Argentina Open: British number one Cameron Norrie beats Juan Pablo Varillas to reach final
British number one Cameron Norrie reaches the final of the Argentina Open after beating Juan Pablo Varillas in straight sets.
British number one Cameron Norrie reaches the final of the Argentina Open after beating Juan Pablo Varillas in straight sets.
Jannik Sinner delivered a flawless serving performance on Saturday to defeat home wild card Tallon Griekspoor and reach the championship match at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.
The Italian did not face a break point in his 7-5, 7-6(5) semi-final victory against the World No. 61 at the indoor ATP 500 event. Although Griekspoor competed fiercely in a richly entertaining encounter packed with clean baseline hitting and some deft volleying, Sinner’s ability to take his chances ultimately proved decisive.
“I felt a lot of pressure today,” acknowledged Sinner, when asked about how it felt taking on home favourite Griekspoor. “I’m very happy with how I handled it, it was not easy from my side. I tried to play aggressive tennis. Sometimes I managed to do it, sometimes not, but this is part of the game.
“I’m very happy with how I played the tie-break also… [I’m] very happy to be again in a final, and tomorrow is obviously going to be a tough, tough challenge.”
The World No. 14, who has only been broken three times across his four matches this week at the Rotterdam Ahoy, converted the only break point of the match in the 12th game to claim the opening set and then held his nerve to claim a high-quality second-set tie-break. It was a seventh tour-level victory in a row for Sinner, who last week in Montpellier claimed his seventh ATP Tour title.
For the 21-year-old to extend his winning streak to eight matches, he will have to beat Daniil Medvedev for the first time in Sunday’s championship match in the Netherlands. The sixth-seeded Medvedev, who leads Sinner 4-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series, earlier eased past Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-2 to reach his 28th tour-level final.
“He is very solid, he serves well,” said Sinner, when asked about the challenge of taking on Medvedev. “To break him is very tough, and I need to serve very carefully and very bravely. I will have a chat with my team, and hopefully I can improve on the past meetings.”
Griekspoor had beaten eighth seed Alexander Zverev en route to his maiden ATP 500 semi-final in Rotterdam, a run that had home fans wondering if the 25-year wait for a Dutch champion might be about to end.
Although the 26-year-old was unable to find a way past Sinner on Saturday, he is nonetheless up 21 spots to No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his exploits in his homeland.
A decade ago, Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini lifted the Argentina Open trophy for the first time. On Sunday, the Italians will have a chance to do so again.
The third seeds advanced to the Buenos Aires final on Saturday when they eliminated Brazilian Marcelo Demoliner and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 7-5. They will face Nicolas Barrientos and Ariel Behar for the trophy.
Bolelli and Fognini have not lost a set en route to the championship clash. In the semi-finals they won 88 per cent of their first-serve points and broke serve four times.
If the Italians triumph in the final, it will not be the first time they lift the trophy at a tournament at least 10 years apart. They also won in Umag 11 years apart, in 2011 and 2022.
Bopanna/Ebden Into Rotterdam Final
Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden lost their first two matches together this season, but the Indian-Australian duo has found form this week in Rotterdam. On Saturday they defeated Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-4, 6-4 to reach the ABN AMRO Open final.
Bopanna and Ebden were pushed to a Match Tie-break by Australian Open finalists Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski in the first round. Since, they have earned straight-sets victories against fourth seeds Lloyd Glasspool/Harri Heliovaara and now Krawietz/Puetz.
Arevalo/Rojer Battle Into Delray Beach Championship Clash
Reigning Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer advanced to the Delray Beach Open final on Saturday with a 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 win against Robert Galloway and John-Patrick Smith.
Two years ago, Arevalo and Rojer made their team debut in Delray Beach. In 2022, they claimed their first Grand Slam title together and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.
Poland’s world number one Iga Swiatek cruises past America’s Jessica Pegula in straight sets to defend her title at the Qatar Open.
Dialled-in defence and and a cool head at key moments have been the basis of Daniil Medvedev’s run at the ABN AMRO Open this week. Saturday’s semi-final clash against Grigor Dimitrov proved to be no exception.
The sixth seed delivered a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 victory in 82 minutes against the Bulgarian to reach the final at the indoor hard-court tournament in Rotterdam for the first time. Medvedev was typically relentless from the baseline and converted six of 13 break points to reach his first tour-level championship match since he claimed the title in Vienna last October.
A match featuring several marathon exchanges threatened to become more complicated for Medvedev when Dimitrov recovered from 0-2 in the second set to earn three break points at 2-2, 0/40. The World No. 11 shut any potential comeback down in style, however, dropping just four more points in the match en route to increasing his ATP Head2Head series lead against Dimitrov to 5-2.
Court, covered 🫡
These two are getting the steps in today…
⁰@abnamroopen | #abnamroopen pic.twitter.com/6mI6WtOtx5— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 18, 2023
“It was an amazing match,” said Medvedev afterwards. “The score [looks] easy, but the match was not. I felt physically like I was playing five sets. [There were] some amazing rallies. It was 2-2, 0/40 for him in the second [set], so [I am happy] to manage to win it 6-2, just raise my level a little bit on serve and manage to keep consistent… He made a few more errors than he needed to make, and I’m happy with my level.”
The win lifted Medvedev one spot to No. 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He could rise one place further to No. 9 with victory in his 28th tour-level championship match on Sunday against Jannik Sinner or home wild card Tallon Griekspoor.
“It would be amazing [to win here],” said the former World No. 1 and 15-time tour-level titlist. “Every time I come here, and I think it is my fifth time here, everywhere there are photos of the winners and their names.
“I don’t remember who won it first time, but then Arthur Ashe won it [twice]. Then [others including] McEnroe, Borg, Edberg, and I’m like ‘Well, that tournament has a history for sure’. To add my name there would be amazing, but for this I need to play well in the final.”
Have you ever wondered how ATP players think the season will unfold and which of their peers they believe is due for a standout year or to crack the Top 10?
Last week we learned that Rafael Nadal, Jack Draper, and Thanasi Kokkinakis believe that Jannik Sinner will claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title this season. What will other say in part two of the fun 2023 predictions series? ATP sat down with Cameron Norrie, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Diego Schwartzman, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev to get their thoughts.
Norrie cracked a smile when he said, “I want to make some decent predictions and not just wing it!” when asked who will make their Top 10 debut this year.
According to the Briton and Diego Schwartzman, Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who is No. 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is due to climb even higher. Frances Tiafoe, World No. 15, was also a popular choice among players.
Norrie and the Argentine Schwartzman must think alike as they again agreed that Rublev will win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown this season. With a big smile across his face, Rublev shared, “I’ve never won a Masters 1000 yet, but hopefully I can win at least one some day, some year, some life!”
When players were asked who will triumph at this year’s Grand Slam events, last year’s US Open semi-finalist Tiafoe said, “I feel like I’ve got some unfinished business!” as he predicted himself to lift the trophy at Flushing Meadows.
Watch the full video to hear all the players’ predictions for the year, and share your predictions with us on the ATP Tour’s social media channels.
Frances Tiafoe’s home will always be the tennis court, but the American star had a blast on the basketball court Friday evening in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
Tiafoe, the No. 15 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, made two shots to help NBA legend Dwyane Wade’s team to victory.
Tiafoe made a teardrop shot from close range in the early going to settle the nerves and early in the third quarter, he knocked down a midrange jumpshot over 2016 NBA champion Richard Jefferson. That bucket thrilled Team Dwyane coach Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player.
It was not just about the basketball, though. Tiafoe met several superstars, from current NBA players like Pascal Siakam to other players in the game such as teammates DK Metcalf and Janelle Monae.
Tiafoe worked hard on his game leading up to his big moment, spending “a couple of hours a day” on the court.
“I think [I will] just go out there and have fun. I mean I don’t want to look dumb, that’s why I’ve been training the past couple weeks,” Tiafoe said. “But [it is about] just having fun and obviously All Star [Weekend] everyone is there, you meet so many cool people and people that I’ve been fans of forever.”
Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback continues to gain steam in Buenos Aires.
The World No. 2 advanced to the Argentina Open semi-finals on Friday evening when he defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-2. The Spaniard will next face fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo or Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
“I think I played really, really well from the beginning until the last ball, the last point,” Alcaraz said. “I knew that it was going to be really, really difficult. Dusan is playing great on clay, [he is] a great player, a really tough one.”
Entering the week, Alcaraz had not played a match since last year’s Rolex Paris Masters because of an internal oblique muscle tear. But he has shown no signs of discomfort in Argentina. To the contrary, he is improving by the game.
“I had to be really, really solid from deep in the court,” Alcaraz said. “My second match of the year and I’m really happy with my performance.”
Alcaraz used a little bit of everything in the match, from impressive backhand passing shots to his typically devastating drop shots. He played his best tennis towards the end of the second set, showing enough confidence to increase the aggression against the Serbian.
Lajovic is an experienced clay-court opponent who made an ATP Masters 1000 final on the surface at the 2019 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters. But the 32-year-old was unable to find ways to make Alcaraz uncomfortable on Court Guillermo Vilas.
The top seed was not perfect in his performance, but Alcaraz used his wide range of skills and competitive spirit to apply constant pressure, winning 53 per cent of his return points and converting five of 10 break points to triumph after one hour and 34 minutes.
Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek have had a solid start to the 2023 season. The Croatian-American duo, which reached the final at last month’s Adelaide International 2, is looking for a fourth team title this week.
On Friday, the pair earned a razor-thin 7-6(5), 7-6(5) quarter-final victory over Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.
When Dodig and Krajicek made a run to the Adelaide-2 final earlier this year, misfortune struck them before the championship match. Dodig suffered an injury that forced them to give a walkover to Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer.
After a disappointing first-round exit at the Australian Open, Dodig and Krajicek are hoping to make a statement at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, where they are the only seeded team remaining. They will next meet Belgian qualifiers Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the semi-finals.
Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over fourth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara. The Indian-Australian pair will face Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz on Saturday.
Home Favourites Upset In Buenos Aires
Nicolas Barrientos and Ariel Behar rallied from a set down to defeat home hopes Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 3-6, 6-4, 10-7 in the semi-finals of the Argentina Open.
While the Uruguayan Behar is a three-time doubles titlist, Barrientos is aiming to collect his first ATP Tour title. Their championship match opponent with be either Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini or Marcelo Demoliner and Andrea Vavassori.
Mexican Pair Advances To Delray Beach SFs
Hans Hach Verdugo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela took down Nuno Borges and Andre Goransson 7-5, 7-5 in Friday’s doubles action at the Delray Beach Open. They will next meet Australian-American duo Rinky Hijikata and Reese Stalder.
Miomir Kecmanovic is inching closer towards his first ATP Tour title since September 2020.
The Serbian, who last triumphed three years ago in Kitzbuhel, downed Marcos Giron 7-6(5), 6-3 to open Friday’s quarter-final action at the 2023 Delray Beach Open. The World No. 33 saved five of six break points faced during his one-hour, 34-minute victory, which was halted by rain on several occasions.
Moldova’s Radu Albot upset second seed Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-2 to score the seventh Top-20 win of his career. The 33-year-old stayed steady from the baseline and won 32 of 40 points off his first serve to defeat the American.
Albot, who won the Delray Beach Open in 2019, advanced to his first semi-final since Singapore in 2021 (l. Bublik). Friday’s victory lifted Albot to No. 99 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He will next meet Kecmanovic in Saturday’s semi-final.
In an all-American contest, Mackenzie McDonald survived Michael Mmoh 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Despite being a break down in each set, the 27-year-old McDonald kept battling. Trailing a set and 1-3, McDonald rallied to win five straight games and send the match to a decider. In the final set, McDonald was trailing 2-4 before making another comeback to close out the match in two hours, 10 minutes.
The California native, who is No. 49 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, is one spot shy of tying his career-high which he reached last August. McDonald is set to play in his second Delray Beach semi-final (2019).
Top seed Taylor Fritz was tested in two tight sets to close out Friday’s quarter-final action. The American prevailed against Adrian Mannarino 7-6(8), 6-4 to reach his second semi-final of the season (Dallas).
Mannarino, who was a quarter-finalist at last week’s ATP 250 event in Dallas, had two break points to secure a 4-1 lead in the opening set. However, World No. 7 Fritz overcame the slow start and captured the first-set tie-break, in which he fended off a set point before converting his fourth set point.
The 25-year-old will next clash with countryman McDonald, whom he lost to in their only tour-level meeting in the first round of the Delray Beach Open in 2019.
