The best was saved for last on Thursday at the Stockholm Open, particularly for Frances Tiafoe. In the lone three-setter of the day across both singles and doubles, the American came back from a set and 0-4 down to edge home favourite Elias Ymer in a late-night thriller.

With the 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(2) victory, Tiafoe advanced to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final of the season and denied the Ymer brothers a famous sweep of seeded opposition in their native Sweden. Earlier in the day, Mikael Ymer was a 6-2, 6-3 winner against eighth seed Tommy Paul.

“It was an unbelievable effort, a big growth win for me, to come back and win that,” Tiafoe said post-match. “He got a little nervous there and I started upping my level. He still played well in the third. He served well, but I was able to get it done. Elias is a hell of a player.”

From 0-4 in the second set, Tiafoe won five straight games to turn the tables, then raced out to a 6/0 lead in the tie-break as he forced a decider. The third seed flirted with danger again in the final set, saving a break point at 1-2 and 2-3 before once again dominating the tie-break.

“I definitely didn’t deserve to win today,” Tiafoe added. “Elias was playing really well. In the beginning I was really flat, really negative. It’s been a long year and it’s tough, I’m pretty tired.”

After improving to 2-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head, with the previous meeting also in Stockholm last season, Tiafoe was full of praise for his World No. 129 opponent, a wild-card entry into the ATP 250 event.

“He just needs to believe in himself,” he said of Ymer, who was seeking his third career tour-level quarter-final. “I think he strikes the ball just as good as anyone. He moves so fast. He’s just got to believe in himself. Today, I think the only reason I won is because he just didn’t believe it in the end. If he believes in himself he can be really good.”

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Tiafoe will next face Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, a 6-2, 6-2 winner against #NextGenATP Czch Jiri Lehecka. Mikael Ymer, who converted on five of seven break chances in his upset win against Paul, set a quarter-final meeting with top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday.

Fifth seed Alex de Minaur also advanced to the quarters on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-2 win against J.J. Wolf. The Aussie converted on four of five break points to book a showdown with fourth seed Denis Shapovalov.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s annual Fan Voting returns for 2022, with seven accomplished ATP and WTA players among this year’s candidates for the Class of 2023. From 20 October through 30 October, 2022, tennis fans around the world can cast their ballots for the candidates they believe are worthy of tennis’ ultimate honour: induction into the Hall of Fame.

The seven nominees in the Player Category for the Class of 2023 are:

• Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 2003 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1
• Carlos Moya of Spain, 1998 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1
• Daniel Nestor of Canada, a 12-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles and former doubles World No. 1
• Cara Black of Zimbabwe, former doubles World No. 1 and an 11-time Grand Slam champion
• Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, former World No. 1 and 2008 Roland Garros champion
• Flavia Pennetta of Italy, former doubles World No. 1 and 2015 US Open singles champion.
• Lisa Raymond of the United States, winner of 11 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, and a former doubles World No. 1

Fans can learn more and weigh in with their ballots at vote.tennisfame.com during the voting period. While fans can only vote once, they may vote for as many candidates as they deem deserving.

How The Vote Works:
The ITHF Player Voting Group, comprised of approximately 140 tennis journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers, will submit their vote.

The top 3 vote-getters in the Fan Vote will receive bonus percentage points on their result from the Voting Group. The candidate with the highest result in the Fan Vote will receive three additional percentage points, while second and third place will receive two and one additional percentage points, respectively.

To be elected, a candidate must receive an affirmative vote in 75% or higher of ballots submitted from the Voting Group or a combined total of 75% or higher from their Voting Group result and Fan Vote bonus percentage points.

Nestor makes his debut as an ITHF candidate this year, while Ivanovic, Ferrero, Black, Pennetta, Moya, and Raymond are all returning nominees to the ballot. ITHF policy states that a nominee remains on the ballot for up to three consecutive years, unless voted in. The six nominees are all eligible in the Hall of Fame’s Player Category for the Class of 2023.

“The nominees to the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 ballot represent tennis’ greatest achievements, across multiple disciplines of the sport,” said Katrina Adams, chairperson of the ITHF’s Enshrinee Nominating Committee. “As a former player, I appreciate the hard work and professionalism each of these world-class athletes possess. Being recognised as candidates for tennis’ highest honour, induction into the Hall of Fame, is a momentous accolade.”

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is one of just two sports halls of fame where fans’ votes can have a direct impact on a candidate’s induction. The results of the ITHF Fan Vote will be announced at the conclusion of the voting period. The Class of 2023 inductees will be announced in early next year, with the Induction Ceremony slated to take place 23 July 2023.

For additional information on the Class of 2023 Fan Vote and the ITHF’s induction process, visit tennisfame.com.

Zhang Zhizhen is approaching history.

The 26-year-old on Thursday reached the quarter-finals of the Tennis Napoli Cup to climb to No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, putting himself in position to become the first Chinese man to crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973) on Monday.

“I think it is a tough road to be Top 100,” Zhang said. “I’m so happy for today because I played two matches today and it is a small step, but it’s also a big step for Chinese men’s tennis.”

If Zhang defeats Mackenzie McDonald on Friday in the quarter-finals, he will be break into the Top 100 on Monday regardless of other players’ results for the rest of the week.

A win against McDonald would also make Zhang the second Chinese man to advance to a tour-level semi-final in the Open Era (since 1968). Pan Bing made the Seoul semi-finals in 1995.

“[I will] just be prepared like a normal match again because it is just a tennis match,” Zhang said. “So I’ll try to be better because I need to be recovered [from] today. I’ll do everything to prepare and be ready for tomorrow.”

Did You Know?
Zhang won two matches on Thursday to reach the last eight in Naples. He completed a 6-4, 7-6(8) victory against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics before eliminating Sebastian Baez 7-6(5), 7-6(11).

Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara moved up one place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings on Thursday by reaching the Stockholm semi-finals. The British/Finnish duo climbed to sixth in the Race, one spot ahead of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, courtesy of a 6-2, 6-3 win against the Czech pair of Roman Jebavy and Adam Pavlasek at the Stockholm Open.

The third seeds won each set by a single break of serve, saving both break points against them in the contest. The victory sets a matchup against Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti, who earned a 6-4, 6-4 win against Colombians Diego Hidalgo and Cristian Rodriguez.

With 3,180 points in the Doubles Race, Glasspool/Heliovaara are 220 points clear of Tim Puetz and Michael Venus in eighth place, with a Top 7 finish needed to guarantee qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals. This year’s Hamburg champions would finish the week on 3,340 points by claiming their second title of the season at the ATP 250 in Naples.

Dodig/Krajicek Advance In Naples
In need of a late surge to reach the Nitto ATP Finals, Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek progressed to the Naples semi-finals with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win against Pedro Cachin and Roberto Carballes Baena. The top seeds remain in 12th place in the Doubles Race, but could move into 10th with a title at the Tennis Napoli Cup. It would be their second ATP Tour trophy of 2022 (Lyon).

They will next face Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori, who defeated Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar 6-4, 7-5 in the quarters.

Bopanna/Middelkoop Reach Antwerp SFs
Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop are also chasing a spot in Turin and have moved up to 15th place in the Doubles Race this week with a run to the Antwerp semi-finals. The second seeds scored a 6-4, 6-1 victory against the British duo of Daniel Evans and Jonny O’Mara on Thursday at the European Open.

Two other Antwerp doubles matches were decided in Match Tie-breaks: Fourth seeds Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin edged Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 2-6, 6-1, 10-6, while the Dutch team of Sander Arends and David Pel upset third-seeded Germans Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 4-6, 6-3, 10-4.

Following a six-year hiatus from professional tennis, Australian Li Tu decided to make a comeback to the sport. Just over two years after making his return, the 26-year-old won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title and dedicated the victory to his mother, who recently passed away.

This past week, Tu advanced through qualifying en route to triumphing at the Seoul Challenger, where he defeated China’s Wu Yibing 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final. Following the match, the Adelaide native was overcome with emotion.

Tu’s mother, who passed away in September, would’ve celebrated her birthday the day after his title. Tu, who travelled to the Gwangju Challenger the day following his mother’s funeral, dedicated the Seoul title to her. 

“It’s been a tough couple months,” Tu told ATPTour.com. “My mom was very ill, she passed away on the 24th of September. On that weekend was the Seoul 250 event and I was in the qualifying list. I booked the flights and I was ready to go, but then I cancelled that so I could be with my mom, because I knew I’d regret it so much if I left and she passed away. So I cancelled that trip, she passed away that Saturday.

Li Tu celebrates winning the 2022 Seoul Challenger. Credit: Do Won Kim

“I remember one evening we were talking and she said, ‘I’ll see you in Korea’. She got me good there,” Tu said. “On that Friday, we had her funeral and the next day I was on the flight over to Korea.

“Before I won the title, the people that knew that I left straight after mom’s funeral were like, ‘Wow, I respect you so much Li for making a hard call to go over [to Korea], best of luck!’ Tu said. “When they found out I had won the title, they were so happy for me. I wanted to honour my mom after I won the title, I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Tu’s journey to the ATP Challenger Tour has been a unique trek. In 2014, the Australian was finding success at the junior level, but the-then 18-year-old decided to put his racquets away to pursue a college degree and a coaching business, resulting in a six-year hiatus from professional tennis.

When Tu reflected on his young career, he admitted that he struggled with the mindset it took to put in the daily work. After stopping initially in 2012 but returning the following year because of ‘boredom after high school’, Tu hung up the racquets for good in 2014, or so he thought.

“I quit in 2014 and at that point I was like, ‘No, I’m done, tennis is not for me,” Tu said. “I loved winning but I didn’t actually love the grind, training, setting a schedule, and falling in love with the process. When it was raining, I was very quick to say, ‘Oh let’s do nothing today, don’t worry about it’. I needed someone to push me to go to the gym and do a bit extra. I wasn’t that motivated to train and to be the best I could be.”

During his time away, Tu earned a bachelor’s degree in Commerce in Marketing at the University of Adelaide. While coaching at his L2 Academy, founded in 2017, he discovered a newfound love for the sport.

“When I finished university, I started a tennis coaching business and it wasn’t until I started that, working with some really great kids, where I started to fall in love with the sport and appreciate everything. The mentality is different this time around.”

If it wasn’t for Tu’s close friend having a heart-to-heart conversation with him two years ago, he may have never returned to professional tennis. He seemed content with his life and coaching juniors in Adelaide. After playing local UTR tournaments in July 2020, things started to change for Tu.

“After one of my matches, a very good friend of mine, Daniel [Buberis] , was like, ‘Li, what are you doing with yourself?’ Tu said. “I told him I’m coaching and he said, ‘Do you want to play?’ I was like, ‘I’ve been getting a bit of an itch’. After that, we sat down for coffee and we talked about it, we both were like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this!’

“He put a six-week training block together. He was a really big influence on why I came back. Also, being involved in the sport and refinding a love for the game, the process and the training, that helped me get back into the sport. If it wasn’t for coaching, I don’t think I would’ve found that.”

Nearly two years after starting ‘proper training’, Tu made his Challenger Tour main-draw debut at the Rome (Georgia) Challenger in July. His title run in Seoul was just his seventh Challenger appearance. The Aussie is now at a career-high 190 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, a vast improvement from his ranking of 681 a year ago.

Tu will return home to compete the next two weeks at the Playford and Sydney Challengers. He is also set to get married to his fiancée Kimberley in November.

It’s safe to say that 2022 holds memories that Tu won’t soon forget.

The resurgent Dominic Thiem maintained his good form on the European indoor hard courts Thursday at the European Open in Antwerp, where the Austrian rallied to a tense 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 win against Francisco Cerundolo.

After Thiem made a blistering start to the pair’s second-round clash in Belgium, sixth-seeded Cerundolo appeared to have taken control when he broke Thiem’s serve for 4-3 in the deciding set. The former World No. 3 roared back in style, however, holding his nerve to clinch four of the next five games and seal a hard-fought two-hour, seven-minute victory.

“That’s why I work hard every day, to be able after two hours with a very close score, to play good shots, to play good tennis, because that is when it matters most,” said Thiem after the match. “At 6-5 in the third, you have to come up with good tennis to be able to bring the match over the finish line, and luckily today it was my turn.”

More of this, please…@domithiem 🔥 @EuroTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/WDb7AB65uP

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 20, 2022

It was a second win against Cerundolo in the space of seven days for Thiem, who defeated the Argentine in straight sets in the quarter-finals in Gijon last week. Unlike on that occasion, Cerundolo found a way to halt Thiem’s early momentum and force a deciding set in Antwerp, but the Austrian finished strong to claim victory having converted four of his eight break point opportunities.

“It’s always difficult and interesting to play somebody two weeks in a row,” said Thiem. “It’s a little bit strange, but I came out playing really good, 6-1 in the first set, but I know that he is a great player so it was obvious in mind also that It was not going to continue that way.

“Then I had a bad start to the second set, he took advantage, he came into the net… and the third set was an open game, 50/50. When I was a break down, luckily straightaway [I broke back]. It was a very intense and close match.”

Thiem’s run in Antwerp so far has lifted the 17-time tour-level titlist seven spots to No. 125 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He next faces top seed Hubert Hurkacz as he attempts to reach his third tour-level semi-final of 2022.

“[I’m] 0-3 against him,” said Thiem. “For two years he has been [one of] the world’s best, especially indoors. Unbelievable serve, we just played three or four weeks ago in Metz, where he had a pretty easy win against me, and I hope I can make it more difficult for him tomorrow and be able to make another step ahead.”

A new week. A new level from Matteo Berrettini.

The Italian kick-started his Tennis Napoli Cup campaign Thursday with a confident second-round performance to down Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-2. The pair’s meeting at the ATP 250 event in Naples came just eight days after Carballes Baena had upset Berrettini on the indoor courts in Florence, but the second seed put that previous disappointment to bed in style as he charged to a 91-minute second-round victory.

“The atmosphere, The conditions [were different to Florence] for sure,” said Berrettini after the match. “This is outdoor, way warmer, and I wanted to get revenge. I felt like I had a lot of chances last week and it was tough to digest, especially because I played in Florence, in Italy, so it was really tough. But today I stepped on the court, I think with even more will to win this match, and I think I played better.”

Berrettini struck his forehand cleanly throughout, crashing 36 winners to his opponent’s seven en route to his 30th tour-level win of the season. Carballes Baena showed early intent and carved out the first break point of the match in the second game, but once the Italian escaped via a big serve he assumed control. Berrettini converted three from five break points and sealed the win with a huge inside-out forehand to the delight of the home crowd.

Berrettini, who currently sits in 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, seeks a strong run this week in Naples to keep alive his outside chance of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals. His next opponent at the hard-court event will be Taro Daniel, after the Japanese overcame Pedro Cachin 6-4, 7-6(2).

“Hopefully [the crowd will be] even louder,” said Berrettini later when asked about his quarter-final against Daniel. “That’s what we like to hear when we play, especially here in Naples, one of the warmest cities in the whole world. I love to play here, hopefully it’s going to be a great match.”

Earlier on Thursday, qualifier Zhang Zhizhen notched two wins in a day to etch his name into Chinese tennis history. The 26-year-old defeated Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6(8) in the first round before returning for a 7-6(5), 7-6(11) second-round upset of 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitior Sebastian Baez. Zhang has moved up 13 spots to No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, putting himself in position to become the first Chinese man to break the Top 100 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history on Monday, pending results the rest of the week.

Zhang’s next opponent will be Mackenzie McDonald, who also pulled double duty to surge into the quarter-finals. The American backed up his 6-3, 7-5 morning win against #NextGenATP Italian Francesco Passaro with an 6-4, 6-4 second-round upset of Roberto Bautista Agut in the afternoon. The 27-year-old McDonald also reached the last eight in Florence last week.

Fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti enjoyed a comfortable start to his campaign, easing past Laslo Djere 7-5, 6-4 to reach his seventh tour-level quarter-final of 2022. Musetti saved both break points he faced to down Djere, who was playing his second match of the day. The Serbian had earlier dispatched qualifier Borna Gojo 6-4, 7-6(6) in his first-round match.

Musetti is enjoying a strong finish to his year in his homeland, where he also reached the semi-finals in Florence last week. He will take on Daniel Elahi Galan in the quarter-finals, after the Colombian prevailed 7-6(5), 6-4 against Nuno Borges.

Fabio Fognini also delighted the home fans on Thursday with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 against Hugo Grenier in his first-round match. Fognini held firm to clinch a two-hour, 42-minute triumph and he next faces second seed Pablo Carreno Busta.

Matteo Berrettini kicked a goal in Naples before taking the court at the Tennis Napoli Cup.

The Italian on Wednesday met countryman Fabio Cannavaro, a football legend who won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2006. Cannavaro was the captain of the Italian team that won the World Cup that year.

”Onorato di avert incontrato Capitano,” Berrettini wrote on Instagram, which means, “Honoured to have met you Captain!”

 

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A post shared by Matteo Berrettini (@matberrettini)

It was not the first time Berrettini has met with football royalty. After competing in the Wimbledon final in 2021, he joined his country’s football team to celebrate their victory at the European Championships.

Berrettini’s meeting was not the only fun off-court experience of the week on the ATP Tour. Several players competing in the European Open visited Chocolate Nation in Belgium.

^{Photo Credit: @europeantennisopen}
David Goffin, Hubert Hurkacz and Karen Khachanov went on a trip to the chocolate museum, where they signed autographs on chocolate tennis balls.

Dominic Thiem also visited the museum. Afterwards, the former World No. 3 revealed his favourite chocolate on Instagram: “Today at the chocolate museum 🤎,” Thiem wrote. “To be honest, 100% dark chocolate is my absolute favourite! 👀”

 

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A post shared by Dominic Thiem (@domithiem)

When Stefanos Tsitsipas last competed on centre court in Stockholm four years ago, he lifted his first ATP Tour title. A lot has changed for the World No. 5 since then, but one thing remained the same on Wednesday — his perfect record at the Swedish ATP 250.

The top seed battled past serve-and-volleying American Maxime Cressy 7-6(5), 7-6(12) to reach the quarter-finals of the Stockholm Open. The 24-year-old will next face defending champion Tommy Paul or home favourite Mikael Ymer.

“I really had to hang tight in there and I delivered the shots that I had to in that second tie-break, which was very crucial,” Tsitsipas said. “He was serving extremely well, catching the lines, being very precise and I really went for it in that one.”

Cressy played aggressive, net-rushing tennis to apply plenty of pressure on his Top 5 opponent. But Tsitsipas remained calm in the critical moments to triumph after two hours and four minutes.

The American earned three set points in the second-set tie-break to force a decider, but Tsitsipas maintained pressure in tense baseline rallies and kept his opponent from approaching the net. The Greek also used his own serve as a weapon, winning 91 per cent of his first-serve points (52/57) in the match.

Tsitsipas has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 13-20 November in Turin. This week, he is trying to claim his first trophy since emerging victorious in Mallorca during the grass-court season. The Greek also successfully defended his Rolex Monte Carlo Masters title during the clay-court season.

Did You Know?
Tsitsipas has won four of his five career matches in Stockholm in straight sets. The only set he lost at the tournament came in the second set of his opening-round match against John Millman in 2018.