Serena Williams withdraws from Miami Open
Serena Williams pulls out of this week’s Miami Open after having oral surgery.
Serena Williams pulls out of this week’s Miami Open after having oral surgery.
Shortly after capturing his first title of the season with a thrilling 6-4, 7-6(3) final victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev set his sights on adding more silverware to his impressive trophy collection.
Zverev, born in April 1997, owns the most titles of any player born since 1994. The 14-time tour-level titlist’s nearest rival in this category is 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev, who owns 10 ATP Tour trophies. The 23-year-old shared pride in leading that category and believes that his run to the title in Acapulco could help him achieve greater success in the future.
“It’s great achievement for me. You come to play tournaments to win tournaments,” Zverev said. “I have done that this week. I am extremely happy with that. The main goal is still the biggest titles in the world. The Grand Slams are the most difficult ones to win and I haven’t achieved that yet, but I am looking forward to it. I think this is a big stepping stone for me.”
Over the past six months, Zverev has been one of the leading players on the ATP Tour. The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion has reached five finals on hard courts during that period, with further title runs at back-to-back indoor events in Cologne last October. Zverev also finished as a runner up at the US Open (l. to Thiem) and the Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Medvedev).
Zverev believes one of the major factors in his consistent hard-court success in recent months has been his experience.
“I got older [and] maybe a few things changed for me,” said Zverev. “I know how to handle a few things maybe a little bit better and, as a tennis player, you always try to evolve.”
During the trophy ceremony, Zverev took a moment to thank the Acapulco crowd for their support. The Hamburg-born star described his visit to the ATP 500 as “the most fun I had on a tennis court in months, a few years maybe.” Zverev, who won the Acapulco doubles title in 2019 (w/M. Zverev), wore a Mexican national football shirt during his speech.
“Winning is nice, it is awesome, but the atmosphere, the people, playing in front of a crowd, we miss that a lot,” said Zverev. “The Mexican crowd always welcomes me very well.”
After falling in the 2019 final to Nick Kyrgios, Zverev achieved a career goal with his run to the trophy this week at the three-time ATP 500 Tournament of the Year (2007, ’17, ’19). The 6’6” right-hander owns a 12-3 record across four tournament appearances in Acapulco.
“I’ve always said that this is definitely a tournament that I wanted to win in my career,” Zverev said. “I have a very strong relationship with Mexico and with this tournament. I came here with a goal and I achieved it, and I’m very happy with that.”
British pair Ken and Neal Skupski beat top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos to win the Mexican Open, while Alexander Zverev wins the singles title
Second seed Alexander Zverev was tested from the first point against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Saturday, but he fought through in a thrilling final to claim his 14th ATP Tour title at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
Zverev turned around an early break in the first set and had to save a set point at 5-6 in the second set, but he stayed cool to move past Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6(3) after two hours and 19 minutes.
“I’ve always said that this is definitely a tournament that I wanted to win in my career,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference. “I have a very strong relationship with Mexico and with this tournament. I came here with a goal and I achieved it, and I’m very happy with that.”
Tsitsipas and Zverev were contesting Acapulco’s first final between the top two seeds since 2015, when No. 2 David Ferrer defeated No. 1 Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5. Second seed Zverev repeated the pattern for No. 2 seeds to improve to 2-5 in his ATP Head2Head record against Tsitsipas.
The German hadn’t dropped a set all week, but he looked uncharacteristically flat at the start of the first set, and Tsitsipas took full advantage as he surged to a 4-1 lead. Zverev faced three break points that would have made it 5-1, with Tsitsipas painting the lines with highlight-reel worthy winners. Zverev found his rhythm with searing backhands, and he reeled off the last five games of the set.
Zverev and Tsitsipas were deadlocked in a tight second set, with only two break points on offer throughout the opening eight games. The second seed broke through first and took a 5-4 lead, but couldn’t serve out the match. Tsitsipas saved match point, helped along by a Zverev double fault, to break straight back.
Tsitsipas put in a mammoth effort to save six break points at 5-5 and held a set point in the following game, but he couldn’t hold back Zverev. The German converted his third match point to seal his first Acapulco singles title.
“In the beginning I started off extremely bad, I thought I didn’t play well at all,” Zverev said. “I had to fight my way into the match, and I did well to win the first set. In the second set, when I have a chance I need to close it out against these top players because normally they won’t give you a second chance. I thought I played extremely well in the tie-break, I’m happy with how it went.”
After the match, Zverev donned a Mexican national team shirt and the winner’s traditional blue sombrero, as he lifted Acapulco’s signature silver gourd trophy.
Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski stormed to their first title of the year with a victory over top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos on Saturday at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
The British pair converted both break points they created against Granollers and Zeballos, edging to a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory in an hour and 34 minutes. The win sealed their third title together, and their first since 2019 in Budapest.
The brothers, who hail from Liverpool, parted ways in 2019 after a long partnership, with 31-year-old Neal going on to partner countryman Jamie Murray and 37-year-old Ken pairing with Santiago Gonzalez. They reunited to start this season, and celebrated their fourth trophy as a team on Saturday.
“I’d like to thank Neal, actually,” Ken acknowledged in the on-court ceremony. “It’s been a long road since we sort of broke up and got back together. This is a magic moment for both of us.”
The pair lifted Acapulco’s signature silver gourd trophy after going through both of the tournament’s top two seeds. They also upset second seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in the quarter-finals.
Ken, a father of three, dedicated the trophy to his son Taylor.
“It’s my son’s eighth birthday today, so I’d like to mention him…” Ken said. “We don’t have anybody here with us this week, but we have a lot of people at home watching us and a lot of great support from the internet as well.”
[WATCH LIVE 2]The Skupski brothers had to recover from a break down against top seeds Granollers and Zeballos, who were competing in just their second tournament together in 2021. The pair applied the pressure on the Spanish-Argentine team, and found the cracks. A missed smash from Granollers and Zeballos after a scrambling point handed the Brits the opening set.
The top seeds looked rattled for the next few games, misfiring again at crucial moments to hand over an early break. By the time the Spanish-Argentine team righted the ship, Skupski and Skupski were ahead 3-1. They served out the victory to claim their first ATP Tour trophy of the year.
Aslan Karatsev arrived in Dubai unseeded, but by no means under the radar after his head-turning performances at the start of the year.
The Russian reached the Australian Open semi-finals from qualifying in his Grand Slam main draw debut, and was a part of Russia’s ATP Cup winning squad. The success just kept coming for the hard-working 27-year-old, who lifted his first doubles trophy last week in Doha with Andrey Rublev. Karatsev then defeated Rublev in the semi-final this week on the way to his maiden ATP Tour singles title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
ATPTour.com caught up with Karatsev after his victory to talk about his week, and the path that has taken him from Israel and Russia all the way to glory in Dubai.
What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
It means a lot. It was a long journey from 18 years old, when I stopped playing the juniors and turned pro. It’s almost 10 years, or even more. So it’s a long journey, and I put in a lot of hard work. [There were] a lot of ups and downs. I also was injured during this time, so I’m really happy that I recovered and was ready to compete again on that level.
You had to win four matches in three sets and defeat four seeded players to get this trophy. At what point in the week did you start to believe that you could win this title?
I was preparing myself just for every single match, because every match here is really tough. Especially on this surface, where everyone is serving well. A small mistake, and you can lose easily. So you have to focus on every match.
I think the difficult one, mentally, was the semi-final against Rublev. I tried to dictate more with my game, and I prepared a lot mentally for that match.
You mentioned winning your second Top 10 match against Rublev, who you teamed up with last week to win the doubles title in Doha. Did beating Andrey give you even more confidence?
Yeah, we played together one week in Doha and we won the trophy. But once you are playing each other, you step on the court and you’re opponents. It’s your job. And [a win like this] gives you a lot of confidence because you see the level that these Top 10 players are competing with. It gives me confidence that I really can be there and play at that level.
You had an incredible start to the season on Russia’s ATP Cup squad and then reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open. Now that you’ve had time to process it, how has life changed for you after Melbourne?
Of course, the big change is that I went up in the Rankings. But I tried to stay more focused, to play hard whenever I step out on the court. I’m enjoying the moment. I mean, I’m 27. I’m not old, but still, 27… [laughs]
It was a great week in the ATP Cup, we won the trophy. And playing a great two weeks in Australia gave me a lot of confidence. So I arrived in Dubai with full energy after winning a title in doubles in Doha.
There are now four Russian players inside the Top 50. What is your relationship like with players like Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov and Rublev? Have they given you any useful tips or advice?
Yeah, we all have a good relationship. Whenever we see each other, we are talking. Especially at the ATP Cup, we shared so many emotions and we talked a lot. And of course, I try to get some outside tips from each player. I can ask them, and they have a really open mind [and want] to help.
I think it’s great, four players in the Top 50 from Russia. I think in that way we can push each other. And Daniil Medvedev is No. 2 in the world right now, it’s an incredible achievement.
Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
My family. My father was supporting me from when I started to play. My mom, my sister, all my family. The people around me and my friends. Definitely my coach right now [Yahor Yatsyk], who is helping me a lot mentally. It’s one of the most important things in our sport, to be ready mentally.
Talk a bit about how you got into tennis. What made you want to become a professional player?
My family moved from Russia to Israel when I was around three years old. One day we were walking from the beach back to our home and we just saw the tennis centre. And my parents said okay, my older sister would try tennis. And she started to practise there for like two years. By the time I turned four, I was trying to take the racquet away from her and start to play on the wall.
And then step by step, I started to play. My sister quit after two years, and then I started. All the attention went from my father to me. [laughs] I started to practise seriously when I was six or seven, I already had a morning session, fitness session and I became No. 1 in Israel. That’s how it started.
Who was your biggest tennis idol growing up? Which players do you admire now?
I wouldn’t say idol, but I always liked to watch Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. At that time when I was growing up there were fantastic matches between Agassi and Sampras. And Roger, when I was seven he had already started winning [laughs]. It’s unbelievable to watch what he does on the court.
What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I think if I wasn’t a tennis player, I would be a football player. I have liked to play football since I was a kid, so I would say football.
This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
Celebrate? Maybe dinner and some day off. I try to not get out of my rhythm. Of course, I will take some rest for a few days, but then there is travelling and playing another week.
Every week it starts from the beginning. You have to compete. You have to prepare your body. You have to be ready mentally and physically.