#NextGen star Alexander Zverev avenged an earlier loss to Marcel Granollers and reached his fourth quarter-final of the season on Wednesday at the Open de Nice Cote d’ Azur.

Zverev, who had lost to Granollers in three sets at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, prevailed 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-2 in two hours and 41 minutes. In the third set, the 19-year-old German didn’t face a break point and broke the 30 year old twice to get the win. “He’s one of the best clay-court players… and he’s been playing well,” Zverev said. “He has a lot of shots. He can do variety as well, so it was good for me to win that match.”

Zverev, No. 48 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, will play #NextGen star Taylor Fritz or second seed Gilles Simon. The 6’6” right-hander will try to reach his second semi-final of the season after reaching the same stage at the Open Sud de France in February.

Seventh seed Andreas Seppi came from behind to grab his second win in six tries against Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. The Italian hit seven aces and saved 10 of 12 break points to reach his second quarter-final of the season (Garanti Koza Sofia Open).

“It was a difficult match for sure, I always have tough matches against him,” Seppi said. “Hopefully I can play another good match tomorrow.”

Seppi will play first seed Dominic Thiem or Leonardo Mayer.

I missed a flight?
I think it was to Irving, Texas, to play an ATP Challenger. It wasn’t good. I didn’t like it at all… March… We were late… Nothing but being late, totally late. Left from the house a little late, got there, there was a long security line.

I lost something important?
I lost my car keys a little while ago. That was very important. I was afraid someone was going to be riding off with my car… I did not find them. I had to get another set. And no one’s come to take the car. So I’m good, I guess.

I paid money to rent a tennis court or buy tennis balls?
Last year to hit on clay… in Atlanta. I paid $22 to hit on the clay court. It was kind of weird. I haven’t paid for a court in a very long time… But it was worth it. It was good to practise.

Being famous helped me?
In Atlanta, I’ve gotten a couple preferential treatments to sit down at a restaurant. We kind of skipped the whole line, which was cool, very cool… I came in, it was crowded. They were like, “Oh, we got you.” They just sat us down right away.

I strung a tennis racquet?
I don’t know how to string, so I’ve never strung a tennis racquet. And everyone I’ve talked to has said it wouldn’t benefit me to learn now because it would be so bad, take so long. So I’ve never learned.

I cooked for myself and others?
I’m only good at making breakfast food, for myself and then my mom one time. That was maybe a couple months ago as well. Breakfast is my end-all be-all, and I think it’s pretty decent… I can make a good breakfast burrito so that’s my go-to… Sausage, bacon, eggs, the three-cheese blend, some sauce on the side and we’re good.

I met a childhood idol?
Olympics. I met Kobe Bryant. That was awesome. 2012. It was great.

I shared a hotel room with another player?
I was 14, playing Junior Davis Cup and I shared it with a couple of guys playing on the team… It was in Miami, where the USTA used to be at Crandon Park. We were at the Embassy Suites there. So it was a lot of fun… We won, so that helped. We beat Canada to qualify for the finals… I did sleep a lot. I was happy because I was on the pull-out couch in the front so I almost had a whole room to myself.

I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?
That was probably at the Olympics as well. I asked every single NBA player who was there, from LeBron to Chris Paul to Carmelo, Kobe. It was great… Only a selfie. I couldn’t pull out an autograph. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

In a special ceremony at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) honored Vittorio Selmi by presentation of the 2016 Golden Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding service to tennis. The award was presented by International Tennis Hall of Fame President Stan Smith and Francesco Ricci Bitti, immediate past president of the ITF and a countryman and longtime colleague of Selmi’s.

The Golden Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion, or education, and who has devoted long and outstanding service to the sport.

“Vittorio has been one of the great ambassadors of our sport for as long as I can remember. He always welcomed players to the ATP events with great hospitality and enthusiasm. His passion for the game and his desire to serve the sport and to see it succeed at all levels is tremendous. We are glad to be able to thank him and to honor his 40-plus years of service to tennis with the Golden Achievement Award,” commented Smith.

Of the honor, Selmi stated, “I am very pleased and honored to receive this award at Foro Italico in Rome, the place where I fell in love with tennis and by the hands of Stan Smith, who was a very top player when I was just a simple tennis fan. Obviously there are many people I have to thank for this and I hope to be able to do so personally but I want to openly express my gratitude to my father Antonio, who introduced me to the game of tennis, and to Jim McManus who brought me to the ATP.”

Selmi has been a staple of the international tennis community since the mid-1970s. He is admired by players and colleagues alike for his enthusiasm for the sport and his commitment to growing and promoting tennis worldwide.

Selmi’s tennis industry career started in 1974 when he was the Player Relations Manager at the Italian Open Championships and Director of Italian Satellite Circuits, positions he held until 1978. In 1975, Selmi took on the role of Manager of the Associations of Professionals of Tennis in Italy. In 1976, he joined the Federezione Italiana Tennis (FIT), where he held several leadership roles until 1979. In his work for the federation, Selmi oversaw the rules and regulations in the national tennis circuit and managed player rankings, among other roles. Selmi embarked on a career with the ATP World Tour in 1979, serving as Tour Director for the ATP International Circuit until 2006. He continued to stay involved in the tour through 2010, working in player relations. In addition to his work with players and associations, Selmi has served as writer for Match-Ball, the Italian tennis magazine.

The Golden Achievement Award is selected from a pool of nominations submitted by tennis federations and individuals from the around the world. The annual honoree is selected by the Golden Achievement Award Committee, which is comprised of tennis administrators.

Past recipients of the Golden Achievement Award are Mark Stenning of the United States (2015); David Jude of Great Britain (2014); Geoff Pollard of Australia (2013); Shamil Tarpischev of Russia (2012); Tim Phillips of the United Kingdom (2011); Heinz Grimm of Switzerland (2010); Peachy Kellmeyer of the United States (2009); Juan Maria Tintore of Spain (2008); Nancy P. Jeffett of the United States (2007); James R. Cochrane of Great Britain (2006); Eiichi Kawatei of Japan (2005); John Curry of Great Britain (2004); J. Howard “Bumpy” Frazer of the United States (2003); Enrique Morea of Argentina (2002); Pablo Llorens Renaga of Spain (2001); Gil de Kermadec of France (2000) and Brian Tobin of Australia (1999).

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Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open – Geneva, Switzerland

David Ferrer and John Isner played some tennis on a mini court nearby Lake Geneva and the famous Jet d’eau fountain. View Photo 

Stan Wawrinka visited HUG hospital with the Let it Beat Foundation, which helps children with heart disease.

“This is a cause I care a lot about,” said Wawrinka. “I want to thank the hospital and the doctors for all the great work and effort. I enjoyed visiting those kids who are fighting hard and doing much better after the treatment they get here. It’s a pleasure to see them smile.” 

Marin Cilic, Matwe Middelkoop, Wesley Koolhof, Marcus Daniell, Artem Sitak, Julian Knowle and Oliver Marach were among the stars to attend the tournament party at the Swissotel Sunday night.

Mariusz Fyrstenberg, Santiago Gonzalez and Pablo Carreno Busta participated in kids’ day activities.

Cilic, Federico Delbonis, Steve Johnson, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Albert Ramos-Vinolas met with fans and sponsors on site. 

Open de Nice Cote D’Azur – Nice, France

Second seed Gilles Simon attended the FFT Centre inauguration with Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi.

Defending champion Dominic Thiem and NextGen star Taylor Fritz visited with many children from local schools at the Promenade des Anglais for a clinic. View Photo

Kevin Anderson visited the Emirates booth as he went on a tour of the site with ATP World Tour Uncovered. View Photo 

Anderson, Alexander Zverev and Quentin Halys met with their young fans to sign autographs.

Juan Sebastian Cabal, Robert Farah, Johan Brunstrom and Andreas Siljestrom participated in kids’ clinics.

Lukas Rosol withstood 29 aces and outlasted John Isner in two hours and 22 minutes to spoil the American’s return to the ATP World Tour on Wednesday at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open. Rosol prevailed 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(5).

Fourth-seeded Isner gained the match’s only service break at 6-5 in the first set, but the unseeded Rosol took the second set to even the contest. At 5-all in the third set tie-break, Isner sailed a forehand long to give Rosol a chance to serve for the match. The Czech capitalised on his first opportunity with a service winner.

It was Isner’s first match since April 10. The 6’10” 30 year old missed the season’s three earlier ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events on clay because of a knee injury.

Rosol, No. 68 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, will face Andrey Kuznetsov in the quarter-finals. The Russian defeated seventh-seeded American Steve Johnson 7-5, 6-4. The 25 year old Kuznetsov improved to 18-9 and has now reached four quarter-finals this season, including the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, the Open 13 Provence and the Barcelona Open BancSabadell.

Marin Cilic enjoyed a more pleasant return to tour-level play. The Croat dismissed Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 7-6(5). Cilic had been out since March 27 because of an injury to his right knee. “Very happy to be back, especially after such a long break. I didn’t play any tournaments on clay, and considering this is the first match, I feel that I played a very high level of tennis,” Cilic said. “I’m extremely happy with the way I was moving on the court.”

Cilic will play the sixth seed Federico Delbonis, who swept Thomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-0. Delbonis, currently a career-high No. 33 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is trying to reach his third consecutive semi-final (BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open). Cilic won their lone previous FedEx Head2Head meeting, on clay in 2012 in Hamburg.

Denis Istomin was up 6-3, 3-2 on No. 2 seed David Ferrer when the Uzbekistani had to retire because of a right buttock strain.