Nadal And Dimitrov Move Into Beijing 2016 QF's
Nadal And Dimitrov Move Into Beijing 2016 QF's
Dimitrov upsets Pouille on Thursday
Second seed Rafael Nadal overcame a mid-match surge from Adrian Mannarino on Thursday at the China Open, prevailing in a tight second set to advance in their second-round match under the lights, 6-1, 7-6(6).
“I think I played a fantastic first set. Great level of tennis, serving very good, hitting so good. During the second set, I slowed the rhythm a little bit and he played very well,” said Nadal. “I feel very happy that I won that tie-break. I think I played with the right amount of determination in the tie-break. It’s very important for my confidence to pass through these tough moments.”
The 2005 China Open champion was initially ruthless against Mannarino, breaking the Frenchman three times as he won nine of the first 11 games. But Mannarino rallied from 1-3 in the second set to bring things back on serve at 3-3 and eventually force a tie-break. Nadal was unable to make good on a 5/3 lead or a match point on Mannarino’s serve at 6/5, but earned a mini-break to go up 7/6 and closed out the contest on his second match point.
Nadal has been in top form this week, dropping just nine games in his first two matches. Currently in eighth place in the Emirates ATP Race to London, a title here will go a long way in shoring up his spot at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
Next up for Nadal is Grigor Dimitrov, who was two points away from defeat in the second set before clawing back to upset sixth seed Lucas Pouille, 6-7(3), 7-6(0), 6-4. Nadal has dominated their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 7-0, but four of those matches have gone to a deciding set.
“He’s a great player that is playing well. He’s one of the players on tour with high potential,” said Nadal. “I know I have to play my best tennis to win against him, so I’m trying to focus on that.”
Watch Dimitrov Interview
The Bulgarian was dangerously close to defeat when Pouille served for the match at 5-4, 30/15 in the second set. But the Frenchman faltered and Dimitrov fought his way back into contention, claiming the next three points to level and dominating the ensuing tie-break. A break of serve in the fifth game of the third set proved decisive for Dimitrov as he claimed a hard fought victory in two hours and 26 minutes.
“I just believed today,” said Dimitrov. “Especially in the second set, when he was serving for the match. I felt I was playing good tennis. I just missed a few opportunities early on and throughout the second he was playing really good. All I could do was stay composed, try to hit every ball that I could and use every opportunity. They came a bit late, but I’m pretty happy with it.”
Dimitrov claimed his 34th win of the season. The Bulgarian has enjoyed a resurgence in the second half of the year, under the guidance of Dani Vallverdu. Since joining forces over the summer, Dimitrov has compiled a 14-5 mark, highlighted by a run to the Cincinnati semi-finals (l. to Cilic).
Through to his ninth quarter-final of the season, Dimitrov is bidding to reach his third final, following runner-up finishes in Sydney and Istanbul.
Melo/Kubot chasing second team title
Second seeds Marcelo Melo and Lukasz Kubot reached the semi-finals of the China Open in Beijing after edging Wimbledon finalists Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 5-7, 6-3, 10-8 on Thursday.
The Brazilian/Polish duo are chasing their second title together after victory in Vienna last year (d. Murray/Peers).
“We’re happy to be in the semis here in Beijing,” said Melo. “We played really well today. It was a tough match. The French guys were playing really good. We hope we can continue playing the same way, as aggressive as we were, and we are enjoying the moment.”
They go on to face Jack Sock and Bernard Tomic, who also came from a set down to beat Paolo Lorenzi and Guido Pella 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 in 77 minutes. Both Sock and Tomic are bidding to win their first ATP World Tour doubles titles of the season.
“It’s always fun playing doubles with a good friend and I think that’s why we are doing well,” said Sock, who won the Beijing doubles crown last year with Vasek Pospisil. “We are keeping it light out there and playing good tennis because of it.”
Follow all the latest off-court action on MyATP! Download the app for iPhone or Android or visit MyATP.com.
Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2016 – Tokyo, Japan
Nick Kyrgios, Gael Monfils, Kevin Anderson, Yoshihito Nishioka, John Peers and more played “sushi roulette” to find out which player gets the lucky (or unlucky?) sushi roll filled with wasabi. The star who got the spicy treat also won a prize!
Kei Nishikori, Feliciano Lopez, Monfils, Benoit Paire, Marcos Baghdatis, Marin Cilic, Ivo Karlovic, Nishioka, Taro Daniel, Anderson, Yuichi Sugita and Fernando Verdasco were on hand for ATP Sunday Charity Day, a tradition at the Rakuten Open, which sees packed crowds watch players practise ahead of the tournament.
Gilles Muller, Peers and Henri Kontinen helped out at an Emirates Clinic.
China Open – Beijing, China
Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and Rafael Nadal were among the players to enjoy the China Open Official Government Reception, hosted at Beijing National Stadium, also known as the iconic Bird’s Nest.
Rohan Bopanna and Daniel Nestor helped out at Mercedes Benz Kids’ Day, while Nadal stopped by to take selfies with the children.
Murray, Adrian Mannarino, Lucas Pouille, Dominic Thiem, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Ze Zhang, Alexander Zverev, Andre Begemann, Florian Mayer, Steve Johnson, Julien Benneteau, Pablo Carreno Busta, Kyle Edmund, Pablo Cuevas, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan and Roberto Bautista Agut were among the stars to meet fans on-site for selfies and autographs.
Jack Sock, Raonic, Pouille, Sam Querrey and Andreas Seppi spent time on-site with sponsors.
Tennis investigators are examining whether a match at this year’s Wimbledon was fixed after suspicious betting patterns were reported.
The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), which was set up in 2008 to detect any corruption, has not revealed which match it is investigating.
The TIU is already investigating a US Open first-round match between Vitalia Diatchenko and Timea Bacsinszky.
“Both are the subject of routine, confidential investigation,” it said.
The TIU said it received 96 alerts from July to September, including the two alerts from Wimbledon and the US Open.
Alerts come from regulators and betting organisations, who can report matches if they notice suspicious betting patterns.
“It is important to appreciate that an alert on its own is not evidence of match-fixing,” added the TIU.
It states that unusual gambling patterns can be explained by factors other than fixing, such as incorrect odds setting, player fitness, playing conditions and well-informed betting.
British number one Johanna Konta reached the China Open quarter-finals by beating world number six Karolina Pliskova for the first time.
Konta, ranked 14th, saw off the Czech 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-2) in a rain-delayed match in Beijing.
Konta, 25, led 4-1 when the players were forced off, returning to win the first set in just 23 minutes on court.
Pliskova levelled after converting her seventh break point, but the Briton recovered to win a final-set tie-break.
She will face either fourth seed Simona Halep or home favourite Zhang Shuai in the last eight.
The gutsy victory, completed in two hours and seven minutes, maintains Konta’s hopes of reaching the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore.
She is 11th in the standings, with only the top eight qualifying for the tournament, which takes place from 23-30 October.
Konta could also break into the world’s top 10 for the first time if she continues her run at the China Open.
She would join Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Jo Durie as the only Britons to achieve the feat on the WTA Tour.
World number one Angelique Kerber is out of the China Open after losing to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
The German, who won the Australian and US Opens this year, saved two match points against the 16th seed but lost 6-3 7-5.
Challenger of the Year selection keeps pleasing players and fans
In order to run a world-class tennis tournament like the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Mons, Belgium, it helps to have someone in charge that has played in many of them.
Enter Dominique Monami. During her 10-year career, she peaked at No. 9 in the WTA rankings in 1998 and won four singles titles. Since moving on to become the tournament director at the Ethias Trophy, she’s drawn from her time on tour to offer everything that a player could need during their week in Mons.
The tournament debuted in 2005 and with her help, was selected as a 2015 Challenger of the Year (along with events in Braunschweig, Germany, and Monterrey, Mexico). Not only has it become one of the most popular tournaments among players on the ATP Challenger Tour calendar, it’s also a local favourite with nearly 20,000 people turning up every year to watch the tennis.
“I think my past experience helps me to better understand the needs of the players and make a schedule that’s fair for everyone. I’m also working with my team to help the players as much as possible outside the court,” said Monami. “We offer cinema tickets, golf and free food with delicious sweets. My hope is that the players feel good here so they play at their top level and want to come back next year. Many of our players come back year after year.”
One of those players is Belgian No. 2 Steve Darcis, a two-time finalist making his 11th appearance this year at the Ethias Trophy. He regularly practises in Mons and the tournament’s stadium has become familiar territory to him.
“It’s tough to find a better Challenger,” said Darcis. “The stadium is almost full all the time, especially when Belgians play. The atmosphere is very nice, the food is great too and the people working there are doing everything they can for the players.”
The tournament has served as a springboard for several players who went on to reach the highest levels of the sport. Andy Murray reached the quarter-finals in 2005, while former champions Ernests Gulbis (2005), Janko Tipsarevic (2006) and David Goffin (2014) have all gone on to crack the Top 15 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.
For the Belgian players competing here, it also offers a rare opportunity to play in front of a home crowd.
“I have family and friends come all the time because I usually play too far away,” said Darcis. “It’s great for me to play in front of the people I love.”