Russian players have dominated the VTB Kremlin Cup, and Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev will look to carry on that tradition in 2019.

Since the inaugural tournament, Russians have won the Moscow title 15 times. Yevgeny Kafelnikov claimed a record five straight titles between 1997-2001, and three-time champion Nikolay Davydenko started another run of Russian dominance from 2004-09, which also featured winners Igor Andreev, Igor Kunitsyn and Mikhail Youzhny. 

Khachanov ended a nine-year title drought for the home country last year. “[Winning in Russia] was one of the dreams I had when I was a kid,” he said at the time. “Coming here [as a kid] I was asking top Russian players for autographs and dreaming one day to become a champion here. Today is the day and I am really happy. These are memories I will always keep in my head.”

Medvedev fell to Khachanov in the semi-finals last year and in the quarter-finals on his previous two main draw appearances. The World No. 4 celebrated his first title on home soil in September at the St. Petersburg Open, and is set to be the top seed in Moscow. Moscow native Rublev, who upset Roger Federer in August in Cincinnati, will be looking to record his first win in his hometown.

Here’s all you need to know about the Moscow tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 1990

Tournament Dates: 14-20 October 2019

Tournament Director: Amir Tarpischev

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 12 October

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday at 10:00am, Sunday at 12:00pm.
* Main draw: Monday – Thursday at 11:00am and 6:30pm, Friday 12:00pm and 6:30pm, Saturday not before 3:00pm
* Doubles final: Saturday, 19 October not before 3:00pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 20 October not before 5:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Ice Palace «Krylatskoye»
Surface: Indoor Hard

Prize Money: US $840,130 (Total Financial Commitment: US $922,520)  

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Yevgeny Kafelnikov (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Max Mirnyi (5)
Oldest Champion: Andreas Seppi, 28, in 2012
Youngest Champion: Andrei Cherkasov, 20, in 1990
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 107 Carl-Uwe Steeb in 1995
Most Match Wins: Yevgeny Kafelnikov (40)

2018 Finals
Singles: [3] [WC] Karen Khachanov (RUS) d Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 62 62   Read & Watch
Doubles: [2] Austin Krajicek (USA) / Rajeev Ram (USA) d [3] Max Mirnyi (BLR) / Philipp Oswald (AUT) 76(4) 64  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #kremlincup
Facebook: @kremlincup
Twitter: @tennisrussia
Instagram: @vtbkremlincup

Did You Know… The VTB Kremlin Cup became the country’s first pro international tennis tournament when it was founded in 1990. 

Fabio Fognini leads the charge at the Intrum Stockholm Open, the 2018 ATP 250 Tournament of the Year. The Italian, who reached a career-high World No. 9 earlier this season, will be making his third straight appearance in Stockholm. He reached the semi-finals on his previous two visits, falling to Grigor Dimitrov in 2017 and to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018.

Dimitrov will look to reclaim the title he won in 2013 (d. Ferrer). The Bulgarian has reached the quarter-finals or better in six of his seven Stockholm appearances, including three finals.

#NextGenATP stars Denis Shapovalov, Casper Ruud and Mikael Ymer look to gain valuable points in the ATP Race To Milan as they look to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals in November. Meanwhile, 35-year-old Janko Tipsarevic, who announced that he will retire at the end of this season, returns to Stockholm for the first time in 15 years. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Stockholm tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 1969

Tournament Dates: 14-20 October 2019

Tournament Director: Simon Aspelin

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 12 October at 3:00pm on-site

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: begins on Sunday at 11:00am
* Main draw: Monday – Friday at 12:00 noon and 6:30pm, Saturday at 1:00pm (doubles), 3:00pm (singles)
* Doubles final: Sunday, 20 October not before 1:00pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 20 October not before 3:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Kungliga Tennishallen
Main Court Seating: 3,500
Surface: Indoor Hard

Prize Money: € 635,750 (Total Financial Commitment: € 711,275)  

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: John McEnroe, Boris Becker (4)
Most Titles, Doubles: Kevin Ullyett (5)
Oldest Champion: Mark Cox, 33, in 1976
Youngest Champion: Mats Wilander, 19, in 1983
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1978): No. 66 Marcos Baghdatis in 2009
Most Match Wins: Stefan Edberg (34)

2018 Finals
Singles: [3] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) d [Q] Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 64 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: Luke Bambridge (GBR) / Jonny O’Mara (GBR) d [3] Marcus Daniell (NZL) / Wesley Koolhof (NED) 75 76(8)  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #sthlmopen
Facebook: @intrumstockholmopen
Twitter: @IntrumSthlmOpen
Instagram:@sthlmopen

Did You Know… The Intrum Stockholm Open won the Tournament of the Year award in the 250 category for the second time in 2018. It previously shared the honour with the Winston-Salem Open in 2016. Read More

David Goffin, Gael Monfils and Andy Murray headline the field at the fourth edition of the European Open, an ATP 250 tournament in Antwerp. Goffin, who enters his home country tournament at No. 10 in the ATP Race To London, will be looking to improve upon his semi-final run at the inaugural edition (l. to Schwartzman). 

Last year in Antwerp, Monfils came up just short of becoming the third straight French champion, falling to Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund in a third-set tie-break in the final. The first two winners, Richard Gasquet (2016) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2017), and 2016-17 finalist Diego Schwartzman also return in 2019.

Former World No. 1 Murray earned the first tour-level wins of his comeback during the Asian swing, including a quarter-final finish at the China Open, and will aim to carry that momentum into his tournament debut. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Antwerp tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 2016

Tournament Dates: 14-20 October 2019

Tournament Director: Dick Norman

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 12 October

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: starts Sunday at 11:00am
* Main draw: Daily play begins Monday at 11:00am and 6:00pm, Tuesday – Friday at 12:00pm and 6:30pm, Saturday at 12.00pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 20 October at 2:00pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 20 October not before 4:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Lotto Arena
Main Court Seating: 4,500
Surface: Indoor Hard

Prize Money: € 635,750 (Total Financial Commitment: € 711,275)  

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Kyle Edmund, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (1)
Most Titles, Doubles: Edouard Roger-Vasselin (2)
Oldest Champion: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 32, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Kyle Edmund, 23, in 2018
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 19 Richard Gasquet in 2016
Most Match Wins: Diego Schwartzman (9)

2018 Finals
Singles: [1] Kyle Edmund (GBR) d [6] Gael Monfils (FRA) 36 76(2) 76(4)   Read & Watch
Doubles: [2] Nicolas Mahut (FRA) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) d Marcelo Demoliner (BRA) / Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) 64 75  Read & Watch

Social
Hashtag: #EuropeanOpen
Facebook: @EuropeanTennisOpen
Twitter: @EuroTennisOpen
Instagram: @europeantennisopen

Did You Know… The European Open is the only ATP Tour tournament in Belgium.

Novak Djokovic (8-0) and Roger Federer (5-0) were a combined 13-0 in Rolex Shanghai Masters quarter-finals before Friday. But that was before the ATP Tour’s youth movement, led by 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas (d. Djokovic) and Germany’s Alexander Zverev (d. Federer), took over the season’s penultimate ATP Masters 1000 event.

Matteo Berrettini of Italy and Daniil Medvedev of Russia also did their part, beating No. 5 Dominic Thiem and No. 12 Fabio Fognini, respectively.

All four Shanghai semi-finalists are under the age of 24 for the first time at a Masters 1000 event since 20 years ago at 1999 Hamburg. The Big Three of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer – the top three players in the ATP Rankings – still dominate the Tour. But Shanghai shows once more that the gap between three of the best of all-time and the next wave continues to shrink.

“They’re knocking on the door big time… It’s exciting. They’re great. It’s really open now, I think, for the finish of this tournament,” said Federer, who fell to Zverev for the fourth time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (3-4).

“It was definitely surprising to see Novak lose a little bit, even though Tsitsipas has played great so far. Maybe I was still the favourite going into this match, but Sascha came out and had no serving issues today and really was able to produce a great game like he did against me already [at the Nitto ATP Finals].

“It’s an exciting time in tennis.”

Then Vs. Now: Comparing Masters 1000 Semi-finalists

The wins of Tsitsipas, Zverev, Berrettini and Medvedev were impressive. But what’s more noteworthy is how far all they’ve come in the past 12 months.

Last year in Shanghai, Tsitsipas fell in the third round, and two years ago he had to qualify. But on Friday, he stunned Djokovic for the second time at a Masters 1000 event (Toronto 2018) and will face Russian Daniil Medvedev for a place in the final.

“It’s the best comeback that I have ever had probably,” said Tsitsipas, who also ranked highly his comeback against Federer at the Australian Open.

Medvedev beat Italian Fabio Fognini to improve to 12-0 in tour-level quarter-finals this season. The Russian has been playing better than anyone since July.

Medvedev, who finished in third place at the inaugural 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, is trying to reach his sixth consecutive final after making title matches in Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati, the US Open and in St. Petersburg.

Twelve months ago, he was ranked outside the Top 20 when he fell to Federer in the second round of Shanghai. But the 23-year-old right-hander is into his third consecutive Masters 1000 semi-final and has already guaranteed his place at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.

“I know I need to keep focus. I know I need to keep working every day hard in order not to lose this level,” said Medvedev, who is 4-0 against Tsitsipas.

Berrettini’s rise has been the most drastic of the four semi-finalists. On 14 April, he lost his fifth consecutive match. But he has since gone 33-9, reaching his maiden Grand Slam semi-final (US Open, l. to Nadal) and Masters 1000 semi-final (Shanghai) along the way.

Berrettini lost in the Shanghai qualifying one year ago and was 3-8 at Masters 1000 events before winning four matches this week.

Only Zverev, the 22-year-old reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, has been there, done that in Shanghai. The three-time Masters 1000 titlist made the semi-finals last year before falling to eventual champion Djokovic.

His experience showed against Federer as the German stayed focussed despite seeing five match points come and go in the second set.

“It was a match to maybe turn my year around a little bit, and the [ATP] Race To London is also very important,” said Zverev, who is now in seventh place in the Race. “I’m happy to be in the semi-finals now and give myself the best chance to win maybe two more matches here.”

The future is now at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Four of the most talented young stars in the sport have played inspired tennis this week to fill the semi-final lineup. Third seed Daniil Medvedev kicks off Saturday’s schedule against Stefanos Tsitsipas and fifth seed Alexander Zverev takes on No. 11 seed Matteo Berrettini.

Although Medvedev has a flawless 4-0 record against Tsitsipas in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, the #NextGenATP champion has taken a set in all of their previous matches. But Tsitsipas isn’t shy to admit that he’s struggled against the Russian’s style of play.

“He has a very weird game. It’s very sloppy, but a good sloppy. I don’t mean this in a bad way. He’s just very uncomfortable to play against,” Tsitsipas said in August. “He has this completely different way of playing, flat and low, without giving you much angle to work with. It can be very disturbing to play against him. He can make you miss without understanding why you missed.”

Read More: Why Medvedev Embraces His ‘Weird’ & ‘Sloppy’ Tennis

Although Medvedev’s style may be unorthodox, it’s clearly working. The Russian powered into the last four without dropping a set and is on track to reach his sixth consecutive ATP final. The 23-year-old’s staggering numbers this season including 57 match wins, more than any other player on Tour, and prevailing in 27 of his past 30 matches. He’s also riding a seven-match winning streak after taking the title last month in St. Petersburg (d. Coric) and has won his past 14 sets.

But despite his success, Medvedev said he doesn’t feel invincible. He’ll bring his typically workmanlike approach to Saturday’s match with Tsitsipas and come prepared for a hard-fought battle.

Who will win the latest @FedEx ATP Head2Head match between these players?#RolexShMasters

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 11, 2019

”Stefanos, even though I won all of the matches, they were all really tight. He’s also improving every week,” Medvedev said. “He’s still so young. He has two more years than me to improve, talking about age.”

Meanwhile. Tsitsipas looks to make one of his best weeks on Tour even more memorable. He enjoyed one of the best days of his career on Friday by fighting back for his first win over a current World No. 1 in Novak Djokovic, a match which he called “the best comeback I’ve ever had.” The 21-year-old then learned he’d qualified for his maiden appearance in the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, held from 10-17 November at The O2 in London. 

Despite his record against Medvedev, he’ll take confidence from overcoming some of his most challenging opponents all week. Prior to beating Djokovic, Tsitsipas scored his first win over #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and avenged a loss in Montreal to Pole Hubert Hurkacz. If he maintains his current level, he has the tools to score another breakthrough against Medvedev.

”[Medvedev] has a very different tennis from most of the players that I have been playing against this year. He’s a very mental player,” Tsitsipas said. “Tomorrow is going to be a new challenge for me. I hope I feel well. I hope it’s going to be a fresh, new Stefanos out on this court, showing his best tennis and playing smart and making him play out of his comfort zone.”

Zverev’s showdown with Berrettini has major implications on the remaining two qualification spots for London. With their performances this week, defending Nitto ATP Finals champion Zverev moved to seventh place (2,615) and Berrettini (2,545) jumped to eighth place in the ATP Race to London. The winner of Saturday’s match will receive an additional 240 points.

The German’s season of highs and lows is firmly on an upswing after he defeated Roger Federer in an epic quarter-final for his first Top 10 win of the year. Zverev is a confidence player and at his best once he gets a few matches under his belt at an ATP Tour event. If he brings the same form he did against Federer, he’ll put himself in position to break the 1-1 tie in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Berrettini.

Meanwhile, Berrettini is enjoying his own breakthrough week by reaching his first Masters 1000 semi-final. The hard-hitting Italian has routinely crunched forehand winners that exceed 150 kilometres per hour and consistently put his opponents on defence, racing into the semi-finals without dropping a set. If he can beat Zverev, the 23-year-old will make his debut in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings on Monday.

Beast mode from Matteo Berrettini ?

?: @TennisTV | #RolexShMasters pic.twitter.com/Av0MYQaA4x

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 10, 2019

The doubles semi-finals feature second seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo taking on sixth seeds Nicolas Mahut/Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Kubot/Melo’s quarter-final win on Friday clinched their spot in the Nitto ATP Finals. Eighth seeds Mate Pavic/Bruno Soares will meet Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski in the last match of the day.

SCHEDULE – SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER 2019
CENTRE COURT 1 start 1:30 pm
[6] Nicolas Mahut (FRA) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs [2] Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Marcelo Melo (BRA)
[3] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) vs [6] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
Not Before 6:30 pm
[5] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs [11] Matteo Berrettini (ITA)
[8] Mate Pavic (CRO) / Bruno Soares (BRA) vs Jamie Murray (GBR) / Neal Skupski (GBR)

Italy’s Matteo Berrettini slid into the eighth and final Nitto ATP Finals qualification spot on Friday with a gritty 7-6(8), 6-4 victory against No. 5 Dominic Thiem. The win marks Berrettini’s second Top 5 win (Zverev, Rome 2019) and his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

The 23-year-old Italian saved all three break points and improved to 33-9 since suffering a five-match losing streak on 14 April. Berrettini, the winner of two ATP Tour titles this season (Budapest, Gstaad), will next meet Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who beat two-time champion Roger Federer 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 to make his first Masters 1000 semi-final since 2018 Shanghai.

Look at the man go ?

Super speed from Matteo Berrettini!

?: @TennisTV | #RolexShMasters pic.twitter.com/32yjNPMYHb

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 11, 2019

Berrettini added 180 points to his ATP Race To London tally (2,525), 40 points ahead of ninth-placed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, whom the Italian beat in the Shanghai third round.

Berrettini could knock out another London rival in his semi-final. Zverev, the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion, is currently in seventh place in the Race, with 2,615 points.

Thiem beat Berrettini in June en route to his second Roland Garros final. But on the quick Shanghai courts, Berrettini’s power, particularly his mammoth forehand, was too much to contend with for Thiem, who had won his past seven consecutive matches, dating back to his China Open title on Sunday in Beijing.

Berretini converted his fourth set point in the 18-point tie-break and broke Thiem in the seventh game of the second set before serving it out.

Alexander Zverev earned his first Top 10 win of the season on Friday, defeating Roger Federer in a three-set thriller to reach the semi-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The 22-year-old showed how much the victory meant to him after clinching the match, immediately turning around to his camp to let out a massive roar.

“It’s my [expletive] time now!”

For one, it’s his time to make a big move in the ATP Race To London. Zverev, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, is now in pole position to book his spot at the season finale for the third consecutive year. After Stefanos Tsitsipas qualified on Friday, there are only two spots remaining, and Zverev is in seventh place in the Race.

“Obviously it was an important match. The head-to-head [against Federer] is obviously a great thing to have, but more importantly for me is it was a match to maybe turn my year around a little bit, and the Race to London is also very important,” Zverev said. “So I’m happy to be in the semi-finals now and give myself the best chance to win maybe two more matches here.”

It’s not that long ago that Zverev’s prospects of qualifying for London appeared in question. The German arrived in Montreal in August in 10th place in the Race.

But Zverev never panicked, even if he did not maintain the momentum of his victory from last year at The O2. This week in Shanghai, Zverev is into the semi-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 event or Grand Slam for the first time this year.

“You can always see things with the glass half empty or half full,” Zverev said in Montreal. ”It has not been the best year for me, but I am still… competing for London and the biggest tournaments in the world. For me, the year can only get better.”

Zverev (2,615 points) knows his spot is nowhere near booked though, leading eighth-placed Berrettini (2,525) by just 90 points and ninth-placed Roberto Bautista Agut (2,485) by 130 points.

However, defeating Federer to take a 4-3 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series gives the German plenty of confidence heading into a crucial showdown against Berrettini in Saturday’s semi-finals, in which he can give himself more cushion in the Race.

“It helps a lot. I mean, obviously the five match points I had in the second set, them going away and still knowing that I can win in three sets is very important, especially against someone like Roger, because normally he doesn’t let go of these kinds of matches,” Zverev said. “It was great and very important for me… going into the next few tournaments and going into the next few matches here is also going to be, I think, a big thing for me, knowing that I can win these kinds of matches.”

Perhaps most importantly, Zverev showed signs against Federer that he is getting closer to playing the tennis that helped him to the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals title. And that will be what pushes him back to London.

“[I am] finally starting to play the way I should play, really. I was playing really defensive the whole year round and was not with a lot of confidence,” Zverev said. “Finally maybe starting to play some better tennis and hopefully I can continue this way.”

Alexander Zverev held on, despite losing five match points in the second set, to upset Roger Federer 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 and significantly bolster his Nitto ATP Finals chances on Friday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Zverev had three match points on his serve at 6-5, 40/0 in the second set, but lost the next five points, due, in part, to Federer’s best tennis of the quarter-final. The German had two more match points in the ensuing tie-break – 5/6 on Federer’s serve and 7/6 on his serve – but lost them both.

Zverev, however, regrouped in the third, crushing more backhand passes on the run for his first Top 10 win of the season and his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final since 12 months ago in Shanghai (l. to Djokovic).

Zverev adds 180 points to his ATP Race To London tally (2,615 points) to pass Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut (2,485) and move into seventh place. The top eight will compete at the prestigious season finale, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.

The 22-year-old Zverev now leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Federer 4-3. Only two other active players who have faced Federer at least seven times have a winning record against the Swiss: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic (26-22) and No. 2 Rafael Nadal (24-16).

Zverev resembled the player who won the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals last November, his biggest title to date, with aggressive play in the opening sets. He was stepping into the court and outhitting Federer from the baseline, and when the Swiss forayed forward, Zverev smacked passes from both wings.

The German broke in the sixth game of the opener and again at 5-5 in the second set before he stepped up to the line to serve for the match at 6-5.

Federer, however, facing match points, delivered his best shots of the match, including two volleys that Zverev could only attempt to chase down as the pro-Federer Shanghai crowd roared with approval.

The Swiss let out a shout after winning five straight points from 0/40, 5-6 down and, in the tie-break, won his first set point to force a deciding set.

Zverev, though, broke in Federer’s first service game of the third set and stayed locked in, despite Federer’s frequent discussions with the chair umpire. The 28-time Masters 1000 champion received a point penalty for ball abuse at 0-3 down in the third set.

Zverev served out the quarter-final to 15 and set up a semi-final against the winner of London hopeful Matteo Berrettini of Italy and Austrian Dominic Thiem, who has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.