself will earn $14,490.
The Japan Open also had a qualification round featuring 16 players, who were vying for a spot in the main draw. The players who came up just short in doing so and lost in the final qualification round will each take home $7,425. Those who lost their opening qualification-round match, meanwhile, also take home some prize money nonetheless. They will each be handed out a $4,165 check.
Max Purcell and Rinky Hijikata won the men's doubles title at the Japan Open
The unseeded Australian pair of Max Purcell and Rinky Hijikata, meanwhile, won the men's doubles title at the Japan Open. The pair defeated compatriots Michael Venus and Jamie Murray in the final.
Purcell and Hijikata were on top of their games during the entirety of the contest, dropping only five games en route to the 6-4, 6-1 victory against their more-fancied opponents.
This is the first title for Hijikata and Purcell as a pair. They will earn a prize money check of $114,100. Runners-up Venus and Murray will pocket $60,860. The pairs who lost in the semifinals will each earn $30,800, while those making a quarterfinal exit will each be paid $15,390. The teams who were ousted in the opening round will take home $7,970 each.
