Past exam of the Probability, statistics and options II course of the University of Oxford / 2009 / E / E3 / b / iv

If $a\notin A$, every point of $A$ is isolated by (ii). The set $A$ is the union of these open singletons, so $\boxed{A\text{ is open in }(X,d_a)}$, including the empty case.

If $A$ is open and contains $a$, there is an epsilon ball at $a$ contained in it. This ball is exactly $B_d(a,\epsilon )$ by the equality of balls proved above. Conversely such a ball supplies a neighborhood at $a$, and all other points of $A$ have their singleton neighborhoods inside $A$. Thus the stated ball condition is necessary and sufficient.