Tennis News

Bedene Dashes #NextGenATP Italian's Hopes In Cagliari

Aljaz Bedene lost his serve five times on Monday and was not physically at his best, but the Slovenian found a way to outlast #NextGenATP Italian Giulio Zeppieri 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) to reach the second round of the Sardegna Open.

Bedene trailed 0-3 in the deciding set, but he locked down from the baseline and forced his 19-year-old opponent to finish him off. Zeppieri let slip his advantage and his chance at a maiden tour-level win with unforced errors.

Four-time ATP Tour finalist Bedene has enjoyed success in Italy before, winning seven ATP Challenger Tour titles in the country. He will next play Belarusian Egor Gerasimov, who eliminated seventh seed Guido Pella 6-4, 6-0.

In other action, German Yannick Hanfmann upset eighth seed Tommy Paul 7-6(8), 5-7, 6-3 after two hours and 56 minutes. The 29-year-old is a two-time ATP Tour finalist, with both of those championship matches coming on clay. 

Italians Advance In Doubles
Second seeds Simone Bolelli and Andres Molteni, of Italy and Argentina, respectively, defeated Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the doubles draw. Also advancing were Italians Marco Cecchinato and Stefano Travaglia, who ousted fourth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Jonny O’Mara 3-6, 6-3, 14-12.

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Kwon Survives 17-Year-Old Rune's Challenge In Marbella

Soonwoo Kwon earned his first tour-level win on clay Monday when he battled past #NextGenATP Dane Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4) after two hours and 23 minutes to reach the second round of the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open.

The South Korean’s last match was a tough third-set tie-break loss lasting three hours and 18 minutes against Ilya Ivashka at the Miami Open presented by Itau. This time, the 23-year-old found a way to win, despite twice trailing by a break in the third set.

Rune was trying to continue his momentum after claiming his first two tour-level victories in Santiago as a qualifier. The teen is currently junior World No. 1.

In other action, Ricardas Berankis outlasted former Top 10 star Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5 after two hours and 50 minutes. The Lithuanian has not lost a first-round match all season (4-0). 

Norbert Gombos, who made the third round at both Roland Garros and the Rolex Paris Masters last year, eliminated Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-3. The Slovakian will next play eighth seed Federico Delbonis, who dispatched Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 7-5, 6-1.

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Musetti: ‘I Think I Will Surprise On Clay’

In his opening two ATP Tour events of the 2021 season, Lorenzo Musetti advanced to his maiden ATP 500 semi-final in Acapulco and reached the third round on his Miami tournament debut.

The #NextGenATP Italian, who cracked the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time last month, is now ready to continue his rise on clay. Musetti burst onto the scene at home on the red dirt last season, when he stunned Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori in consecutive matches to earn his first tour-level victories en route to the third round in Rome. The 19-year-old returns to Italy this week to face Dennis Novak in his opening match at the Sardegna Open in Cagliari.

“When we were practising these [past few] days, I felt the ball so good and I have good feelings,” said Musetti. “I think it is going to be really nice and I think I will surprise [others] in the clay season. I am really looking forward to playing on clay.”

Musetti’s run in Rome was the start of an impressive month at home. Then 18, he followed up his ATP Masters 1000 debut appearance with his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Forli and he also reached his maiden ATP Tour semi-final in Sardinia. This week’s ATP 250 tournament, held in the capital of Sardinia, has not only brought back memories of his successful run at Forte Village in 2020, it has also provided him with a clear goal.

“I really enjoy playing here,” said Musetti. “It is a really nice club. It is always sunny… I am really looking forward to playing here in Sardinia and I will try to [achieve] the best result I can. In Sardinia last year, I did good [and made] the semi-finals. I will try to do the same or better.”

Musetti enters the clay season in a strong position in the ATP Race To Milan. The youngest member of the Top 100 is currently in the fourth qualification place for a spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals, which will be held in Milan from 9-13 November. Musetti only trails Miami runner-up Jannik Sinner, Delray Beach finalist Sebastian Korda and seven-time ATP Tour finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime in the standings.

“It [would] mean a lot to play in Milan. My goal now is to play at the highest level that I can with the tournaments on the ATP Tour and then, at the end of the season, we will try to play the Next Gen ATP Finals, try to win it,” said Musetti. “In Italy, we now have a lot of tournaments and a lot of achievements. I am really looking forward to playing every tournament in Italy that I can.”

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Hurkacz Makes Top 20 Debut, Mover Of Week

No. 16 Hubert Hurkacz, +21 (Career High)
Hurkacz became the first Polish man to lift an ATP Masters 1000 singles title at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The 24-year-old, whose previous best Masters 1000 result was a quarter-final run at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open, defeated five consecutive seeded opponents from the third round to collect the biggest title of his career.

Hurkacz overcame Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic to reach the quarter-finals, before stunning Top 4 seeds Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev to advance to the championship match. The Pole needed one hour and 45 minutes to overcome #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner in the final and capture his second trophy of the season. Hurkacz’s run extended his unbeaten record in Florida this season to 10-0, following his triumph at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com in January. Read & Watch Highlights.

View FedEx ATP Rankings

No. 23 Jannik Sinner, +8 (Career High)
On his tournament debut in Miami, Sinner battled his way through to his maiden Masters 1000 final. The 19-year-old survived three-set encounters against Karen Khachanov and Roberto Bautista Agut to reach his second championship match of 2021. The Great Ocean Road Open champion, who owns a 14-5 record this season, became only the fourth teenager to reach the Miami final in the tournament’s 36-year history. The previous three teenage Miami finalists — Andre Agassi (1990), Rafael Nadal (2005) and Novak Djokovic (2007) — all reached the No. 1 position in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

No. 65 Sebastian Korda, +22 (Career High)
Korda claimed the two biggest wins of his career to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Miami. The Delray Beach runner-up continued his fine run of 2021 form in his home state with his first Top 20 win against Fabio Fognini and soon claimed his maiden Top 10 victory against Diego Schwartzman in the Round of 16. The #NextGenATP American is the first player from his country to reach 10 wins on the ATP Tour this season.

No. 75 Emil Ruusuvuori, +8 (Career High)
In just his second Masters 1000 appearance, the 22-year-old survived three consecutive deciding sets in Miami. Ruusuvuori overcame #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, third seed Alexander Zverev and Mikael Ymer, before Sinner ended his run in the Round of 16.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 63 Gilles Simon, +6
No. 70 Pablo Andujar, -9
No. 91 Gianluca Mager, +11
No. 97 James Duckworth, +7

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Q1 Review: #NextGenATP Quartet Lead The Way To Milan

Through the opening three months of the 2021 ATP Tour season, four #NextGenATP talents have set the pace in the ATP Race To Milan.

Two 19-year-old Italians — Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti — have achieved their best results at ATP Masters 1000 and ATP 500 events respectively, and are currently the youngest players in the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. North American stars Sebastian Korda and Felix Auger-Aliassime are also in strong contention to compete in Milan from 9-13 November. Both players have reached ATP 250 championship matches in 2021, and Korda advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final in Miami.

ATPTour.com takes a look at the four men who lead the Milan qualification race, and the other key storylines at the conclusion of the opening quarter of the 2021 season:

View Latest ATP Race To Milan Standings

No. 1 Jannik Sinner, 995 points
Sinner started his 2021 campaign with a statement run at the Great Ocean Road Open. In his first appearance since his title run at the Sofia Open in 2020, the San Candido native dropped just one set en route to the Great Ocean Road Open trophy. Sinner saved a match point to outlast Karen Khachanov 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4) in a gripping semi-final and took the crown with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory against countryman Stefano Travaglia.

The 19-year-old followed that success with back-to-back quarter-final appearances at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille and the Dubai Duty Free Championships, before making a major breakthrough at the opening Masters 1000 event of the year: the Miami Open presented by Itau. Sinner became only the fourth teenager to reach the Miami final (l. to Hurkacz) in the tournament’s 36-year history, following in the footsteps of past and present World No. 1s Andre Agassi (1990), Rafael Nadal (2005) and Novak Djokovic (2007).

Read 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals Spotlight Features
Tomas Machac
Brandon Nakashima
Carlos Alcaraz

No. 2 Sebastian Korda, 495 points
The American opened the year with consecutive final appearances to enter the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time. At the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, Korda claimed back-to-back three-set wins against Tommy Paul and John Isner en route to his maiden ATP Tour final.

The 20-year-old built on his successful run in Florida by lifting his second Challenger title in Quimper. Korda battled past four French players to reach the final, where he charged past Filip Horansky 6-1, 6-1 in under 50 minutes.

Korda made headlines in his home state for the second time in 2021, when he charged through to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final in Miami. The Bradenton native earned his first Top 20 win against Fabio Fognini in the second round, stunned Dubai champion Aslan Karatsev in the third round and claimed his maiden Top 10 victory against World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman in the Round of 16.

No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime, 465 points
Like Sinner, Auger-Aliassime made an impressive start to his 2021 season at an ATP 250 event in Melbourne. The Canadian advanced to his seventh ATP Tour championship match at the Murray River Open, where he fell to Daniel Evans. Auger-Aliassime quickly built on his final run at the ATP 250 with his best performance at the Australian Open.

Auger-Aliassime did not drop a set en route to the Round of 16 at Melbourne Park, with wins against Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, James Duckworth and countryman Denis Shapovalov. The 20-year-old’s tournament came to an end at the hands of eventual semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev, who came from two sets down to beat Auger-Aliassime in a thrilling three-hour, 25-minute battle.

The World No. 22 beat fellow #NextGenATP star Korda en route to the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC quarter-finals and also reached the Miami Open presented by Itau third round.

No. 4 Lorenzo Musetti, 385 points
Could 2021 be the first year when two home players compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals? Musetti began the year with strong form on the ATP Challenger Tour, with runner-up finishes at Antalya 1 and Biella 2.

In his first tour-level appearance of the year, Musetti claimed six straight wins from qualifying to reach his first ATP 500 semi-final in Acapulco. The 19-year-old beat Schwartzman, Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov in consecutive matches to reach the final four in Mexico and crack the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time. Musetti, the youngest player in the Top 100, also advanced to the third round on his tournament debut in Miami.

Cerundolo Stuns Cordoba Field
With a 7-7 career record at Challenger level, Juan Manuel Cerundolo entered the Cordoba Open qualifying draw seeking his first main draw appearance at an ATP Tour event. He left with the title.

The then-World No. 335 won eight straight matches, including four consecutive four-set battles in the main draw to become the fifth-lowest ranked titlist on the ATP Tour since 1990. Cerundolo is currently in fifth position in the ATP Race To Milan (288 points). The Buenos Aires native is aiming to become the first South American to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Challenger Champions
Korda is one of seven #NextGenATP stars to triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour this year. Brandon Nakashima, Sebastian Baez, Jenson Brooksby, Tomas Machac, Carlos Gimeno Valero and Dominic Stephan Stricker have also picked up trophies at the level in 2021. All seven players occupy Top 15 positions in the ATP Race To Milan.

2021 #NextGenATP ATP Challenger Tour Titlists

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Turin Update: Rublev Narrows Gap On Djokovic, Medvedev

Russian Andrey Rublev continues to stake a strong claim to a second consecutive appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals after an impressive performance in the first quarter of the 2021 ATP Tour season. Boasting a tour-leading 20 wins on the year, Rublev consolidated his hold on third place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin with a semi-final showing at the Miami Open presented by Itau, closing the gap on leader Novak Djokovic and countryman and second-placed Daniil Medvedev.

The season’s first ATP Masters 1000 tournament has greatly shaped the early battle for places in Turin, with Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz leaping to fifth spot and 19-year-old Miami finalist Jannik Sinner surging to sixth, to be the highest-positioned Italian.

Rublev (1,800 points) now sits just 330 points away from leader Djokovic and defending champion Medvedev’s second place spot (2,130) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin. Rublev won his eighth ATP Tour title at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, and has reached the quarter-finals or better at all six of his tournaments in 2021.

Five-time former Nitto ATP Finals titlist Djokovic (2,140) holds the top spot for a place at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November 2021. The Top 4 positions have held for the second week in a row, with Stefanos Tsitsipas (1,540) occupying the fourth spot after a run to the quarter-finals in Miami.

Hurkacz’s victory in Miami did more than just propel him inside the Top 20 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The 24-year-old won the biggest title of his career, and wrote a new chapter in Polish tennis history, by becoming his country’s first ATP Masters 1000 singles champion. As a result, Hurkacz (1,395) rose 13 places in the leaderboard to sit in fifth place, and soared into contention for his first Nitto ATP Finals berth.

#NextGenATP Italian Sinner (995) is also vying to qualify for the first time to the Nitto ATP Finals after a breakthrough week in Miami. The 19-year-old has leaped 10 spots after reaching his first Masters 1000 final, entering Turin contention in seventh place.

Hurkacz also captured his second ATP Tour title in January at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com (d. Korda), while Sinner started the season winning his own second trophy at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne (d. Travaglia).

Also on the rise, Miami semi-finalist Roberto Bautista Agut (765) is working on closing the gap as he surged to the ninth position. The Spaniard sits just 170 points behind 2018 winner Alexander Zverev (935) in eighth place.

Did You Know?
The top seven players in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin after the Rolex Paris Masters on 8 November 2021 qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. If there is one current-year Grand Slam champion positioned between No. 8 and No. 20 in the Race, he qualifies in eighth place. If there are two current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between No. 8 and No. 20 in the Race, the highest-placed of those players becomes the eighth and final qualifier; the lower-placed Grand Slam champion will serve as the alternate. If there are no current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between No. 8 and No. 20, then the player at No. 8 in the Race will claim the eighth and final berth.

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Sinner: 'I'm Not Here For Finals; I'm Here To Win'

Jannik Sinner fell short of becoming the youngest Miami Open presented by Itau champion in tournament history on Sunday against Hubert Hurkacz, but it wasn’t all bad news for the #NextGenATP Italian.

On Monday, the 19-year-old sensation will climb to a career-high No. 23 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, becoming just the sixth teen since 2010 to break into the Top 30.

“I control everything. I know [in] what position I am, where I’m going to be,” Sinner said. “But for me, the main focus now is what I showed in this tournament: that I improved from the last tournament. Obviously when you get a little bit of confidence, it’s a little bit easier. But you have to work hard to go deep in tournaments, especially in big tournaments.

“For me, improvement is the most important thing. I still have to talk with my team [about] why I lost, what they think, where we have to work… But I think I have to improve on every single part of my game physically, mentally, everything. Then we will see what’s coming.”

TOP 30 TEENS – Age When Cracking The Top 30 (since 2010)

Focussing on improving doesn’t mean Sinner is not disappointed that he was unable to become the sixth teen ATP Masters 1000 champion.

“I think it has been a good week anyway,” Sinner said. “But obviously I’m not here for making finals. I’m here to win tournaments. Today was not my day, [I] accept that. But it’s going back to work and then we will see what I can do on the clay.”

The good news is that the match was not out of his control. In some key moments, Sinner made some mistakes. If the teen had been totally dominated, that would have been more concerning to the Italian. He felt the action was on his racquet.

“I think for me today is a tough day, to be honest, because losing the final here for me is not easy. But I was deciding the whole week what to do with the ball. For that, I’m happy,” Sinner said. “Today went the wrong way. Today you win or you learn. When you’re 19 and playing [the] final here, obviously it’s tough, and I wanted to win.”

Sinner admitted that he “was a bit nervous”. but the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion felt the nerves because he really wanted to lift the trophy. In the end, he simply lost to the better player on the day, and had nothing but congratulations for Hurkacz.

“I think I can learn many things today. For me now it’s tough to talk about the match,” Sinner said. “From the baseline, I was deciding what to do. Today I made a couple of mistakes in important moments, yes, but I was dictating, so I’m happy about that.

“And now [I will go] back to work and now the clay season is on, so I don’t want to waste time today. I think I can learn many things. Next week already is another tournament. [I’ve] got to be ready.”

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How Hurkacz Stuck Sinner In The "Backhand Cage"

One hour. One groundstroke winner. One new trophy for the mantlepiece.

Hubert Hurkacz defeated Jannik Sinner 7-6(4), 6-4 in the Miami Open final on Sunday with a clever neutralising strategy focussed on locking the young Italian in the “backhand cage” and throwing away the key. Hurkacz claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title by putting a mesmerising amount of balls in the court and letting Sinner swing for the fences and miss.

Absorb. Repel. Defend. Counter. Straight out of a Rocky movie.

The match was 56 minutes old when Hurkacz hit his first groundstroke winner to bring up set point in the first set. It was a Serve +1 forehand winner struck at the service line from a weak return of serve. It was an outlier. Hurkacz would finish the match with 10 rally winners while hardly going for any. Ironically, Sinner finished with 12 rally winners while trying to light it up on almost every point.

Hurkacz’s primary strategy was to play as much backhand-to-backhand tennis as possible through the Ad court. The following Hawk-Eye graphics clearly show the engine room of Hurkacz’s victory.

2021 Miami Final: Backhand Direction

Hurkacz hit 56 per cent of his rally backhands crosscourt to the outer third of the court. Sinner hit 57 per cent back crosscourt, making backhand-to-backhand exchanges through the Ad court the dominant rally direction for the match. Hurkacz had very little interest going backhand line to Sinner’s potent forehand, only hitting 13 per cent of his backhands to this specific location.

In many ways, Hurkacz’s four-part strategy was a throwback to how matches traditionally unfolded in our sport.

Part 1 – Target the opponent’s backhand with a barrage of groundstrokes. Make it “overheat”.

Part 2 – The opponent’s forehand is forced to go for too much to cover for the ailing backhand.

Part 3 – The server now feels pressure to end points early, and consequently misses too much.

Part 4 – The opponent loses their way mentally, unable to formulate a winning game plan.

Chip away at the backhand first. Then the forehand and serve consequently self-destruct. Once you reach the mind, it’s game over. Sinner said as much in his post-match interview.

“Well, I made some unforced errors. I made a few or a couple of mistakes in the tie-break. Then I was not serving well, especially in the beginning of the second set, and not returning deep enough,” Sinner said.

2021 Miami Final: Forehand Direction

The Hawk-Eye graphic above adds another layer of clarity to Hurkacz’s “backhand cage” masterplan. Hurkacz directed 54 per cent of his forehands wide to Sinner’s backhand in the Ad court, which is almost the same as the 56 per cent from his backhand wing to the same location. Sinner’s primary target was to hit his forehand wide at Hurkacz’s forehand, where he went 52 per cent of the time. But instead of entertaining forehand-to-forehand exchanges, Hurkacz constantly changed direction and made Sinner have to hit another backhand.

Sinner struck 31 per cent of rally forehands from inside the baseline, but just 15 per cent from the backhand wing came from inside the baseline. Sinner’s forehand was more lethal, which is why Hurkacz limited exposure to that side. Overall, both players hit more backhands from the back of the court, which proved a key advantage for the Pole.

Hurkacz Rally Shots
• Forehand = 47.7% (137)
• Backhand = 52.3% (150)

Sinner Rally Shots
• Forehand = 47.9% (142)
• Backhand = 52.1% (154)

Sinner’s average groundstroke speed was 76 miles per hour, which was considerably harder than 70 miles per hour from Hurkacz. How you hit the ball matters. Where you hit it matters more.

– All graphics thanks to Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media

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Hurkacz: ‘I Had A Big Belief In Myself’ In Miami

Hubert Hurkacz’s signature grin was wider than ever after the Miami Open presented by Itau final, where he claimed the biggest title of his career with a victory over Jannik Sinner on Sunday.

He had to play the best tennis of his life to defeat his good friend and occasional doubles partner in the final, after defeating second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and fourth seed Andrey Rublev along the way. It was Hurkacz’s first time defeating back-to-back Top 10 players at the same tournament, improving his record against the elite group to 7-10.

“I played [some] of the best tennis I’ve ever played,” Hurkacz said in his post-match press conference. “I was solid throughout the whole tournament, and I was able to get through each round, [and] was even more pumped for the next round. I think that’s something special for me.

“My tennis is getting better. We work hard with my coach, [Craig Boynton], and I’m super happy that it happened here. We still need to improve a couple of things and just try to get better each day.”

For the 24 year old from Poland, the Miami event is the closest thing to his home turf on the ATP Tour. Hurkacz lives and trains part-time in Tampa, where Boynton is based, and he started the 2021 season with a victory at the nearby Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

“Last year I spent so much time in Florida,” Hurkacz said. “I was here like almost half of the year. We were working pretty hard, and I think I’m used to the conditions. I think [that’s] been part of the success I had here in Florida.”

His victory in Miami made him the first player from his country to win an ATP Masters 1000 title, adding another page in the incredible chapter of Polish tennis history. In 2020, Iga Swiatek became the first Polish Grand Slam singles champion with her victory at Roland Garros – a milestone moment that Hurkacz took inspiration from in his own Miami run.

“I was super proud of Iga. What she has done there in [the] French Open was amazing,” Hurkacz recalled. “I think that gave the belief for us: for me, myself, and the younger players in Poland that it’s possible to win those big titles.

“Hopefully with my game, I can also inspire some people in Poland and hopefully they enjoyed it there. I’m super, super proud to be Polish, and I’m thankful for all the support that I get.”

Hurkacz will depart from South Florida with a 10-0 record in the state, and a new career-high No. 16 spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings. With self-belief at a sky high, Hurkacz is hoping to continue the positive momentum for the European clay swing and beyond.

“I had a big belief in myself from the beginning of the season,” Hurkacz said. “Winning the tournament like this gives you extra motivation and self-confidence that, okay, you’re able to do it. Like, you came through some really hard moments here, and you just try to do it.”

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