Ashleigh Barty warms up for the US Open by winning the Cincinnati Open with a straight-sets victory over Jil Teichmann in the final as Alexander Zverev takes the men’s title.
Alexander Zverev completed his dominant week at the Western & Southern Open Sunday by cruising past Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-3 to lift his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title and become the first German champion in Cincinnati since Boris Becker in 1985.
The World No. 5 had never won a match in six previous appearances at the tournament, but produced high-quality tennis all week to back up his Olympic singles gold medal in Tokyo and capture his fourth tour-level trophy of the season.
“The first win I ever had on these courts was on Wednesday, four days ago, and now I have my first title here,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “It has been an incredible week, a lot of great matches. It is an incredible feeling going into the US Open.”
Zverev, who the night before rallied from a double break down in the third set against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals, extended his winning streak to 11 matches. He also stretched his ATP Head2Head Series against Rublev to 5-0. The third seed was aggressive throughout against Rublev, firing six aces and winning 93 per cent (26/28) of points behind his first delivery to record victory in 59 minutes.
“I was playing pretty good tennis,” Zverev added. “I did not do a big celebration because I know how Andrey feels as well because we have been best friends since we were 11 years old and I know he is seeking his first Masters 1000 win, but it is going to come very soon I think.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself yet. I won the gold medal and just won a Masters, which I am very happy about and am looking forward to New York.”
[FOLLOW 1000]Earlier this year, the 24-year-old captured the Mutua Madrid Open crown in May to end a three-year Masters 1000 title drought, while he also won the trophy in Acapulco on hard in March.
Zverev is now tied in ninth position for the most Masters 1000 titles won since the series started in 1990 and is the first player to win the Western & Southern Open crown and the Olympic singles gold medal in the same year since Andre Agassi in 1996.
MOST ATP MASTERS 1000 TITLES (since 1990)
| Player | Titles |
| Novak Djokovic | 36 |
| Rafael Nadal | 36 |
| Roger Federer | 28 |
| Andre Agassi | 17 |
| Andy Murray | 14 |
| Pete Sampras | 11 |
| Thomas Muster | 8 |
| Michael Chang | 7 |
| Alexander Zverev | 5 |
| Boris Becker | 5 |
| Jim Courier | 5 |
| Gustavo Kuerten | 5 |
| Marcelo Rios | 5 |
| Andy Roddick | 5 |
| Marat Safin | 5 |
In a lively start, Zverev flew out of the blocks as he played consistently and aggressively. The German hit with great depth and power on his groundstrokes to dictate from the baseline as he raced 3-0 ahead. Zverev was strong on serve throughout the first set, dropping just three points on it as he closed out the opener in 27 minutes with a forehand volley.
The second set started in a similar manner as Zverev soaked up Rublev’s heavy-hitting to force the Russian into errors as he broke again in the first game. Zverev then kept Rublev pinned behind the baseline as he produced heavy forehands and closed the net well to manouver the 23-year-old around the court. The 17-time tour-level champion continued to return well and broke for the fifth time to secure his impressive victory.
Fourth seed Rublev was competing in his second Masters 1000 final, having enjoyed a run to the championship match in Monte-Carlo in April. The Russian, who triumphed in Rotterdam in March to capture his fourth ATP 500 title, earned his first win over countryman Daniil Medvedev en route to the final in Cincinnati.
The World No. 7 was aiming to become the sixth different Russian to win a Masters 1000 title since the series began in 1990 and sixth different champion at this level this season.
Emma Raducanu misses out on claiming her maiden WTA title as she falls to a 6-1 2-6 6-4 defeat by Clara Tauson in the WTA Chicago Challenger final.
Emma Raducanu misses out on claiming her maiden WTA title as she falls to a 6-1 2-6 6-4 defeat by Clara Tauson in the WTA Chicago Challenger final.
World number one Ashleigh Barty warms up for the US Open by winning the Cincinnati Open with a straight-sets victory over Jil Teichmann in the final.
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos earned their first Western & Southern Open title Sunday when they defeated Steve Johnson and Austin Krajicek 7-6(5), 7-6(5) to lift their fourth ATP Masters 1000 trophy as a team.
The second seeds were made to battle against the Americans, saving a set point at 5-6 in the opener and rallying from 1/4 in the first-set tie-break as they secured their victory in one hour and 54 minutes.
“We are really happy,” Granollers said in his on-court interview. “To win two Masters 1000 titles this year is amazing and shows we are playing really well. I lost one final here, so to win with Zeballos is really nice. I think we are improving as a team every day.”
The Spanish-Argentine tandem, who won 77 per cent (54/64) of their first-serve points on Sunday, captured the Mutua Madrid Open crown in May and now hold a 4-0 record in Masters 1000 finals, also triumphing in Montreal in 2019 and Rome in 2020. Granollers and Zeballos are the first team since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in 2003 to win the Cincinnati title without dropping a set.
”We played good matches all week against really good doubles players and good singles players, so it is an amazing feeling right now,” Zeballos added. “We said before the final, even if we didn’t win, we would still feel great because we are playing the best.”
[FOLLOW 1000]This year, Granollers and Zeballos have also reached finals at Acapulco in March and Wimbledon in July. They have now claimed six tour-level titles since first teaming in 2019.
In a high-quality first set, both teams were strong on serve with Granollers and Zeballos saving the three break points they faced, while Johnson and Krajicek fended off one themselves as they moved to a tie-break. After falling 1/4 behind in the tie-break, the second seeds raised their level and sealed the set when Johnson pushed a forehand long.
Fuelled by momentum, Granollers and Zeballos then raced into a 2-0 lead in the second set, only to be pegged back immediately at 2-2. Johnson and Krajicek struck the ball with great power from the baseline, while Granollers and Zeballos closed the net well throughout as both teams continued to hold to force another tie-break. Granollers and Zeballos once again stepped up in the crucial moments to secure their victory on their second championship point.
Wild cards Johnson and Krajicek upset third seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the semi-finals and were teaming for the first time this year. The Americans, who were competing in their first Masters 1000 doubles final, last played together in 2020 at the Western & Southern Open when it was held in New York, reaching the semi-finals.
For Alexander Zverev, nothing beats winning the biggest tournaments in the world. Reaching a final is great, but the German is not satisfied unless he lists the trophy.
“I love the feeling of lifting that trophy. That’s the hunger that you want. That’s the thing that you miss when you’re sitting at home on the couch,” said Zverev, who plays Andrey Rublev on Sunday in the Western & Southern Open final. “That’s when I get the most satisfaction, after winning a big match or winning a big title. That’s something that you play for and that’s something that right now, you get the biggest motivation out of it.”
Zverev has already earned important titles, including victories at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, four ATP Masters 1000 triumphs and his recent gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics. But his journey has not come without setbacks. Earlier this year, he lost a devastating five-set semi-final at Roland Garros against Stefanos Tsitsipas. In the German’s first Grand Slam final at last year’s US Open, Zverev fell short in a final-set tie-break against Dominic Thiem.
“You actually learn much more from losses than from wins. Losses motivate you in the way that you want to do better next time. It’s always been in our sport this way,” Zverev said. “Tennis is a very short-term memory sport. You need to have success, put it in your pocket and put it in the back of the brain and know you can do it, but then go out there and do it again.”
Zverev has been around tennis his whole life. His father, Alexander Zverev Sr., is his coach. Mischa Zverev, who has climbed as high as No. 25 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, is his brother.
“I didn’t want to be just like Mischa. I wanted to beat Mischa,” Zverev said. “It didn’t really matter what we were doing, whether we were playing Monopoly, whether we were playing cards. I always wanted to be better than him, so that was definitely one part. But then when you grow up, you want the best for your brother. I want him to win basically every match that he plays.”
Regardless of competitive instincts, family is everything to Zverev.
“For me, the home makes the people. When your people and your loved ones are around you, you feel like part of your home is traveling with you,” Zverev said. “I think it really helps to have an older brother on Tour who still plays, to have your parents there with you. It’s a great thing to have all around.”
[FOLLOW 1000]Zverev has enjoyed another good season and is on pace to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year. But the 24-year-old is not satisfied.
“For me, it’s now about making the next step,” Zverev said. “And winning the big titles.”
In a stacked field, some of tennis’ most exciting talents are set to compete this week at the Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina. Great Britain’s Andy Murray leads the way with #NextGenATP stars Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti also in action at the ATP 250 hard-court event.
Other players competing include Nick Kyrgios, Daniel Evans, David Goffin and Pablo Carreno Busta as well as former World No. 3 Marin Cilic.
Before play begins, ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch in Winston-Salem.
View Draws: Singles | Doubles
1) Murray Looking For Momentum: The former World No. 1 will compete in his sixth tour-level singles tournament of the season at the Winston-Salem Open. It is the second time that Murray is competing in North Carolina, having made his tournament debut in 2019. The Scot defeated Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati before falling to Pole Hubert Hurkacz in the second round earlier this week. After accepting a wild card into the ATP 250 event, Murray will face Kyrgios in a blockbuster first-round match.
[FOLLOW ACTION]2) #NextGenATP Stars In Action: #NextGenATP’s Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti will aim to continue their breakthrough seasons on their Winston-Salem debuts at the tournament. The 18-year-old Alcaraz, No. 55 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, captured his first tour-level title in Umag last month and will begin against either American Steve Johnson or a qualifier. Musetti will be aiming to snap a five-match losing streak in his opening round clash against Federico Coria.
Watch Highlights Of Alcaraz’s First Title In Umag
3) Wild Cards: Alongside Murray, Pablo Carreno Busta, David Goffin and Daniel Evans have accepted wild cards into the Winston-Salem Open. Top seed Carreno Busta lifted the title here in 2016, and will be pursuing his third ATP Tour trophy of the season. The Spaniard will open against Moldovan Radu Albot or South Korean Soonwoo Kwon. Belgium’s Goffin, who reached the quarter-finals in North Carolina in 2012 and 2014, is the second seed. Goffin could face 13th seed Frances Tiafoe in third round.
Evans is making his third appearance at the ATP 250 event and will be aiming to win his second tour-level trophy, having captured the Murray River Open crown in Melbourne this February. The third seed will open his campaign against Spaniard Feliciano Lopez or a qualifier.
4) Can Kyrgios and Cilic Find Form? Australian Kyrgios and Croatian Cilic will be making their debuts at the Winston-Salem Open. Kyrgios will be competing in his seventh tour-level event of the season, most recently playing in Toronto. The World No. 81 will meet Tiafoe in the second round if he overcomes Murray.
Sixth seed Cilic will be aiming to clinch his second tour-level title of the season. The 32-year-old, who triumphed in Stuttgart, reached the second round in both Toronto and Cincinnati and could face Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals. He notably pushed Daniil Medvedev to five sets at Wimbledon.
5) Kubot/Melo In Doubles Action: After reuniting in June, Polish-Brazilian tandem Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo will compete together in their fifth tour-level tournament of the season this week in Winston-Salem. The top seeds, who have captured 15 tour-level trophies as a team, including four ATP Masters 1000s, won the title in North Carolina in 2019.
French pair Nicholas Mahut and Fabrice Martin are the second seeds, South African Raven Klaasen and Japan’s Ben McLachlan are seeded third and Italian Simone Bolelli and Argentine Maximo Gonzalez are the fourth seeds.
World number one Ashleigh Barty reaches her sixth final of 2021 in Cincinnati, while Andrey Rublev upsets top seed Daniil Medvedev to progress to the men’s final.
On Saturday, Holger Rune became the last man standing in Verona, Italy. The Danish teen continued his ruthless run of form on the ATP Challenger Tour, clinching a second straight title in dominant fashion. Rune did not drop a set all week at the inaugural Internazionali di Tennis Verona, culminating in a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Nino Serdarusic in the final.
It was a fitting conclusion to an impressive ATP Challenger debut in Verona, as the tournament kicked off a new era on the circuit. And with former pro Viktor Galovic at the helm, it was a success from start to finish. With renowned local chefs and live concerts throughout the week, as well as dramatic light shows marking the night sessions, fans were given world-class entertainment and players were treated like rock stars. After traveling the tour for nearly a decade, this is exactly how Galovic envisioned the ideal tournament.
It has become one of the novelties of life on the ATP Challenger Tour. More and more former players have made the transition to a different role, stepping into the office as tournament director. From Top 10 stalwarts Arnaud Clement (Aix-en-Provence) and Andres Gomez (Guayaquil), to the likes of Luis Horna (Lima), Rik De Voest (Vancouver) and Nicolas Escude (Brest), past champions are giving back. Each of these players’ careers were launched on the Challenger circuit. Now, they are returning to their roots.
This week, Galovic is the latest to enter the fray. The Croatian, who is based in Italy, has embarked on a new career as tournament director in his hometown of Verona. It marks the return of the ATP Challenger Tour to the Italian city for the first time since 1990.
Galovic, a mainstay inside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for many years, lifted his lone Challenger trophy in nearby Recanati, Italy, in 2017. He would also make five appearances on the ATP Tour, most notably reaching the quarter-finals on the clay of the Swiss Open Gstaad in 2018, where he upset World No. 38 Robin Haase.
After a 10-year career, Galovic announced his retirement from professional tennis in July. Persistent back and hip injuries may have forced him to hang up his racquet, but the 30-year-old is not leaving the tennis scene. He recently launched ‘VK Events’, with plans to organize many ATP Challenger tournaments throughout Italy in the coming years.
It all starts with this week’s inaugural Internazionali di Tennis Verona. Held at the Associazione Tennis Verona, the tournament site was founded in 1929 and previously hosted a Challenger tournament from 1988-90. Now, the historic club welcomes players and fans for a new era of tennis in northern Italy.
Galovic spoke to ATPTour.com during his first week in his new role…
First of all, Viktor, congrats on this new endeavor. How did this come about?
I was playing good for the past few years and enjoying my time on tour, but I got stuck with a back injury and had four hernias. I had to do surgery on my hip too. I’m almost 31 now and don’t want to have to go through another surgery, so that’s it. I played my last tournament in Todi (in July). But now I’m staying in tennis, but in a different way. I think I’m going to enjoy this more than practising and sweating all day.
The tournament actually started as a joke. Me and my friend were saying that’s it is crazy that a club like this in Verona does not have a Challenger. For fun we said, ‘let’s contact the ATP and do it’. That’s how it started.
I actually had this idea earlier in the year. We started at the end of April and didn’t have much time to organize everything. But we managed to do one of the best Challengers in Europe I think.
Now that the first edition is complete, what are your impressions? How did it go?
I’m the tournament director, but I’m also the organizer of the tournament. With my colleagues, we organized everything from the beginning. Just four of us created this from nothing. We did an amazing job in just a few months.
The courts are completely new and we have a great hotel and great food. Having a team that knows what the players need is important. We brought in Elena Marchesini [co-founder of MEF Tennis Events] to do the player desk. Also, in the first few days, we had to train the guys that were cleaning the courts, the ball boys and some of the staff, but as soon as they knew what to do, it went smoothly.
Being a former player gives you a unique perspective. How has that helped you in this role?
Being a former player helps a lot. I know everything the players need. I was the one complaining sometimes at some Challengers. We did everything for these players. For example, we could have taken a hotel that was less expensive but we wanted to go with the Crowne Plaza and make it more comfortable. With the staff here in the restaurant, all the food is good. If it wasn’t, I would have hired someone to make it good. We did almost everything for the players.
For the fans, we put the lights on the centre court, so people from the streets can see them and walk in. We didn’t expect to have so many people on site. On Tuesday, we were already completely full. People have to be vaccinated or have a negative test. We had 200 people sitting and 200 more standing. It’s holidays in Verona now, so everyone is free to watch the tennis. It’s been 31 years since Verona last had a Challenger and we wanted to have no payment to come watch.
You mentioned the importance of making everything perfect for the players, but how have you also improved the fan experience?
The main goal was to make this feel like the ATP 250 tournament in Umag. We decided it’s going to be an event, with great food and music and tennis. It’s a tennis tournament, but also a big event. The centre court has flashing lights and after the matches we have parties in the club. Even before the night matches we have an ‘aperativo’ (a light pre-dinner drink) hour. If you come with your wife and she’s not as interested in the tennis, she can still enjoy it and stay for the concerts after the matches are finished. It’s similar to Umag and to Braunschweig on the Challenger Tour. Here, we have something like this going on every night.
What’s been the biggest challenge to make this happen?
Just working with so many people and so many groups to make things happen for the tournament. Organizing everything and contacting everyone. That is the main complicated thing. I’m sure it’s like this with many tournaments. That’s the biggest challenge in organizing a tournament.
You just started a new event management company, VK Events. Is it just tennis tournaments or do you have plans to expand into other areas?
For now it’s just tennis and next year we have plans for three Challengers. Again, the main thing for us is to create an event. An entertainment experience. Not just going to see a tournament and that’s it. Next year, we will try to go to Lido di Venezia. It’s going to be in Venice, so you have to come by ferry. And the other one we’re looking to do is in Murano. We also want to do something that no one has done in Verona, and that is to bring an ATP 250 here. We still don’t know how or when, but the main goal is to have a centre court in the arena here. That’s the goal.
Now that your playing career is over, how rewarding is it to be able to give back to the Challenger Tour and help it grow as a director?
It’s very rewarding. It was the best period of my life. I was struggling a lot at the beginning of my career, but to get to the Challenger Tour and have these experiences with a coach and a physio was everything. It was already rewarding in the past and now to be able to organize one of these tournaments, it is even more special.
Finally, what are your fondest memories of competing on tour? What will you remember most from your playing days?
I don’t have so many memories that pop out from winning matches. But the main thing that I really liked is that it taught me about dealing with pressure and about people getting involved to organize something. It taught me a lot in that way, because tennis is stressful. Traveling in planes two times a week is already stressful and then you have the on-court stress. Tennis is all about solving problems. That helped me a lot to solve the problems right now in organizing a Challenger.
