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Nakashima On Cusp Of Wimbledon Main Draw

  • Posted: Jun 23, 2021

#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima is one win away from reaching the main draw at Wimbledon for the first time after a three-set win on Wednesday. Playing qualifying at The Championships for the first time, the 19-year-old sent Serbian Viktor Troicki into retirement with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory.

“It definitely feels pretty good coming back here,” Nakashima, who won the Grade 1 junior tournament in Roehampton in 2018, told Wimbledon.com. “I feel comfortable with the courts but obviously pro is a lot different than the juniors.”

San Diego native Nakashima, who is just five places below his career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 133, will play Latvian veteran Ernests Gulbis for a place in the main draw. The 32-year-old defeated Slovakian Andrej Martin 6-1, 6-2.

Gulbis is chasing a 13th appearance in the main draw. In 2018 he advanced through qualifying and stunned World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the third round before falling to Kei Nishikori in four sets.

China’s Zhang Zhizhen, ranked No. 178, is one win away from making his Grand Slam debut after staring down Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 7-6(5), 7-6(5). Zhang will play 22-year-old Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, who made his Grand Slam debut earlier this month at Roland Garros. Cerundolo, a finalist in Buenos Aires on clay this year, defeated Italian veteran Roberto Marcora 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Qualifying top seed Kamil Majchrzak, chasing his second Wimbledon main draw appearance, survived a tough battle with veteran Dutchman Robin Haase 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the final round, where he will play Chile’s World No. 232 Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera.

After surviving the first round in two tie-breaks, Barrios Vera also held his nerve Wednesday to beat Frenchman Enzo Couacaud 7-6(5), 7-6(4).

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Medvedev & Wife Daria Taste Authentic Spanish Food In Mallorca

  • Posted: Jun 23, 2021

Daniil Medvedev took a break from his Mallorca Championships preparations to bring his wife, Daria, on a culinary tour of Spain, courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Maca de Castro.

The chef prepared a sampling of typical Spanish cuisine for the Russian couple. The Medvedevs tasted gazpacho, a cold soup fit for hot summers, as well as coca Mallorquin, a Mallorcan-style pizza which is prepared with spinach and fish. They also sampled fideua, a dish similar to paella but made with noodles instead of rice. 

 

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De Castro, who is taking care of the VIP guests of the Mallorca Championships this week, was also in charge of the catering at Rafael Nadal’s wedding in 2019. Her skillful interpretations of traditional and contemporary Mallorcan cuisine earned her a star in the 2021 Michelin Guide.

Medvedev and his wife Daria also approved of De Castro’s cooking. “I love gazpacho, it’s delicious,” said the No. 2 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

The top seed will be back in action on the lawns of the Mallorca Country Club on Thursday as he takes on fifth seed Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals. 

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Wimbledon Seeds Announced: Djokovic Top, Federer 7th

  • Posted: Jun 23, 2021

Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic and World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev will lead the way as the top two seeds at Wimbledon, after the All England Club unveiled the seedings for the men’s singles main draw on Wednesday.

Djokovic, who lifted the trophy at SW19 in 2011, 2014-15 and 2018-19, will be looking to add a 20th Grand Slam title to his ever-growing haul. A victory for the World No. 1 would tie him with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top of the list for all-time most Grand Slam singles titles.

Further down the list, 2019 finalist Federer will be the seventh seed. The Swiss, who has played just eight matches since the 2020 Australian Open following two knee surgeries, finds himself in the unfamiliar position of No. 8 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He is seeded seventh because World No. 3 and two-time champion Rafael Nadal is not playing at the All England Club.

This raises the possibility of Federer being drawn in the same quarter as Djokovic, just as he was at Roland Garros earlier this month. When Wimbledon was last played two years ago, Djokovic beat Federer in a historic fifth-set tie-break, which began at 12-all.  

 

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Second seed Medvedev will be trying to advance past the third round at the All England Club for the first time (2018, 2019). Roland Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas will be seeded third, while reigning US Open champion Dominic Thiem is the fourth seed.

Main draw action will start on Monday 28 June, with the men’s singles final set for Sunday 11 July. 

Full List Of Wimbledon 2021 Seedings
1. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
 2. Daniil Medvedev  (RUS)
 3. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
 4. Dominic Thiem (AUT)
 5. Alexander Zverev (GER)
 6. Andrey Rublev  (RUS)
 7. Roger Federer (SUI)
 8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA)
 9. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
 10. Diego Schwartzman (ARG)
 11. Denis Shapovalov (CAN)
 12. Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)
 13. Casper Ruud (NOR)
 14. Gael Monfils (FRA)
 15. Hubert Hurkacz (POL)
 16. Alex de Minaur (AUS)
 17. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
 18. Cristian Garin (CHI)
 19. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
 20. Jannik Sinner (ITA)
 21. Aslan Karatsev (RUS)
 22. Ugo Humbert (FRA)
 23. Daniel Evans (GBR)
 24. Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)
 25. Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO)
 26. Karen Khachanov (RUS)
 27. Fabio Fognini (ITA)
 28. Reilly Opelka (USA)
 29. John Isner (USA)
 30. Cameron Norrie (GBR)
 31. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
 32. Taylor Fritz (USA)

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Demon Gets Off To Winning Start In Eastbourne

  • Posted: Jun 23, 2021

Second seed Alex de Minaur began his quest for the Viking International Eastbourne crown on Wednesday when he defeated British wild card Liam Broady 6-3, 6-4 over one hour and 40 minutes.

“It was very intense,” said De Minaur. “A very tough match at a high level, against a tricky opponent, who has been playing great. It’s a part of the year that I love. I enjoy the grass-court swing and I want to make every match count.”

The Australian is currently at a career-high No. 18 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, having returned to the Top 20 for the first time in 18 months after a run to last week’s cinch Championships semi-finals (l. to Berrettini). He will next challenge Canadian Vasek Pospisil in the quarter-finals. De Minaur leads Pospisil 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

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In a closely fought contest at Devonshire Park, De Minaur came under early pressure, but broke clear in the seventh game and completed the 46-minute opener with a backhand crosscourt winner. De Minaur appeared to be in control when he served for the match at 5-3 in the second set, but World No. 144 Broady raised his game for one final push.

De Minaur improves to a 17-14 match record on the season, which includes the Antalya Open crown (d. Bublik).

Pospisil, celebrating his 31st birthday today, advanced mid-afternoon Wednesday having won the first set against sixth-seeded Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(1) after 73 minutes. Davidovich Fokina required on-court treatment early in the match for a back injury, which had troubled him since Roland Garros.

Elsewhere, third-seeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego powered his way to a 6-4, 6-2 win over John Millman of Australia in 81 minutes. The 26-year-old Sonego, who captured a grass-court trophy two years ago in Antalya (d. Kecmanovic), now faces eighth-seeded Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik.

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Thiem Seeking 'Clear Diagnosis' After Right Wrist Injury

  • Posted: Jun 23, 2021

Dominic Thiem will travel to Barcelona for a specialist’s opinion after injuring his right wrist at the Mallorca Championships on Tuesday.

The Austrian star, who was forced to retire against Adrian Mannarino after taking the lead in the first set at the ATP 250 event, remained positive in a post on social media Wednesday.

“Yesterday during the match I had a problem with my wrist,” Thiem wrote on social media. “I went immediately to do an MRI at the hospital in Palma de Mallorca. The results weren’t that clear and I have decided to go to Barcelona to check with a specialist.

“I hope I can get the results and a clear diagnosis in the next days.”

The 27-year-old, who was the top seed in Mallorca, struck a forehand at 5-2, and immediately halted play as he appeared to injure his right wrist. After receiving a medical time out, he was unable to continue and Mannarino advanced to the quarter-finals.

Thiem is next scheduled to compete at Wimbledon, which will begin on Monday 28 June 2021. 

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