M 1000 INDIAN WELLS.. by G Matteazzi.
Japanese tennis player Yosuke Watanuki reached the top 75 in October 2023, but no one remembers him. Absent for most of last season due to a knee injury, the 26-year-old entered this week’s Indian Wells, the first Masters 1000 of the year, ranked 349th. He made it through the qualifiers and, after main draw victories over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik (ranked 82nd), Czech Tomas Machac (20th), and last night against American Frances Tiafoe (17th) by 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), he became the lowest-ranked player to reach the round of 16 in the California desert since 2004, when Germany’s Tommy Haas did so as world No. 882.
“I’m speechless. I can’t find the words, but I’m very happy to be here, playing. I got injured last year, so I’m just really happy to be competing on the court,” said the 26-year-old, born in Saitama.