tokyo

Britain’s Sonay Kartal won on her return to the WTA Tour after almost six months out with injury as she beat Andrea Lazaro Garcia at the China Open.

The 24-year-old injured her lower back at Indian Wells in March and only made her return to tennis at the Billie Jean King Cup on 22 September.

Kartal, who narrowly lost to Czech world number 26 Marie Bouzkova on that return last week, produced a confident performance in Beijing to beat Spain’s Lazaro Garcia 6-2 6-3.

The Briton broke the qualifier’s serve five times – helped by four double faults from her opponent – and landed 69% of her first serves.

World number 129 Kartal will face Chinese 31st seed Wang Xinyu next as she bids to work her way back up the world rankings.

Fellow Briton Cameron Norrie lost 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 to US Open champion and world number two Alexander Zverev, while Harriet Dart is in action later on Thursday.

Elsewhere, British number one Arthur Fery fell 6-4 3-6 6-4 to Portuguese lucky loser Jaime Faria in the Japan Open first round.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz claimed a rusty 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-1 win over Alex Michelsen as he made his return to the ATP Tour.

Spanish world number three Alcaraz was sidelined for just over five months with a wrist injury before returning at the US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz struggled on serve against Michelsen, committing five double faults to five aces.

However, he saved five of the 13 break points he faced to advance and set up a second-round meeting with Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi.

Denmark’s Holger Rune also lost on his first ATP Tour appearance for almost a year.

Former world number four Rune tore his Achilles tendon in October 2025 and has since dropped out of the top 100.

He was beaten 6-3 6-1 by France’s Kyrian Jacquet in Tokyo.

Storm is moving northeast of Japan’s eastern coast across the Pacific, leaving a path of destruction behind.

A powerful storm has triggered evacuation advisories for more than 1.6 million people, causing widespread travel chaos, flooding and landslides near Tokyo.

On Monday, Typhoon Dujuan packed wind speeds of about 144 kilometres (89 miles) per hour as it moved 130km (80 miles) south of Katsuura, near the Japanese capital, cutting power to thousands of households.

Two people have been confirmed dead, Kyodo News reported, citing local authorities.

By early Tuesday, the storm had shifted away from the coast and was heading northeast out to sea towards the Aleutian Islands, with slightly diminished winds, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

In areas where warnings have been issued, “there’s a risk the rain will continue as the typhoon moves north”, the JMA’s Takuya Hosomi said.

Passengers were stranded at airports after Japan Airlines cancelled 135 flights and All Nippon Airways scrapped 140 on Monday.

Some rail services were suspended, including bullet train services connecting Tokyo and Osaka, Japan Railways said.

The JMA warned on Sunday that rain and winds were expected to intensify even before the typhoon’s arrival.

“The total rainfall through Tuesday could exceed the average monthly rainfall for September, resulting in record-breaking heavy rain,” the agency said.

Social media posts showed images of flooded roads in front of Kamakura station, a popular sightseeing spot.

“There is flooding in various parts of the city, so travelling by car is dangerous,” Kamakura Mayor Takashi Matsuo said on X.

Floodwaters also inundated parts of Ichikawa, east of Tokyo.

Dujuan forced the early closure of the Tokyo Game Show, one of the world’s biggest video game trade fairs, on Monday, its final day.

A major outdoor music festival and a baseball match, both scheduled to be held in Chiba, were also cancelled.

Dujuan is Japan’s 25th typhoon this year. The country often sees strong typhoons in the late summer and early autumn.