Tennis News

Bautista Agut On Sinner: ‘He Has Something Special In Tough Moments’

Just two days after his straight-sets win against World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, Roberto Bautista Agut’s bid to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 final ended on Friday at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The Spaniard fell in three sets to 19-year-old Jannik Sinner, who became only the fourth teenager — after Andre Agassi (1990), Rafael Nadal (2005) and Novak Djokovic (2007) — to reach a Miami final in the tournament’s 36-year history. When asked about Sinner’s future in the sport, Bautista Agut heaped praise on the two-time ATP Tour titlist.

“He has a great future coming up. He has everything,” said Bautista Agut. “He has a big serve, he’s tall, he’s big, he moves well, he has very good groundstrokes, mentally he’s also great and improving. He has a great future coming up.”

Bautista Agut has reached 18 ATP Tour championship matches (9-9) during his 16 years as a professional, but his greater experience has yet to help him achieve success against the #NextGenATP Italian. Sinner’s devastating groundstrokes often grab the headlines, but perhaps the most crucial aspect of the World No. 31’s game is his mental strength. Sinner’s quarter-final opponent, Alexander Bublik, was so impressed by his opponent’s mentality that he asked Sinner if he was human at the conclusion of their match.

Sinner has showcased his winning mentality against Bautista Agut this month across two ATP Head2Head encounters. The San Candido native also beat Bautista Agut in three sets just two weeks ago at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“Of course, he’s good. [In] both matches [I] have the feeling I could [have] won both times, but finally I didn’t. I think he has something special in tough moments,” said Bautista Agut. “Today, I had chances in the second set, chances in the third set. He’s a great player, [a] great competitor, and I will try to beat him the next time.”

Bautista Agut is correct in his assessment. He did have his chances. The most clear-cut opportunity for the 32-year-old came at 3-3 in the second set, when he held a 40/0 advantage on Sinner’s serve.

The World No. 12 made an error of judgement on his first break point, when he elected to leave a Sinner crosscourt backhand. The ball landed on the line and Sinner saved a total of four break points in that game to keep himself ahead in the score.

“I thought that ball was going out and finally [it] touched the line [by] one millimetre. Tennis sometimes is crazy,” said Bautista Agut. “Sometimes it’s like this, and one ball can make a big difference on the match… I had four break points in this game and today was not my day. I have to congratulate him, because he came back well in the second set and in the third set.”

Bautista Agut has compiled a 12-8 record this season, which includes final appearances at the Open Sud de France (l. to Goffin) and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open (l. to Basilashvili). The nine-time ATP Tour titlist was appearing in his first Masters 1000 semi-final since the 2020 Western & Southern Open (l. to Djokovic). En route to the final four in Miami, Bautista Agut beat 31st seed Jan-Lennard Struff, 2018 champion John Isner and top seed Medvedev.

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Miami Open: Italian teenager Jannick Sinner reaches maiden ATP Masters 1000 decider

Italian teenager Jannick Sinner reaches his first ATP Masters 1000 final with a stunning victory at the Miami Open.

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SF Preview: Can Hurkacz Stop Rublev's Roll?

Andrey Rublev has been one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour since the start of 2020. Will Hubert Hurkacz be able to stop the Russian in his tracks in the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals on Friday?

After emerging in two tight sets from a rain-interrupted quarter-final clash against 20-year-old Sebastian Korda on Thursday night, Rublev will look to quickly recover to take on the Polish No. 1. Rublev has won more matches than anyone else this season (20-3) and is the only player yet to drop a set Miami, but in their only ATP Head2Head prior meeting, Hurkacz prevailed in three sets in Rome last year.

“In the end, everyone can win now,” Rublev said. “He’s a really great player. He has a really huge serve, really great strokes.

“He’s really aggressive from the baseline. He goes for the shots, and last time we played half a year ago, he beat me. It’s going to be an opportunity for me to do better tomorrow, and we’ll see if I can take the rematch.”

The hot, humid coastal climate of Miami is far removed from what Hurkacz grew up with in Poland. The 24-year-old, though, is feeling right at home in South Florida in 2021.

After winning the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com title in January, Hurkacz has now surged into his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final just down the road in Miami. The 26th seed backed up impressive victories over Canadians, sixth seed Denis Shapovalov and 12th seed Milos Raonic, with an upset of No. 2 seed and recent Acapulco runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“I think that’s so far one of the best results,” Hurkacz said. “Obviously like winning titles, it’s nice because you win the tournament, but the results, winning a couple of really like close matches in a row, that’s really big for me.”

Hurkacz is the bigger player — standing at 6’5″ to Rublev’s 6’2″ — but Rublev will be the one trying to immediately take control of rallies with his big-hitting game. The Pole is an excellent defender for his size, but will he be able to stave off the Russian’s attacks under the Florida sun?

“We’ll see what’s going to happen. I’m going to do my best, and that’s it,” Rublev said. “What’s [going to] happen is going to happen. If I will manage to win tomorrow, it’s perfect. If not, then it’s because Hurkacz is better than me.”

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Bautista Agut Leads Sinner In Miami Semi-final

Roberto Bautista Agut has taken the first set of his Miami Open presented by Itau semi-final 7-5 on Friday against Jannik Sinner.

The seventh seed, who is chasing his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy, wore his opponent down from the baseline in extended rallies to extract 26 unforced errors. Bautista Agut claimed two service breaks during the 52-minute opener.

The World No. 12 is aiming to become the fifth Spanish player to reach the championship match in Miami, and follow in the footsteps of Sergi Bruguera (1997), Carlos Moya (2003), Rafael Nadal (2005, ’08, ’11, ’14 and ’17) and David Ferrer (2013). Bautista Agut has already reached championship matches this year in Montpellier (l. to Goffin) and Doha (l. to Basilashvili).

Sinner is attempting to reach his first Masters 1000 final. The 19-year-old, who is the eighth teenager to reach the Miami semi-finals, defeated Bautista Agut in three sets in the pair’s opening ATP Head2Head encounter in Dubai two weeks ago.

In the second semi-final, fourth seed Andrey Rublev will meet Hubert Hurkacz of Poland. Hurkacz won his only previous match against Rublev in three sets at last year’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

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Zverev Awarded Marbella Wild Card

Germany’s Alexander Zverev has been awarded a wild card for the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open, which begins in Marbella on 5 April.

The World No. 7 will join No. 8-ranked Andrey Rublev, Pablo Carreno Busta and Fabio Fognini at the Club de Tennis Puente Romano, venue of ATP 250 clay-court event.

Zverev has won at least one ATP Tour trophy for six years in a row. The 23-year-old started 2021 with a run to the Australian Open quarter-finals (l. to Djokovic) and also captured his 14th crown last month at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco (d. Tsitsipas).

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Korda: 'I Can Play With The Biggest Names In Tennis'

Sebastian Korda says that he feels better about playing against “the biggest names in tennis” after a run to the Miami Open presented by Itau quarter-finals.

The 20-year-old #NextGenATP American lost to fourth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev 7-5, 7-6(7) on Thursday night and is now 10-4 on the 2021 ATP Tour season, which includes a runner-up finish at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com (l. to Hurkacz) in January.

“I kind of feel comfortable playing against these bigger guys,” said World No. 87 Korda, who was contesting just his second ATP Masters 1000 tournament. “This week showed me that I can keep up and play with the biggest names in tennis. So it was a really positive week, both in singles and in doubles. I had a lot of fun in doubles with my partner, Michael Mmoh. I will take a lot from this and hopefully I can play some good tennis on the clay now.”

Korda, who is set to break into the Top 70 of the FedEx ATP Rankings on Monday, believes that last year’s five-month Tour suspension due to the global COVID-19 pandemic really helped his development.

“I think one of the best things was the break that we had,” said Korda. “It helped me really focus on my body, and fortunately we had a tennis court right next to our house. We were all healthy and we were all staying safe. That was a really big thing for me. I just got in a lot of reps, and I think that really shows in my game right now that I’m a lot more consistent.

“I can keep up with these bigger guys. I think that’s one of the biggest things. But I also think skipping out on [the] Australia [swing] was also a really big thing for me, getting a lot matches. I’m match fit. When I have a lot of matches under my belt, I play some really good tennis.”

The 6’5” right-hander, whose father Petr Korda captured the 1996 Australian Open title and rose to a career-high World No. 2, beat Radu Albot, No. 10 seed Fabio Fognini, No. 17 seed Aslan Karatsev and fifth seed Diego Schwartzman en route to the Miami quarter-finals.

Throughout his run, Korda kept his emotions in check, something he credits to his mother, Regina, a former World No. 26 on the WTA Tour.

“I think ever since I was a kid, my mom was really big into kind of having a poker face on court and not showing any negative emotions. Obviously, positive emotions are always great, but I think my mom was really big on that. I have her to thank for that, because I think it’s a really [a] big strength for me that the opponent doesn’t really know what’s happening on the other side of the court. I try to use it to my favour.”

Korda, who is currently in fourth position in the ATP Race To Milan for a spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals in November, will now return to Bradenton, Florida, to recover from a groin injury, which he says “is the result of playing plenty of matches this year”.

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Friday Preview: Sinner To Meet Bautista Agut For Miami Final Spot

Roberto Bautista Agut’s quarter-final upset of top seed Daniil Medvedev already ensured a new ATP Masters 1000 champion at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Now #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner is out to spoil the Spaniard’s party in a Friday showdown on Grandstand.

Sinner has dropped just one set en route to the final four in Miami, where he will aim to become the fourth teenage finalist in the tournament’s 36-year history. Only 1990 champion Andre Agassi (19), 2005 runner-up Rafael Nadal (18) and 2007 winner Novak Djokovic (19) have advanced to the championship match as teenagers.

Seventh seed Bautista Agut — the only quarter-finalist over the age of 25 — will be aiming to avenge his three-set loss to Sinner in the pair’s maiden ATP Head2Head encounter earlier this month in Dubai. On that occasion, Sinner struck 48 winners — including 16 aces — to outlast Bautista Agut 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

“Especially these [past] two weeks in Dubai and now here, I have more [clarity about] what I have to do,” Sinner said. “It’s working quite well… Especially when you’re 19, honestly, I am focused about improving my tennis… Physically I have to improve very, very much. Mentally, as well. I’m just looking forward to getting better day after day and that’s for me the most important thing.”

Bautista Agut, who saved a match point in his Round of 16 clash against 2018 champion John Isner, is aiming to become the fifth player from Spain — alongside Sergi Bruguera (1997), Carlos Moya (2003), Nadal (2005, ’08, ’11, ’14 and ’17) and David Ferrer (2013) — to reach the Miami final. The 32-year-old enters his second ATP Head2Head encounter against Sinner in peak form, following his quarter-final win against three-time Masters 1000 champion Medvedev.

The Spaniard knows that he will face another tough test from Sinner in Miami. At just 19 years old, Sinner already owns two ATP Tour titles, the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy and has advanced to a Grand Slam quarter-final (2020 Roland Garros).

“It was a very tough match in Dubai, and it was a very tight score,” said Bautista Agut, who is hoping to reach his second Masters 1000 final (2016 Shanghai). “He’s playing great, he’s very solid and he has very good strokes. I think I’ll have to play another good match like tonight.

“Jannik is playing great… I have to say he will be one of the best players in the world. I want to enjoy another good match and be happy about playing in the semi-finals.”

After emerging in two tight sets from a rain-interrupted quarter-final clash against the 20-year-old Korda on Thursday night, Rublev will look to beat Hurkacz for the first time in the second semi-final in Miami. Rublev has won more matches than anyone else this season (20-3) and is the only player yet to drop a set, but in their only ATP Head2Head prior meeting, the Pole prevailed in three sets in Rome last year.

“In the end, everyone can win now,” Rublev said. “He’s a really great player. He has a really huge serve, really great strokes. 

“He’s really aggressive from the baseline. He goes for the shots, and last time we played half a year ago he beat me. It’s going to be an opportunity for me to do better tomorrow, and we’ll see if I can take the rematch.

The hot, humid coastal climate of Miami is far removed from what Hubert Hurkacz grew up with in Poland. The 24-year-old, though, is feeling right at home in South Florida in 2021.

After winning the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com title in January, Hurkacz has now surged into his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final just down the road in Miami. The 26th seed backed up impressive victories over Canadians, sixth seed Denis Shapovalov and 12th seed Milos Raonic, with an upset of No. 2 seed and recent Acapulco runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“I think that’s so far one of the best results,” Hurkacz said. “Obviously like winning titles, it’s nice because you win the tournament, but the results, winning a couple of really like close matches in a row, that’s really big for me.”

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Rublev Ends Korda's Run To Reach Miami SF

Andrey Rublev is two wins from a maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy after snapping #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda’s inspired run in the Miami Open presented by Itau quarter-finals on Thursday night. In a rain-interrupted first ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, the fourth seed eked out a 7-5, 7-6(7) victory.

It set a semi-final showdown with 26th seed Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole earlier upset second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas from a set and a break down.

Rublev was particularly impressed with the fight his opponent displayed from 3-5 down in both sets under the lights. It was a match he admitted he was lucky did not go to a deciding set, having trailed 2-4 in the second-set tie-break.

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“If we talk about the second set, I also could win easier, but it happens, this is tennis,” Rublev said. “Maybe next match I will lose second set and lose the third. I mean, today I managed to win and I’m happy. Sebastian is a really great player, he’s really talented. He has big shots and he feels confident and he goes for them. Most of them he’s making.

“So in the end, that’s why he’s great. He has a big serve, really great at the net, he’s smart and he plays aggressive. He tries to take the lead and go for the shots. That’s why he beat so many great players.”

Beyond the usual advice to come from a father, Petr Korda, who was a former World No. 2, Korda may have gained further insight, given his dad used to work with Russian. Rublev, too, knew what to expect.  

“I know really well his father because he was helping me a bit, especially when I was maybe 16,” Rublev said. “When I was in Bradenton IMG he was helping me, giving me advice, hitting with me. I’m really grateful to him for this. I saw Sebastian even when he was even smaller, maybe 13. I don’t know if he remembers.

“His father is really smart. He knows really well about tennis, he teach him really well. You can see that he has really great technique. He has really easy shots, easy movement.”

Rublev had never passed the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 event but after taking the opening set against the 20-year-old the omens were good. The Russian had won 73 of his past 75 matches after taking the opening set.

Korda had this week posted his first Top 20 win over Fabio Fognini and fist Top 10 victory against Diego Schwartzman and proved a handful for the fourth seeds under the lights. Rublev served for the match at 5-3 in the second set only to be broken to love. Two match points were saved but a second double fault of the match from Korda presented a third opportunity and Rublev made no mistake of it, sealing his passage on his fifth ace.

He will need to land his first win over Hurkacz having fallen to the Pole in their only prior ATP Head2Head meeting. A berth in a maiden ATP Masters 1000 final beckons for both.

“I know how tough tough Hurkacz is, for example, he beat me last year,” Rublev said. “It’s more about that maybe I feel extra pressure, because I’m the one left [from the] Top 10 and looks like I’m high ranking and I feel more pressure.

“But I lost to Hurkacz, I lost to Roberto [Bautista Agut] 6-3, 6-3 just two weeks ago. Jannik [Sinner], who is beating already many players, and I think he [has beaten] Top 10 players also… So in the end, everyone can win now.”

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Boynton On Hurkacz’s Under-The-Radar Miami Run: ‘The Pressure Is Off’

Albert Einstein might have been right to say that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insane. But Einstein was never a coach on the ATP Tour, where ‘sticking to the process’ has been a key part of Craig Boynton’s game plan at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

His player, Hubert Hurkacz, had made a dream start to the 2021 season after lifting his second ATP Tour trophy at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com. But the Pole struggled to back up that result in the weeks that followed, only winning back-to-back matches at one of his next five tournaments.

For Boynton, it was an admittedly tough sell to tell his player to stay the course, and follow the game plan that previously took him to a Top 30 breakthrough and an ATP 250 title. After second-round exits in Rotterdam (l. Tsitsipas) and Dubai (l. Shapovalov), the pair sat down to outline their plan heading into the year’s first ATP Masters 1000 event. 

“I had to talk to Hubi a couple of days in a row before the tournament [and told him], ‘You just have to let the things happen,’” Boynton told ATPTour.com. “‘Just let them happen, because you’ve been putting in the work.’

“Because we have been working hard. I don’t think we’ve had a day off, aside from a travel day, in maybe six weeks. So we’re really putting in the work, and he’s really doing the things on a day-to-day basis. But you’ve just got to let go and let it come to you. Let the improvements come, let the work happen. 

“You don’t sit in front of a microwave and scream at it to hurry up, it cooks when it cooks. Things happen when they happen.”

In Miami, 26th seed Hurkacz passed an early test against Denis Kudla, and earned a confidence-boosting dose of revenge over Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6(6). After coming back from a set down to 12th seed Milos Raonic, Hurkacz quietly booked his spot into his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. 

“When you hit a bit of a skid, it’s kind of easier to just brush it off. Because you know what you don’t want to do, you know what’s not working,” Boynton said.

That ‘skid’ also had the effect of helping to deflect attention off of Hurkacz, and onto other 25-and-younger players making their own breakthroughs in Miami.

“The pressure is off a little bit, so to speak. You’re not really on anybody’s radar, no one really has any expectations,” Boynton said. “So you can just kind of hunker down and get in your own little space to work on a couple of things. When you start to do those things well, and it leads to doing a couple of other things well, that’s when you start creating momentum.”

Boynton, who has worked with players like Jim Courier, John Isner and Mardy Fish in the past, has been pleased with the mental calmness Hurkacz has been able to find in Miami.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the 26th seed’s come-from-behind stunner over second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas – another player who defeated Hurkacz in the build-up to Miami. This time, he toppled the Greek 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to extend his unbeaten run in Florida this year to eight matches.

“His mental fortitude during these matches has been terrific. That’s really what we’ve been working on a lot,” Boynton said. “He’s really made the right choices, and he’s really been resilient – as you could see today [against Tsitsipas]. That he didn’t get off to the most flying of starts would be an understatement, but he just stuck with it.

“He fought and overcame a huge deficit, and was able to work his way back into the match, which was just wonderful to see.”

Boynton will be looking for that same mental clarity and fight as Hurkacz targets his first ATP Masters 1000 championship match in Miami. He awaits the winner of fourth seed Andrey Rublev and #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda.

The 24-year-old owns 1-0 ATP Head2Head records against both men, with Hurkacz defeating Korda in Delray Beach earlier in the year.

“When you’re able to just keep things simple mentally and just focus on a couple of small things, then those things that you’re working on will start coming good,” Boynton said. “And then you get momentum, and a couple of other things are coming good. You fight your way through a couple of matches, and now you’ve got momentum and confidence.”

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Sonego, Travaglia Lead Italians In Cagliari: All You Need To Know

Lorenzo Sonego and Stefano Travaglia lead a strong Italian contingent as the European clay-court swing kicks off at the Sardegna Open in Cagliari.

Held on a single-year license at the Cagliari Tennis Club, the Sardegna Open will feature four of the nine Italians inside the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Sonego leads the charge after reaching the fourth round last week in Miami, and he will be searching for his second career ATP Tour title. He is joined by Travaglia, Salvatore Caruso and Marco Cecchinato on home soil. 

Daniel Evans, Taylor Fritz and Jan-Lennard Struff are also among the players looking to leave their mark at the ATP 250 event in Cagliari.

This event adds to the depth of tournaments held in Italy, which also includes the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the longtime ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome, the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and, for the first year, the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Here’s all you need to know about the Cagliari tennis tournament: what is the schedule, when is the draw, how to watch and more.

Established: 2021

Tournament Dates: 5-11 April 2021

Tournament Director: Giorgio di Palermo

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 3 April at 1pm

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Schedule
* Qualifying: Sunday, 4 April – Monday, 5 April (10am)
* Main draw: Monday, 5 April – Sunday, 11 April at 11am
* Doubles final: Sunday, 11 April (Time TBA)
* Singles final: Sunday, 11 April (Time TBA)

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule 

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

Venue: Tennis Club Cagliari
Surface: Clay

Prize Money: €408,800 (Total Financial Commitment: €408,800)

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