Tennis News

Gille/Vliegen Charge Into Nur-Sultan Quarter-finals

Top seeds Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen booked their spot in the inaugural Astana Open quarter-finals, while the second seeds Max Purcell and Luke Saville became the first team to reach the final four after an action-packed day in Nur-Sultan. 

The Belgian duo faced Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul in the second round, and had to fend off three break chances across both sets. But Gille and Vliegen responded emphatically, never dropping serve and breaking McDonald and Paul immediately afterwards each time en route to a 6-3, 6-4 victory in 64 minutes.

In the quarter-finals, Gille and Vliegen will take on Jonathan Erlich and Andrei Vasilevski after the Israeli-Belarussian duo defeated Mohamed Safwat and Denis Yevseyev 6-3, 6-3 to eliminate the last Kazakh player left standing in the doubles draw. Yevseyev’s countryman Mikhail Kukushkin has reached the singles quarter-finals after taking down top seed Benoit Paire in a rollercoaster three-set battle earlier in the day.

Gille and Vliegen are still on the hunt for their first trophy of the season as they seek to back up a breakthrough 2019 that saw the pair claim three ATP Tour titles, winning in Bastad, Gstaad and Zhuhai. Since the Tour’s resumption, the pair have picked up steam with a quarter-final run at the US Open and a semi-final at Antwerp in the lead up to Nur-Sultan.  

Second seeds Purcell and Saville continued to make their case in the FedEx ATP Battle For London as they defeated Luke Bambridge and Divij Sharan to capture the first semi-final spot at the Astana Open. The Australian Open finalists edged through in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 as Saville and Bambridge combined for seven double faults in the opening set. Purcell and Saville began the week in ninth place in the Battle as they pursue their first Nitto ATP Finals qualification.

Also in action in Nur-Sultan, fourth seeds Ben McLachlan and Franko Skugor joined Marcelo Arevalo and Tomislav Brkic in the quarter-finals after both teams needed Match Tie-breaks to advance. McLachlan and Skugor edged past Matwe Middelkoop and Hugo Nys 7-6(4), 6-7(8), 12-10, while Arevalo and Brkic came from a set down to oust Rohan Bopanna and Frederik Nielsen 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 10-5.

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Top Two Seeded Teams Out In Vienna

At the Erste Bank Open, the doubles field is wide open as the top two seeded teams bowed out after a day full of surprises in Vienna. 

Two-time French Open winners Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies came out on top in a battle between 2020 Grand Slam champions against Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares, who triumphed at the US Open earlier in the season. 

In a rematch of the 2020 Roland Garros final, Krawietz and Mies repeated the same result, breaking Pavic and Soares four times to record a 6-1, 4-6, 10-8 victory over the top seeds and book their spot in the semi-finals. 

The second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury also exited Vienna after Ram was forced to withdraw due to a leg injury, sending Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski into the semi-finals.

Third seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo dodged St. Petersburg champions Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 to become the lone seeds through to the final four in Vienna. The pair currently sit in 11th place in the Battle For London, and are hoping to make their fourth consecutive appearance as a team at the Nitto ATP Finals. 

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Medvedev Serves 17 Aces & Revenge In Vienna

Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev served a dose of revenge Thursday in Vienna, rallying past Canadian Vasek Pospisil 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 behind 17 aces to reach the Erste Bank Open quarter-finals.

“It was really tough and Vasek was playing some unbelievable tennis,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “I’m really happy that he didn’t finish the match [as strongly] and played a little bit worse. I took my chances. I’m really happy about it [and] looking forward [to] tomorrow.”

In February, Pospisil played lights-out power tennis to overwhelm the Russian in Rotterdam. Although the World No. 81 played inspired tennis again early in Austria, Medvedev made appropriate adjustments to wear down the Canadian after one hour and 58 minutes, taking a 2-1 lead in their ATP Head2Head series.

The turning point came with Pospisil serving at 3-4 in the second set. The 30-year-old was cruising to a service hold at 40/15, and he had not yet been broken in the match. But Pospisil made four consecutive errors — including three unforced forehand errors from the baseline — to let slip his grip on the match.

Medvedev took full advantage of that opening, stepping closer to the baseline to take time away from the former World No. 25. Pospisil became increasingly frustrated in the third set after he missed an inside-out forehand wide at 1-1 to give the Russian the break in the final set. In the first half of the match, the veteran was playing aggressively without missing much. But as time wore on he began misfiring from the baseline.

Medvedev, who is pursuing his first ATP Tour title of the season, kept his foot on the gas and broke again in his next return game when Pospisil missed a volley-lob long. The fourth seed did not face a break point in the third set, completing his victory with his 17th ace of the match.

The 24-year-old has been building momentum since the ATP Tour restarted in August. At the US Open, Medvedev did not lose a set en route to his second Grand Slam semi-final. He has already qualified for his second consecutive appearance in the Nitto ATP Finals.

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Dimitrov Weathers Tsitsipas' Storm In Battle Of Former London Champions

Former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov let slip a seemingly insurmountable 5/0 lead in the first-set tie-break against Stefanos Tsitsipas. But instead of allowing that tough moment ruin the rest of his match, the Bulgarian rallied for his first Top 10 win of the season.

Dimitrov battled past Tsitsipas 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Erste Bank Open quarter-finals for the first time. The World No. 20 withstood 15 aces from the Greek and saved the two break points he faced to triumph after two hours and 14 minutes.

“It’s never easy to come out of a situation like that,” Dimitrov said in his on-court interview. “I was focussed, but he went for it. In the tie-break a few close calls here and there went his way. [There was] not much else I could have done, I felt. But I kept on believing and kept on doing the right things.”

In a battle of former Nitto ATP Finals champions, Dimitrov showed a willingness to go after his shots against Tsitsipas, who is known for his attacking tennis. The Greek defeated his veteran opponent 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-2 less than a month ago in the fourth round at Roland Garros. That made the first-set tie-break result appear even more pivotal.

For the most part, Tsitsipas earned his way back into the tie-break, with Dimitrov doing little wrong. Perhaps his most glaring error came at 5/3, when he stretched for and missed a forehand volley that appeared to be sailing wide. On the next point, Tsitsipas evened the score with a perfect forehand drop volley from his shoestrings. The third seed won seven consecutive points to take the first set.

“[I] stayed in the match, which I think was the most important thing. He’s such a great competitor,” Dimitrov said. “You always have to be ready. I was just focussing on the most simple things of the game.”

Dimitrov did not back off the baseline and he performed especially well behind his second serve. The unseeded righty won 60 per cent of his second-serve points, breaking the Greek’s serve once in the second set and twice in the third set. Instead of letting down after the tie-break, Dimitrov only got better, while Tsitsipas was unable to raise his level in the decider.

“Every good match that you play gives you a certain amount of confidence. Clearly today was very taxing on the body. Hopefully I’m going to have enough time to recover for tomorrow’s match,” said Dimitrov, who next plays Daniel Evans. “That was the second round of the tournament if you think about it. The rounds are getting tougher and tougher, which is normal. But I like my chances. Just very pleased to be here.”

Did You Know?
Dimitrov’s last Top 10 victory came at last year’s Rolex Paris Masters against Dominic Thiem.

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Thiem Sets Rublev Showdown In Vienna QFs

Dominic Thiem said before this week’s Erste Bank Open that triumphing on home soil in Vienna last year remains his second-greatest accomplishment. Based on his performance Thursday, the second seed is hungry to add another Austrian trophy to his collection.

Thiem cruised past World No. 22 Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-2 in 66 minutes to reach the quarter-finals at his home tournament for the third consecutive year and the fourth time overall. The second seed will play fifth seed Andrey Rublev in a big-hitting encounter for a spot in the last four.

The 27-year-old, who recently captured his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, was ruthless on the indoor hard court. Without overplaying, he overpowered Garin. Thiem did not face a break point in the match, winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points and only making 12 unforced errors.

Garin has won two ATP Tour titles this year in Cordoba and Rio de Janeiro, but both of those victories came on clay. The 24-year-old struggled to get the Austrian out of his comfort zone, making 24 unforced errors, including 15 on the forehand side.

The Chilean certainly tried to make an impact on Thiem’s game, even trying moving into the forecourt, where he showed good touch. But for the most part Thiem’s typical baseline shots were enough and he was never forced to go for too much.

Garin got off to a slow start, mis-hitting a forehand to lose his first service game. That set the tone for the match, as he later relinquished another break with a double fault.

Thiem will take a 2-1 ATP Head2Head series lead into his showdown against Rublev in the last eight. Rublev won their most recent clash last year in Hamburg 7-6(3), 7-6(5). The Austrian has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, where he made the final last year. Rublev is making a push to earn his first season finale qualification.

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Vienna Open: Dan Evans beats Jurij Rodionov to reach quarter-finals

British number one Dan Evans beats Jurij Rodionov to reach the quarter-finals of the Vienna Open.

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Kukushkin Fights Back To Beat Paire In Nur-Sultan

Mikhail Kukushkin played with great pride on Thursday at the Astana Open, recovering from a set and 1-4 deficit against Benoit Paire for a place in the quarter-finals.

Kukushkin recorded his sixth victory of the season with a 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 6-1 win over Paire in two hours and 14 minutes at Kazakhstan’s first ATP Tour 250 event.

Kukushkin broke at 2-4 in the second set, played aggressively in the tie-break and won the first three games of the decider. The 32-year-old will next contest his first ATP Tour quarter-final for 13 months (2019 St. Petersburg Open) against Finnish qualifier Emil Ruusuvuori.

Ruusuvuori advanced to his first tour-level quarter-final by beating eighth seed Jordan Thompson of Australia 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and three minutes.

Third seed Adrian Mannarino needed just 62 minutes to sweep past Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita 6-1, 6-1 for a place in the quarter-finals.

Mannarino won nine straight games from 0-1 in the first set and will next face American Mackenzie McDonald, who knocked out Italian wild card Andreas Seppi 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in just over two hours. McDonald is through to his first ATP Tour quarter-final since February 2019 at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (l. to Nadal).

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Hewitt Tops International Tennis Hall Of Fame Class Of 2021 Fan Vote

It was announced on Wednesday in a press release that former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt received the most votes in the Class of 2021 International Tennis Hall of Fame Fan Vote presented by BNP Paribas. Swede Jonas Bjorkman received the third-most votes.

“Being nominated for the Hall of Fame is such a huge honour for me already, and to experience this incredible support from the fans while going through the Hall of Fame process just makes it even more special,” Hewitt said according to the release. “There are four additional great candidates with me on the ballot for the Hall of Fame, and I’m really honoured and appreciative of all the support I’ve received from tennis fans in Australia and around the world.”

To be elected into the Hall of Fame, a candidate must receive an affirmative vote in 75 per cent or more of ballots submitted from the Official Voting Group, which is comprised of tennis media and experts, or a combined total of 75 per cent or higher from their Voting Group result and any bonus percentage points earned in the Fan Vote.

As the first-place finisher in the International Tennis Hall of Fame Fan Vote presented by BNP Paribas, Hewitt will receive three bonus percentage points on his results from the Official Voting Group, while Bjorkman will receive one bonus percentage point. In addition to Hewitt and Björkman, Spaniards Juan Carlos Ferrero and Sergi Bruguera as well as American Lisa Raymond are on the ballot in the Player Category for Class of 2021 induction.

“In today’s digital world, sports fans are more knowledgeable and connected to athletes than ever before. We are pleased to give them the opportunity to express their opinions in determining who will be the recipients of tennis’ ultimate honour,” said International Tennis Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin. “It’s been great to see fans embrace this opportunity with a strong voter turnout from all over the world. In such an unusual year for tennis, we are glad to offer this unique and important way for fans to engage with the sport, and we are grateful for our longstanding partner BNP Paribas for their support of the 2021 Fan Vote.”

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‘Can You Endure?’ Djokovic’s Advice For The #NextGenATP

The next generation of tennis stars has already arrived according to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, but their biggest challenge will be to endure at the top in order to establish themselves as great champions in the sport.

Speaking to press after his hard-fought victory against 23-year-old Borna Coric in the second round of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Djokovic reflected on the rise of young stars — including Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev — and what they can do to establish themselves at the top.

“I definitely see a lot of quality in the young players,” said Djokovic, highlighting 19-year-old Sinner as ‘one to watch’. “[Sinner] definitely possesses a game that is powerful and is with a lot of quality, and you can say he has the potential to be a top player of the world.

“Sinner is definitely, I would say, the leader of the guys younger than Zverev and Tsitsipas, who I think by many experts’ opinions [is] the next ‘top’ top player.”

Djokovic also reserved some words of praise and caution for 23-year-old Zverev and 22-year-old Tsitsipas, who have become fixtures in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and lifted the trophy at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

“These are the guys of the ‘next’ generation, so to speak,” said Djokovic. “They’re still very young, but they have a lot of titles. Both Zverev and Tsitsipas won the [Nitto ATP] Finals, which after Slams is the biggest event in our sport. So those guys are already established top guys. I can’t speak of them as ‘potential’ in tennis, because they already have achieved some great heights in tennis… But let’s see.

“Many things have to come together in a career and life of a tennis player in order for him to be able to find his best and maximise his potential and to thrive every single year,” he added. “And to endure, because I think you have a much better chance to have a great Grand Slam or a great season. But can you endure for three, four, five, 10 years? Fifteen years?”

It’s something that Djokovic has a career of experience in doing, ever since lifting his first Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open at 20 years old. He’s since gone on to break some of the longest standing records in the sport, racking up 17 Grand Slam titles as well as holding the No. 1 spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings for 292 weeks and counting.

“Obviously winning a Grand Slam is one of the biggest successes and achievements that you can have in our sport. And of course, anyone can have an unbelievable couple of weeks, but then can you really do that year after year, be No.1 in the world and finish the year as No.1?” Djokovic pondered.

“I think that’s probably the ultimate goal really, is how to find your balance in your private and professional life in order for you to thrive throughout the entire year and to be one of the contenders for No.1 in the world.”

Djokovic continues his Vienna quest against Hubert Hurkacz or Lorenzo Sonego in the next round for a spot in the semi-finals.

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