[Singles – First Round] Matteo Arnaldi (Italy) def. Rei Sakamoto, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

■ Sakamoto, making his first appearance in the main draw, let a major upset slip away. He took the opening set from a difficult opponent, world No. 37 with a performance that was close to flawless. However, in the second and third sets, which remained tightly contested until the latter stages, pressure mounted on his service games, and he was broken in similar circumstances in both sets. In the deciding set, Sakamoto began to gain a slight edge midway through and even had break points, making it all the more frustrating that he was unable to take that extra step.

■ Sakamoto spoke candidly about the reason for the defeat: “It was clearly mental. I became too tentative.” At 3-4 and 4-5, he repeatedly found himself in situations where he could not afford to drop his service game. Under pressure, he became unable to swing freely on his groundstrokes, allowing his opponent to gain the upper hand more often. His serve was his main weapon, but his first-serve percentage dropped at crucial moments. Sakamoto analyzed the situation this way: “I didn’t want the points to turn into rallies. I wanted them to end with just one serve, so I started forcing it. My timing on the serves became too fast, and I couldn’t get use the load off my lower body.” He was unable to break out of this vicious cycle.

■ At the US Open, Sakamoto defeated Kei Nishikori (Uniqlo) comfortably in the final round of qualifying. Then, in a closely contested first-round match in the main draw, he remained aggressive and composed and defeated Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic, ranked No. 96 in the world. Yet, at times, that “tentativeness” resurfaces. Sakamoto says he is prepared for the mental challenge to “follow me for the rest of my life.” In this match, he was struck by the difference between himself and a top player like Arnaldi: even in pressure-filled situations, Arnaldi did not become overly fixated on the point in front of him; instead, he simply executed the tennis he needed to play. It was a narrow defeat, but one that offered Sakamoto plenty to learn from.

(Japan Tennis Association)