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• Gauff focused on serving up goods under new coach Daly

  Coco Gauff says her main focus is on improving her serve after adding Matt Daly to her coaching team ahead of the China Open.

  Daly, who has previously coached former Wimbledon semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov, has linked up with Gauff and her long-term mentor Jean-Christophe Faurel, following her split with Brad Gilbert earlier this month.

  The world number six is gearing up for her first tournament since her US Open title defence ended at the hands of Emma Navarro in round four at Flushing Meadows.

  Gauff, who hit 19 double-faults during that defeat, has failed to progress beyond the last 16 in any of her last five events, having previously reached three successive semi-finals at the Italian Open, French Open and Berlin Open.

  But the 20-year-old is looking forward to a fresh start, and is already seeing the benefits of her work with Daly, ahead of facing Clara Burel in Beijing on Friday.

  "There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve," she told the WTA Insider.

  "When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that's the basis for my game. Already, the little bit we've done has made a drastic improvement to where I was three weeks ago.

  "At this point, there's not a crazy amount, like going through a technique change or resetting everything. It's just subtle things that, doing it for a week now, will help me.

  "I'm super excited about a new change and, hopefully, to improve other parts of my game. 

  "Working with Brad was really great and, obviously, we had a great partnership. It was just time to do a reset, a refresh and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year."

• Solskjaer 'would say yes every day of the week' to Man Utd return

  Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be open to returning to Manchester United as manager, admitting he "would say yes every day of the week" if the possibility arose.

  Solskjaer was dismissed by the Red Devils in November 2021 after just under three years in charge at Old Trafford.

  The Norwegian, who initially replaced Jose Mourinho on an interim basis in December 2018, led United to a second-place Premier League finish in the 2020-21 season, but a run of six defeats in 11 matches culminated in his departure.

  Erik ten Hag - the man who permanently succeeded him at Old Trafford - has come under increasing pressure following a difficult start to this term, which has brought just three wins from the Red Devils' opening eight games.

  And Solskjaer, who has worked as a technical observer for UEFA since leaving the club, refused to rule out a second stint in charge if called upon.

  "If the family [United] asks, I would say yes every day of the week," he said during a Q&A at the Oslo Business Forum.

  "It feels wrong to talk about jobs that other people have now, but I would say yes, of course."

  With Norway coach Stale Solbakken expected to step down at the end of their 2026 World Cup campaign, Solskjaer admitted he would also be tempted by the opportunity to take charge of his nation.

  "I am a proud Norwegian," he added. "Of course, if the question arises - when Stale decides to give up - I will happily engage in discussions."

• Wins for Shelton and Rune but Fritz slips up at Japan Open

  Ben Shelton is confident he can retain his Japan Open crown after kickstarting his title defence with a victory over fellow American Reilly Opelka in three sets. 

  Shelton, who captured his maiden tour-level trophy a year ago in Tokyo, came from a set down to win 3-6 6-1 6-4 in an hour and 47 minutes on Thursday. 

  He came into the competition off the back of a victory over Daniil Medvedev at the Laver Cup, though Team World went on to lose the tournament in Berlin. 

  However, with consecutive wins under his belt, the 21-year-old American believes his previous success in Tokyo will stand him in good stead this time around. 

  "I have a lot of love for this tournament and this city," Shelton said. "I have a lot of confidence. Being here and knowing the situations I have come through in this exact stadium, in the most important moments."

  "I think it was a tough start. I felt like I was struggling a little bit and getting rhythm. I am happy with the way I competed. Breaking serve multiple times gives me a lot of confidence."

  Former Japan Open champion Taylor Fritz, though, suffered a shock first-round exit in three sets to Frenchman Arthur Fils. 

  Fils produced a classy performance on his tournament debut in Tokyo, handing the recent US Open finalist a 6-4 6-3 6-3 defeat.

  Stefanos Tsitsipas was another big name to suffer a shock defeat, as he lost 4-6 6-1 6-2 to Alex Michelsen.

  Holger Rune, however, booked his place in the next round, but was pushed all the way by Alejandro Tabilo, eventually prevailing 6-2 5-7 6-4 in the decider. 

  Up next for the Dane is wildcard Yoshihito Nishioka.