Tennis News

Sinner Halts Brooksby In #NextGenATP Clash To Reach Washington Final

In an exciting first chapter of a future ATP Tour rivalry, 19-year-old Jannik Sinner took down 20-year-old Jenson Brooksby in a tight 7-6(2), 6-1 battle on Saturday to reach the Citi Open final in his tournament debut.

Sinner, seeded fifth, has yet to drop a set all week in Washington, D.C., an emphatic return to form after arriving in the American capital on a four-match losing streak. After returning to his winning ways against Emil Ruusuvuori in his opening match, Sinner has navigated past three American opponents in 12th seed Sebastian Korda, Steve Johnson and wild card Brooksby to reach his third final of the year. 

The Italian will await the winner of 2015 Washington champion Kei Nishikori and unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald. He seeks his second ATP Tour title of the year after starting the season with a victory in Melbourne, and the third title of his career. 

The No. 24-ranked Italian was made to work against Brooksby, who has gone from strength to strength in his breakthrough year. The 19-year-old American reached his first final in his ATP Tour debut in Newport, and maintained the momentum in Washington as he reached the semi-final without dropping a set – including a victory over second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime along the way. 

There was little to separate Sinner and Brooksby in a tightly contested opening set. Neither player was able to create a break opportunity across the first 10 games, with Brooksby’s unorthodox style keeping Sinner contained from the back of the court. The American kept his opponent on the move and pushed Sinner deep behind the baseline, before going to the double-handed backhand drop shot to great success.

But as the match went on, Sinner seemed to be able to read the Brooksby game better. The Italian dialed up the aggression on his serve, troubling Brooksby with a high-bouncing kick serve to save three set points at 5-6 and send them into a tie-break. Sinner took control from there, reeling off the last four points in a row to edge through the set in 57 minutes.

With the opening set in the bag – the first set that Brooksby had dropped all week long – the floodgates seemed to open for Sinner as he settled into the contest. Brooksby, who normally dictates play with his backhand, saw his unforced error count rise as 15 of his 16 mishits came from that wing. Sinner capitalised, breaking twice and reeling off the last five games in a row to seal the victory. 

Did You Know?
Sinner is the first Italian finalist in Washington, D.C. tournament history. His appearance in the semi-final marked only the third time that an Italian has made the last four since the event started in 1969 (Barazzutti in 1980, Furlan in 1996). 

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Defending Champion Nadal Eyes Harris Revenge In Toronto

The draw is out for the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the North American hard-court swing, and defending champion Rafael Nadal could be eyeing a dose of revenge in his first match at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. 

Nadal shook off the rust last week in Washington, D.C., where he contested his first hard-court event since February. But his debut was cut short in the Round of 16 by an inspired performance from South Africa’s Lloyd Harris – the same player he could face in his Toronto opening match. Nadal, seeded second, awaits the winner of Harris and a qualifier in the second round. 

Click Here For Full Toronto Singles Draw

The Spaniard has won the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers trophy five times: twice in Toronto and three times in Montreal as the ATP Masters 1000 event alternates host cities every year. In 2018 and 2019, Nadal completed the Montreal-Toronto double, winning back-to-back titles in each city. With a 38-8 record, including a perfect 5-0 mark in finals, across 13 appearances, the Canadian tournament is Nadal’s most successful hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event. 

Nadal will have no shortage of challenges as he seeks a sixth trophy in the Great White North: if he gets through his second-round test, he could be in for a potential meeting with 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov or an unseeded Nick Kyrgios in the next round. Dimitrov awaits the winner of Kyrgios and big-serving Reilly Opelka. 

Also in Nadal’s half of the draw, third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas anchors the action as he contests his first tournament since the Tokyo Olympics. Tsitsipas has shined on clay-courts this year, but his hard-court results include a semi-final run at the Australian Open (l. to Medvedev) and final in Acapulco (l. to Zverev). 

The Greek player has landed in a tricky section, and could meet 15th seed Aslan Karatsev in the third round. Tsitsipas will start against the winner of Ugo Humbert and Lorenzo Sonego, while Karatsev awaits either Cameron Norrie or Karen Khachanov. 

Hello ?? ?

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) August 7, 2021

World No. 2 Daniil Medevedev is the top seed in Toronto, and he could face a familiar foe in the second round. Medvedev, who reached the 2019 final (l. to Nadal), awaits the winner of Daniel Evans and Alexander Bublik. It would be the Russian’s first meeting with the fast-rising Evans, and a rematch of his Roland Garros opener with Bublik. Should he advance, he could book a third-round clash with #NextGenATP Jannik Sinner.

Countryman Andrey Rublev is also in Medvedev’s half, seeded fourth. He could meet 13th seed Cristian Garin in the third round, but would have to navigate past a section that includes an unseeded John Isner, who recently won an ATP 250 title in Atlanta. Rublev will face the winner of Jan-Lennard Struff and Fabio Fognini in his first match. 

Projected Toronto Quarter-finals:
[1] Daniil Medvedev vs [7] Hubert Hurkacz
[4] Andrey Rublev vs [5] Denis Shapovalov
[6] Casper Ruud vs [3] Stefanos Tsitsipas
[8] Diego Schwartzman vs [2] Rafael Nadal

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Mike DePalmer Jr., Former Pro & Boris Becker Coach, Dies Aged 59

Former pro Mike DePalmer Jr., who worked with a number of future ATP/WTA Tour stars at the IMG Academy (formerly named the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy) and was a touring coach with Boris Becker for six years, passed away aged 59 on Saturday due to stage 4 cancer.

DePalmer and his sister, former Top 100 pro Michelle, attended Nick Bollettieri’s junior camps in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin in the early 1970s, and Bollettieri soon became friends with their father, Mike DePalmer Sr., establishing the DePalmer-Bollettieri Tennis Academy at West Bradenton in 1978. Former World No. 5 Jimmy Arias briefly lived with the DePalmer family and the pair became hitting partners and lifelong friends.

DePalmer Jr. was ranked No. 5 in the under-18 US rankings in 1979-80, represented the junior Davis Cup team, and went on to become a two-time All American (1981-82) at the University of Tennessee, where his father, Mike Sr., was the head tennis coach from 1980 to 1994. The 6’1” DePalmer Jr. compiled a 68-14 singles record and 46-12 in doubles for the Vols. In the 1981 season, he won 27 consecutive No. 1 singles matches and recorded 30 doubles wins with Paul Annacone in 1982.

Bye old friend , Godspeed ?Mike DePalmer Jr , will miss you pic.twitter.com/A2swzUYZUG

— Paul Annacone (@paul_annacone) August 7, 2021

Soon after turning pro in July 1982, left-hander DePalmer reached his lone tour-level singles final at Ancona, Italy, losing to Anders Jarryd, and later recorded his biggest win over Jimmy Connors in the 1985 cinch Championships first round at The Queen’s Club. But it was as a doubles competitor, mainly in tandem with Gary Donnelly, that DePalmer enjoyed his greatest successes, going 3-5 in team finals. They reached two semi-finals in New York at the 1985 US Open (l. to Flach/Seguso) and at the 1986 Nitto ATP Finals (l. to Edberg/Jarryd). Overall, DePalmer won six doubles titles from 12 finals between 1984 and 1989.

In playing retirement, DePalmer worked as a Director Elite with the likes of Mark Philippoussis, Mary Pierce, Anna Kournikova, Tommy Haas and Max Mirnyi at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.

And it was in that capacity that he travelled the world with Nick Bollettieri. DePalmer was Becker’s full-time coach between 1994 and 1999, including the German’s title run at the 1996 Australian Open (d. Chang). In his 2003 autobiography, The Player, Becker wrote, “[DePalmer] was a coach who had learned discipline with the US Navy SEALs… He could be brutal. All the same, I stayed with him for five years, longer than I stayed with any other coach.

“We managed to strike a balance between the relationship we had as friends and that we had as employer-employee… With Mike DePalmer, I reached the level of obsession a player needs to set all his energy free. You have to go as far as the border of madness without crossing over the line.”

DePalmer later partnered with former IMG Academy alumni Mark Davis to open the MAD Academy in Naples, Florida, and most recently worked at the Tennessee Tennis Club and Academy in Knoxville. His father, Mike DePalmer Sr., passed away aged 86 on 9 January 2020 and earlier this year, DePalmer Jr. was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which spread to his stomach and liver. He is survived by his son, Logan.

Michael Samuel DePalmer Jr., tennis player and coach, born 17 October 1961, died 7 July 2021.

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Nishikori Handles Harris To Return To Citi Open Semi-finals

Former Washington champion Kei Nishikori is back into the last four at Citi Open after overcoming a stern test from Lloyd Harris on Friday to win 6-3, 7-5. 

The Japanese No. 2 booked a place into his first tour-level semi-final since 2019 in Barcelona (l. to Medvedev) as he improved to 19-14 on the season. Nishikori weathered 10 aces from the big-serving Harris, and broke serve four times from 14 opportunities to seal the victory. 

“It was one of the best tennis [matches] that I played all this week,” Nishikori said. “I think that I started very good – almost too good – until 4-0 and then he started playing better. Things got very tight in the second set; I had so many break points but I couldn’t convert. It was a little stressful, but I am very pleased with how I finished the last points.”

Nishikori was in control of the early exchanges as he raced through the opening set, but faced much more resistance as Harris raised his level in the second set. The top-ranked South African, who claimed his biggest victory over World No. 3 Rafael Nadal yesterday, regularly leaned on his big first serve to keep Nishikori on his toes. 

In response, the Japanese player honed in on his opponent’s second serves, and won 64 per cent (21/33) of those points. Harris faced seven break points in the second set and saved six with big first serves, but he couldn’t keep holding off Nishikori after giving him a crucial look at a second serve at 6-5. Nishikori pounced, and claimed the victory after Harris sent a forehand long.  

Nishikori, who lifted the trophy here in 2015, will next face unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald, No. 107 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, in the semi-finals. Nishikori is bidding for his 13th ATP Tour trophy and his first since Brisbane in 2019.

It will be Nishikori and McDonald’s first Tour-level meeting. The pair previously met at an ATP Challenger Tour event in 2018 with Nishikori winning comfortably against McDonald, who grew up admiring the Japanese player.

“I think I’m bringing a lot more experience this time. The last time I played him I was pretty ‘idolised’ by him, and I just didn’t really show up,” McDonald recalled. “He just took it to me. But I’m going for a fight tomorrow and we’ll see what happens.”

McDonald reached his second Tour-level semi-final after defeating countryman Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 14 minutes. The 22-year-old saved the only break point he faced in a strong serving performance, winning 82 per cent (28/34) of points behind his first serve. 

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Daniell‌/Melo ‌Rally‌ ‌Back‌ ‌For‌ ‌Citi‌ ‌Open‌ ‌Semi-final‌ ‌Spot‌

Marcelo‌ ‌Melo‌ ‌and‌ ‌Marcus‌ ‌Daniell‌ ‌rallied‌ ‌from‌ ‌a‌ ‌set‌ ‌down‌ ‌to‌ ‌oust‌ ‌Alex‌ ‌de‌ ‌Minaur‌ ‌and‌ ‌John‌ ‌Millman‌ ‌3-6,‌ ‌6-1‌ ‌10-8‌ ‌on‌ ‌Friday,‌ ‌booking‌ ‌a‌ ‌place‌ ‌into‌ ‌the‌ ‌Citi‌ ‌Open‌ ‌semi-finals‌ ‌in‌ ‌their‌ ‌first‌ ‌tournament‌ ‌together.‌ ‌

Melo‌ ‌and‌ ‌Daniell‌ ‌christened‌ ‌their‌ ‌partnership‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌hard-fought‌ ‌victory‌ ‌over‌ ‌Matwe‌ ‌Middelkoop‌ ‌and‌ ‌Marcelo‌ ‌Arevalo-Gonzalez‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌tight‌ ‌first-round‌ ‌clash.‌ ‌Melo‌ ‌recently‌ ‌posted‌ ‌a‌ ‌quarter-final‌ ‌appearance‌ ‌at‌ ‌Wimbledon‌ ‌(w/‌ ‌Lukasz‌ ‌Kubot),‌ ‌while‌ ‌Daniell‌ ‌arrived‌ ‌on‌ ‌a‌ ‌high‌ ‌after‌ ‌claiming‌ ‌the‌ ‌bronze‌ ‌medal‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌Tokyo‌ ‌Olympic‌ ‌(w/‌ ‌Michael‌ ‌Venus).‌ ‌

The‌ ‌Brazilian‌ ‌and‌ ‌Australian‌ ‌tandem‌ ‌bounced‌ ‌back‌ ‌emphatically‌ ‌after‌ ‌dropping‌ ‌the‌ ‌opening‌ ‌set‌ ‌to‌ ‌de‌ ‌Minaur‌ ‌and‌ ‌Millman,‌ ‌breaking‌ ‌twice‌ ‌to‌ ‌open‌ ‌up‌ ‌a‌ ‌5-0‌ ‌lead‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌second‌ ‌set.‌ ‌They‌ ‌bossed‌ ‌the‌ ‌Match‌  Tie-break‌ ‌in‌ ‌similar‌ ‌fashion,‌ ‌winning‌ ‌the‌ ‌first‌ ‌five‌ ‌points‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌row‌ ‌and‌ ‌maintaining‌ ‌their‌ ‌lead‌ ‌en‌ ‌route‌ ‌to‌ ‌victory.‌ ‌

They‌ ‌will‌ ‌next‌ ‌face‌ ‌fourth‌ ‌seeds‌ ‌Raven‌ ‌Klaasen‌ ‌and‌ ‌Ben‌ ‌McLachlan,‌ ‌who‌ ‌received‌ ‌a‌ ‌walkover‌ ‌from‌ ‌Grigor‌ ‌Dimitrov‌ ‌and‌ ‌Tommy‌ ‌Paul‌ ‌(illness).‌ ‌

[WATCH LIVE 1]

In‌ ‌action‌ ‌later‌ ‌today,‌ ‌#NextGenATP‌ ‌stars‌ ‌Sebastian‌ ‌Korda‌ ‌and‌ ‌Jannik‌ ‌Sinner‌ ‌will‌ ‌team‌ ‌up‌ ‌to‌ ‌face‌ ‌second‌ ‌seeds‌ ‌Michael‌ ‌Venus‌ ‌and‌ ‌Neal‌ ‌Skupski‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌place‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌semi-finals.‌ ‌The‌ ‌American‌ ‌and‌ ‌Italian‌ ‌are‌ ‌contesting‌ ‌their‌ ‌first‌ ‌doubles‌ ‌tournament‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌team,‌ ‌with‌ ‌Sinner‌ ‌seeking‌ ‌his‌ ‌second‌ ‌consecutive‌ ‌doubles‌ ‌title.‌ ‌Last‌ ‌week,‌ ‌he‌ ‌partnered‌ ‌with‌ ‌Reilly‌ ‌Opelka‌ ‌to‌ ‌victory‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌Truist‌ ‌Atlanta‌ ‌Open.‌ ‌ ‌

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