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Murray Races Into Shanghai

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2015

Shanghai Rolex Masters (Shanghai) – The eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the season features a star-studded field, which includes the entire Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Race to London. This is the seventh year of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament at the Qizhong Tennis Center, which was the site of the Tennis Masters Cup from 2005-08. Reigning champion Roger Federer, World No. 1 and 2012-13 winner Novak Djokovic and 2010-11 titleholder Andy Murray are the former champions. A historic occasion will take place with the trio of Federer (17), Rafael Nadal (14) and Djokovic (10) playing together for the first time as Grand Slam champions with more than 10 titles. No other trio to have won 10 or more Grand Slam titles in the history of men’s tennis have ever played in a tournament together.

Emirates ATP Race to London – There are valuable Emirates ATP Race to London points at stake and players will add to their total for each round reached. Players with a bye and lose in opening match (2R) will receive 10 pts. Here is the breakdown: first round (10), second round (45), third round (90), quarter-finals (180), semi-finals (360), final (600), winner (1000). Here is the updated Top 25 Emirates ATP Race to London going into play Saturday in Beijing and Tokyo:

Race

Player

Points

Event

Update

1

Novak Djokovic*

13,385

Beijing

Winner

2

Andy Murray*

7,510

———

————–

3

Roger Federer*

6,740

———

————–

4

Stan Wawrinka*

6,060

Tokyo

Winner

5

Tomas Berdych

4,100

Beijing

Lost in 1R

6

Rafael Nadal

3,970

Beijing

Finalist

7

Kei Nishikori

3,855

Tokyo

Lost in SF

8

David Ferrer

3,435

Beijing

Lost in SF

9

Richard Gasquet

2,355

Tokyo

Lost in 1R

10

John Isner

2,225

Beijing

Lost in QF

11

Kevin Anderson

2,205

Tokyo

Lost in 1R

12

Marin Cilic

2,100

Tokyo

Lost in QF

13

Milos Raonic

2,080

Beijing

Lost in 1R

14

Gilles Simon

1,965

Tokyo

Lost in QF

15

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

1,900

Beijing

Lost in 1R

16

David Goffin

1,625

Beijing

Lost in 2R

17

Feliciano Lopez

1,590

Tokyo

Lost in 1R

18

Dominic Thiem

1,510

Beijing

Lost in 1R

19

Benoit Paire

1,453

Tokyo

Finalist

20

Bernard Tomic

1,450

Tokyo

Lost in 1R

Big Four Dominance – The ‘Big Four’ of Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal have won 46 of the last 50 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, which dates back to Nadal’s triumph at Monte-Carlo in 2010. The only other players to emerge with an ATP Masters 1000 title are Robin Soderling (2010 Paris), David Ferrer (2011 Paris), Stan Wawrinka (2014 Monte-Carlo) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2014 Toronto).

World No. 1/Top Seed – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is making his sixth Shanghai appearance in seven years (except 2011) and he comes in with a 19-3 career record. This is the third straight year he is the top seed. The 2012-13 champion had his 13-match winning streak in Shanghai snapped with his SF loss to Federer last year. Going into the Beijing semi-finals, Djokovic has compiled a 66-5 match record (43-4 on hard) on the season with seven titles: Australian Open, ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome, Wimbledon and US Open where he captured his 10th career Grand Slam title. On Monday, it marks the 168th week overall he has ranked No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, which is sixth-most. He will surpass No. 5 John McEnroe’s total of 170 on Nov. 2. He will finish No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the 4th time in 5 years (except 2013).

Novak Dominates in China – Djokovic comes into Shanghai having won 31 of his last 32 matches in China (going into Beijing SF), winning consecutive titles in Beijing and Shanghai in 2012-13 and Beijing last year. His 28-match winning streak in China ended last year when he lost to Federer in the semi-finals in Shanghai. Overall, he has won eight career titles in China (five in Beijing, three in Shanghai). He has never lost in the Beijing Open (27-0, entering SF) and is 19-3 at the Shanghai ROLEX Masters (since 2009). He also went 4-4 at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai in 2007-08, winning the title in 2008. The only country in which he’s won more titles is the U.S. (11). He has never lost in a final in China (8-0).

Roger Reigning Champion – World No. 2 and reigning champion Roger Federer is making his fifth tournament appearance (13-3 record). This is also his first tournament back since reaching the US Open final on Sept. 13 (l. to Djokovic). The following weekend he played in a Davis Cup World Group playoff tie vs. the Netherlands, winning both singles matches. Prior to last year, Federer reached the final in 2010, the semi-finals in 2012 (l. to Murray both times) and the third round in 2013 (l. to Monfils). He won back-to-back titles in 2006-07 here at the Tennis Masters Cup and was runner-up in 2005. The 34-year-old Swiss superstar enters with a 53-8 record on the year (29-3 on hard courts). He is second with five ATP World Tour titles this year. His last title came in August in Cincinnati where he captured his 24th career ATP Masters 1000 crown (d. Djokovic).

Murray Returns to Action – What a difference a year makes for Andy Murray, who came into Shanghai last year ninth in the Emirates ATP Race to London. The 28-year-old Scot, who is second in the Race, has already earned a spot in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. He led Great Britain to the Davis Cup final with an undefeated record this year (6-0 in singles, 2-0 in doubles). He is playing in his first tournament since a fourth-round exit at the US Open (l. to Anderson). The following weekend, he led Great Britain to a semi-final win over Australia. Murray has a 14-2 record in the tournament, winning titles in 2010-11 and reaching the final in 2013 (l. to Djokovic after holding 5 MPs).  Last year he lost in the third round to Ferrer.

Ferrer Holding Final Spot – Since returning from an elbow injury this summer, David Ferrer has won 11 of 12 matches (going into Beijing SF). His only loss came in his first tournament back at the US Open to Jeremy Chardy in the third round. Since then, he has won two Davis Cup matches, his 25th career ATP World Tour title in Kuala Lumpur and advanced to semi-finals in Beijing. The 33-year-old Spaniard is holding down the eighth and final position for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He has widened his lead to more than 1,000 points (1,080) over Richard Gasquet, who is in ninthplace.

Race Movers

Rafael Nadal 6 (+1 spot)
John Isner 10 (+1 spot)
Marin Cilic 12 (+1 spot)
Benoit Paire 19 (+9 spots)
Fabio Fognini 21 (+4 spots)
Nick Kyrgios 29 (+1 spot)
Jack Sock 31T (+5 spots)

Potential Milestones

Shanghai – Singles
Roger Federer – 1049 wins
David Ferrer – 649 wins
Feliciano Lopez – 394 wins
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – 344 wins
Ivo Karlovic – 294 wins
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez – 245 wins
Yen-Hsun Lu – 145 wins
Lukasz Kubot – 95 wins

Shanghai – Doubles
Marcin Matkowski – 395 wins

Birthdays

16 October – Philipp Kohlschreiber (32)

In Case You Missed It

Novak Djokovic won his 29th consecutive match in Beijing and picked up his sixth China Open title against Rafael Nadal. Read

Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock rediscovered their mojo and took home the China Open doubles title. Read

Stan Wawarinka defeated good friend Benoit Paire in the Tokyo final. Read

Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo kicked off their partnership with a title run in Tokyo. Read

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Djokovic Claims Sixth Beijing Crown

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2015

No player has enjoyed a more dominant start at an ATP World Tour event than Novak Djokovic at the China Open, and the World No. 1 extended his ruthless run with a sixth title on Sunday. Djokovic’s winning streak in Beijing reached 29 straight wins as he turned aside rival Rafael Nadal for the second time in three years in the final. He triumphed 6-2, 6-2 in 91 minutes.

“The scoreline, especially in the first set, doesn’t indicate the real battle that we had on the court,” said Djokovic. “I’m aware of the fact that very few points can decide a winner of the matches I play against the biggest rivals, and Rafa is definitely one of them. He’s the kind of player that is a champion and understands the kind of challenge that a big match presents. He knows how to play on the big stage for the titles. He has won so many.

“That’s why I didn’t want to give him an opportunity to come back to the match and eventually start playing better to dominate the rallies… This positive week definitely encourages me and gives me a lot of confidence for Shanghai.”

The Serb has won seven of eight FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against the Spaniard, including the 2013 Beijing final. He also edged closer to Nadal in their overall series, now trailing 22-23. Djokovic brings home 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $654,725, in capturing his 56th tour-level trophy. He is 68-5 in 2015, including a stunning 23-4 mark against Top 10 opponents.

Nadal got off to a slow start under the lights at the National Tennis Center in the Chinese capital and Djokovic would pounce immediately. The top seed converted on his first break point in the opening game and consolidated for a quick 2-0 advantage. A more aggressive Nadal would settle in as the first set progressed, with the pair trading baseline blows. The Spaniard had his chance to break back in the sixth game, but let two break points slip away. Djokovic’s trademark defensive tenacity was on full display as he pressed for a second break. In one sensational point, Nadal tracked down a drop shot and scampered back to the baseline to as the Serb sent a lob over his head. The Spaniard replied with a tweener which Djokovic turned aside into the open court. He would claim the break three points later for 5-2 and closed out the set in 41 minutes.

Hampered by an apparent leg ailment, Nadal would call for the trainer midway through the third game of the second set. Smelling blood and sensing the finish line was not far off, Djokovic broke immediately for 2-1. He would race to a double break lead two games later and did not look back, surging to the title. The World No. 1 struck 23 winners, including seven aces.

Nadal fell to 67-30 in tour-level finals, taking home $295,180 and 300 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London. The Spaniard has bumped Kei Nishikori for the sixth position among the eight players bidding to reach the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He owns 3,970 points in total.

“I’m very happy the way that I played this week, especially because I was able to improve every single match,” said Nadal. “Especially in the quarter-finals after that first set against Sock, I changed that dynamic. I played closer to the baseline. Yesterday I played a good match and today I played a good match.” 

Both Djokovic and Nadal will next head south for the eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the year, in Shanghai. The Serb has already secured his place at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, while Nadal continues his quest for a berth in the season finale.

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Klaasen/Melo Seal Tokyo Doubles Triumph

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2015

First-time pairing Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo won the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships doubles title on Sunday.

The third seeds defeated Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7-6(5), 3-6, 10-7 in one hour and 34 minutes at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. It denied Cabal and Farah the chance to move to within 20 points of No. 9-placed Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares in the Emirates ATP Race To London for qualification to next month’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Klaasen and Melo earned $90,460 in prize money and 500 Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings points. They also came through a Match tie-break win against Treat Huey and Henri Kontinen in the quarter-finals. Klaasen is now 8-6 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals, while Melo is 16-18 overall.

Both teams took time to settle down, with breaks of serve in the second and third games. Farah struck an unreturned serve to Klaasen at 4-5 on a sudden death deuce that was also a set point. Melo helped to take control of the tie-break with a fine backhand return at 5/5, which helped seal the 51-minute opener.

The Colombians regrouped to take a 3-0 lead in the second set, courtesy of a Farah forehand winner down the middle in the second game. Klaasen saved a set point with an unreturned serve at 2-5, sudden death deuce, but Cabal closed out the next game for a Match tie-break decider.

Klaasen and Melo opened up a 4/2 advantage in the Match tie-break, but got pinned back to 5/5. Two points against the server helped them regain control en route to victory.

Cabal and Farah were contesting their fifth ATP World Tour final of the year (2-3). The duo head to Shanghai sharing $40,810 and 300 points. Cabal is now 4-11 in finals, with Farah dropping to 4-9.

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Wawrinka Captures Fourth Title Of Year In Tokyo

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2015

Stan Wawrinka captured his fourth title in a career-best season Sunday at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. He became the first Swiss winner in Tokyo since Roger Federer in 2006 (d. Henman).

Wawrinka dominated his 20th tour-level final appearance, outclassing his good friend Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-4 over 65 minutes at the Ariake Colosseum, the tennis venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. By recording his fifth win over Paire, Wawrinka is now 11-9 lifetime in title matches.

“I feel great, it’s been a really good week for me to win a title again, something always special,” said Wawrinka. “You don’t win a title every week. It’s always difficult when I play a good friend like Benoit. I knew before the match he was struggling a bit physically, but I saw the doctor who told me Benoit was ready to play. I played my best game today. I felt the ball well and was aggressive. I am very happy to have the trophy tonight.”

The 30-year-old Wawrinka received a cheque for $306,200 and earned 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points. He has already qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals to be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November. Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Wawrinka have clinched their spots, with four berths left up for grabs over the next four weeks of the regular ATP World Tour season.

Under a closed roof, due to inclement weather, Wawrinka soon gained control of the pair’s sixth meeting. In moving Paire around the court, he created space, and, despite being broken in a 10-point fifth game, Wawrinka was able to clinch three of Paire’s service games in the 26-minute opener. Paire, who had strapping on his left ankle, won eight of Wawrinka’s service points and committed 12 unforced errors.

Wawrinka withstood two break points in the third game of the second set, including, at one point, drawing a smile from Paire, for a hard-hit backhand down the line that the World No. 32 did not anticipate when standing close to the net. The set looked to be heading for a tie-break, but with Paire serving at 5-4, Wawrinka applied pressure.

Paire, who was hoping to become the first Tokyo titlist from France since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2009, is now 1-3 in ATP World Tour finals. This week, following consecutive three-set victories over Grigor Dimitrov, Marcos Baghdatis, Nick Kyrgios and two-time champion Kei Nishikori, he earned $138,000 and 300 Emirates ATP Rankings point.

“It was not easy, when I woke up this morning I could not walk,” said Paire. “I was not sure if I could play today. One hour before the match it was very painful, so I asked: ‘What can we do?’ I spoke with the doctor and physiotherapist and we made something for my foot. I couldn’t feel anything in my foot, but I tried to do all I could to play the match and win. It’s harsh, but I could not defend on points. Stan played a very good match and congratulations to him. It’s back luck for me.”

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