[Singles Qualifying 1st Round]
○ Rei Sakamoto  6-2, 6-4  ● Adam Walton (AUS)

■In his winner's interview on court, Sakamoto reflected and said , "It was my best match." He began by breaking his opponent's serve twice in a row and took the first set. Although the second set was tighter, he broke Walton's serve at 4-4, and then served out the match without dropping a single point in the game, securing a solid win. Sakamoto played aggressively as he had planned, proudly saying, "In most points, especially during my service games, I think I controlled the rallies and took the initiative."

■Last year in the 1st round of qualifying, Sakamoto was defeated by Luca Nardi (ITA), managing to get only 4 games in total. He admitted, "The match was completely at my opponent's pace. I was nervous and my mind was blank the whole time." While still feeling nervous on this day, he said, "I was able to translate that nervous energy into something positive," and never lost focus on his own game. Nardi, at that time of their match, had a career-high ranking of 70, and with Walton being ranked similarly at 75, Sakamoto’s 6-2, 6-4 win is a testament to his growth over the past year. When asked about the Japanese fans’ expectation for him to excel further, he answered with a certain eloquence, "Yes, I think I’ve become someone people can’t help cheering for. It's fun.

(Japan Tennis Association)