Goffin to meet Chung in Japan Open quarters ANDY MURRAY UNHAPPY AT ATMOSPHERE

Tokyo, Oct. 3: David Goffin of Belgium advanced to the Japan Open quarterfinals after squeezing by Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 7-6(7/5), 7-6(7/2) on Thursday.

Both men kept all of their service games — with Shapovalov nailing 10 aces against third-seed Goffin’s four — in the close match that lasted nearly two hours.

Goffin, winner here in 2017, used his footwork to survive two break points while the big-serving Canadian kept up the pressure.

Goffin will now face Chung Hyeon of South Korea, who pulled an upset victory against sixth-seed Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

“It was tough. We were both really solid on our service games,” Goffin said of his match.

“But he (Shapovalov)

was serving so well. A lefty, serving everywhere. Great second serves as well. So it was tough to break him today. So I had to fight.”

Match data, however, provided proof that Goffin kept an edge above his opponent, landing 70 percent of his first serves, against 52 percent by Shapovalov.

Meanwhile Asian rising star Chung also submitted fiery tennis against the veteran Croat, with an early break in the first set giving him a head start toward victory.

The 23-year-old aced 11 times and logged one double fault, while Cilic suffered seven double faults with eight aces.

Chung was on fire throughout the match, having scored points on 90 percent of all of his successful first serves.

In the rest of the tournament, Japanese wild card Taro Daniel defeated Australian rival Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-6(7/3).

He will next face Australian qualifier John Millman, who defeated South African Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-2.

World number one Novak Djokovic is scheduled to play French fifthseed Lucas Pouille on Friday. Beijing, Oct. 3: Andy Murray expressed disappointment about crowds at the China Open tennis, where some of the best players in the world have competed in front of swathes of empty seats.

Poor attendances have been in the sporting headlines because of sparse turn-out at the World Athletics Championships in Doha.

And at the ongoing China Open in Beijing, the biggest matches have played out to rows of unoccupied seats at the cavernous Diamond Court, the main arena.

“I think as the tournament goes on you tend to get better crowds towards the end of the week,” Murray said after his last16 match on Wednesday.

“Last couple of days in terms of atmosphere it’s been not as good as you would like,” added the former number one.