Best shots as Musetti & Paul book places in Queen's final
Watch the best shots as Tommy Paul beats Sebastian Korda and Lorenzo Musetti defeats Jordan Thompson to face-off in the Queen’s final.
Watch the best shots as Tommy Paul beats Sebastian Korda and Lorenzo Musetti defeats Jordan Thompson to face-off in the Queen’s final.
After knocking out top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden on Friday at the cinch Championships, Taylor Fritz and Karen Khachanov took out third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic on Saturday to reach the final in their first event as a pair.
They followed a 7-6(1), 7-6(3) win against Bopanna/Ebden with a 4-6, 6-3, 12-10 victory in the semi-finals, saving a match point at 8/9 in the Match Tie-break. Despite being broken for the first time in the tournament in the opening set against Arevalo/Pavic, the fan-favourite duo responded quickly before capping their comeback in dramatic fashion.
Becoming Kings at Queens 👑
This duo is into the final, but they need your help choosing a nickname 🔥👇@QueensTennis | #CinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/OPJmh94TB4
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 22, 2024
Fritz is through to the Queen’s Club final for the second straight year after a runner-up finish with Jiri Lehecka in 2023. He will seek his first tour-level doubles crown in his fourth final. Khachanov has also reached three previous tour-level doubles finals, all at the ATP Masters 1000 level. He won Madrid in 2023 with Andrey Rublev.
The eighth seeds will meet either fourth seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek or seventh seeds Neal Skupski and Michael Venus in Sunday’s final.
[ATP APP]Puetz/Krawietz reach Halle final on home soil
Germans Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz also won a Match Tie-break to advance to the final at the Terra Wortmann Open. The home hopes beat Frenchmen Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia 6-1, 4-6, 10-5 on Saturday to set up a final showdown against top-seeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/06/22/16/38/puetz-krawietz-halle-2024-sf.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Tim Puetz, Kevin Krawietz” />
Photo credit: Terra Wortmann Open/Mathias Schulz.
Puetz/Krawietz converted on three of four break points in the semi-finals, according to Infosys ATP Stats. They have lost just one set in three matches en route to the final.
Brisbane finalists in January, the Germans are seeking their first title together in 2024. Their lone trophy triumph as a duo came last year on home soil in Hamburg.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Lorenzo Musetti became just the fifth Italian man to reach a grass-court tour-level final on Saturday at the cinch Championships, where he moved past Australian Jordan Thompson 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in London.
The 22-year-old opened his shoulders to hit through his groundstrokes in the fast conditions, producing an impressive display in the third set to advance to his third ATP Tour final. Musetti struck 14 winners and hit just four unforced errors in the decider according to ATP Infosys Stats, roaring in delight after sealing victory on his first match point.
“It was one of the toughest matches of the week,” Musetti said. “Jordan was playing amazing, especially in the second and third sets. It was a really tough match. I am really proud of my achievement. I love this sport.”
[ATP APP]Musetti, who is up five spots to No. 25 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, holds a perfect two-from-two record in tour-level finals and will hope to improve that record when he meets Tommy Paul in the title match on Sunday.
Musetti has battled hard all week at The Queen’s Club, where he has also defeated Alex de Minaur and Brandon Nakashima in three sets. He holds a 7-1 record on grass this year, having advanced to the semi-finals in Stuttgart last week.
Thompson was aiming to reach his fourth tour-level final on grass. The 30-year-old enjoyed runs to the championship match in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2019 and 2023.
Lorenzo 🤝 London@Lorenzo1Musetti books his 1st grass final in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 thriller with Thompson @QueensTennis | #cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/w8bs65FaNA
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 22, 2024
Paul defeated countryman Sebastian Korda 6-4, 7-6(1) to advance to his sixth tour-level final and third of the season.
“I am happy and I feel every time I step on grass I learn something and play a little better,” Paul said. “I felt like I did a pretty good job today.”
The fifth seed, who triumphed in Dallas earlier this year, recovered from squandering a 5-2 lead in the second set to eventually seal his win in the second-set tie-break. With his victory, Paul avenged his quarter-final defeat to Korda in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last week, improving to 2-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
The 27-year-old will surpass Taylor Fritz and become the new American No. 1 if he captures his third ATP Tour trophy against Musetti.
Korda also lost in the semi-finals at Queen’s last year. The 23-year-old is 7-2 on grass in 2024, having fallen in the title match in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur become the latest Wimbledon contenders to retire early from matches in the build-up to SW19.
Lorenzo Musetti books his place in the Queen’s final with a hard-fought win against Jordan Thompson.
Novak Djokovic will arrive at Wimbledon on Monday – but does not yet know if he will be able to compete after undergoing knee surgery.
The grass-court swing continues on the ATP Tour this week at the Rothesay International and the Mallorca Championships.
Two-time champion Taylor Fritz and American Tommy Paul compete in Eastbourne, where Francisco Cerundolo returns as the defending champion at the ATP 250. Ben Shelton leads the Mallorca field, with Ugo Humbert also in action.
ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch across the two events.
[ATP APP]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN EASTBOURNE
1) Fritz Aims For Hat-Trick: Top seed Fritz boasts a 9-2 record across four appearances at the ATP 250, where he lifted the trophy in 2019 and 2022, the latter coming a week before his Wimbledon quarter-final run. The American, searching for his second title of the year, has not won the same event three times in his career.
2) Defending Champion Cerundolo Leads Other Seeds: Paul, Alexander Bublik and Cerundolo look to add to their grass-court pedigree. Cerundolo last year claimed his maiden grass title when he beat Paul in the Eastbourne final. The 2023 Halle champion Bublik, who has made two additional grass finals, is making his third appearance in Eastbourne.
3) Fils Fleeing From Jeddah Contenders: #NextGenATP Arthur Fils looks to add to his substantial lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. The 20-year-old, aiming for a return trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, leads second-placed Jakub Mensik by more than 320 points. Fils arrives in Eastbourne following a quarter-final run in Halle, his career-best grass result.
4) Don’t Sleep On ‘ZZZ’: Last year’s quarter-finalist Zhang Zhizhen posted one of his biggest career wins in Halle, where he upset World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev en route to the semi-finals. Set to rise to a career high inside the Top 35 of the PIF ATP Rankings, Zhang aims to build upon his momentum.
5) Nishikori Makes Grass Return: Japanese star and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori is set to play his first grass event since 2021 Wimbledon. The 34-year-old reached the Eastbourne semi-finals in 2011 and now 13 years later, Nishikori returns to the ATP 250 in what will be his third tournament of the year.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MALLORCA
1) Shelton Seeks First Grass Win Of 2024: After early exits at Stuttgart and Queen’s Club, Shelton is bidding for his first grass win of the season — and the third tour-level grass win of his career — in Mallorca. The top seed picked up wins at Queen’s and Wimbledon last year but has yet to win multiple matches at an event on the lawns. He will open against Luca Nardi or Rinky Hijikata in Spain.
2) Monfils, Thiem Square Off: The popcorn match of the Mallorca first round will see sixth seed Gael Monfils take on wild card Dominic Thiem. Theim leads their ATP Head2Head 6-0, with their most recent meeting coming at the 2020 Australian Open — but they have never before met on grass. Both players are competing on the surface for the first time this season.
3) Humbert, Mannarino Make Three Seeded Frenchman: Second seed Humbert and third seed Adrian Mannarino join Monfils among the seeded French players in the ATP 250 draw. Both Humbert and Mannarino seek to atone for an opening loss at Queen’s. Prior to that, Humbert, was a semi-finalist at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where Mannarino reached the last 16.
4) Carballes Baena Leads Spanish Charge: Five Spaniards (plus qualifiers) will compete on home soil in Mallorca, led by Robert Carballes Baena, the No. 62 man in the PIF ATP Rankings. RCB will meet countryman and wild card Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round. They are joined by Jaume Munar (vs. Sebastian Ofner), Pedro Martinez (vs. Luciano Darderi) and Roberto Bautista Agut (vs. Taro Daniel) in the singles draw.
5) Top Doubles Seeds All Countrymen: Each of the top three doubles seeds share the same flag. Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow are the top seeds, followed by Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, then Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul. India’s Yuki Bhambri, who won the 2023 Mallorca doubles title with Lloyd Harris, partner’s Frenchman Albano Olivetti this year.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]After notching three consecutive three-set wins to begin his Terra Wortmann Open campaign, Jannik Sinner finished the job in straight sets on Saturday. Still, he was made to work for his 6-4, 7-6(3) semi-final victory against Zhang Zhizhen.
The result saw Sinner through to his first grass final, with his best previous result on the lawns a semi-final showing last year at Wimbledon (l. to Djokovic). He will meet 2022 Halle champion Hubert Hurkacz in Sunday’s title match.
“It means a lot. I had four very tough matches to go to the final,” Sinner said in his post-match interview. “It was a good match today. Definitely more rallies than yesterday and that’s exactly what I needed today. I’m happy and let’s see what’s coming tomorrow.”
Ticking off the milestones 🔝👏
World No.1 @janniksin also heads into a 1st grass final 6-4, 7-6(3) over Zhang@ATPHalle | #TerraWortmannOpen pic.twitter.com/0rXohGdRcG
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 22, 2024
In a match of fine margins that hung on a knife’s edge throughout, Sinner claimed his lone break point late in the opening set and saved the only break point against him to erase a set point for Zhang at 5-6 in the second. Sinner ripped a brave forehand winner to fend off that break chance, then made good on a fast start to the tie-break to escape in two sets in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.
“In important moments [I was] trying to serve well,” the Italian said. “He returned actually really well in some moments so I had to be very careful. I had to save a set point in the second set. If not I had to go again in three sets. But this is a grass court, anything can happen.”
Both Sinner and Zhang won 80 per cent of their first-serve points in a match dominated by the server. Sinner fired eight aces and Zhang hit nine, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
[ATP APP]The 22-year-old is bidding to become the eighth man in PIF ATP Rankings history to win the title in his first event as a World No. 1, and the first to do it since Andy Murray at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals.
Zhang was seeking his second Top 5 win of the week after he beat World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday for the best career win by PIF ATP Ranking. Playing in his second ATP Tour semi-final (Hamburg 2023), the 27-year-old was stopped short in his bid to become the second Chinese player to reach a tour-level final (Wu Yibing, Dallas 2023). Zhang was also attempting to become the first Chinese player to beat a reigning World No. 1.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]The grass-court season continues to heat up at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne and the Mallorca Championships, both ATP 250 events. Among the stars in action across the two tournaments will be Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Ugo Humbert.
Before each tournament week, ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor.
Make Your Picks Now!
Taylor Fritz — replacing 45 points
Fritz won his first ATP Tour title in Eastbourne in 2019 and claimed another trophy at the ATP 250 in 2022. Will the American claim his third over the coming week?
The seven-time tour-level champion reached the quarter-finals last week at Queen’s Club, where he earned two wins before losing to Australian Jordan Thompson. Fritz now owns a 27-12 record this season.
The 26-year-old will play Thiago Seyboth Wild or a qualifier in his opening match. Tomas Martin Etcheverry is the first seeded opponent he could face.
Jordan Thompson — replacing 45 points
The Australian entered the cinch Championships on a five-match losing streak, but has rediscovered the form that helped him win his first ATP Tour title earlier this year in Los Cabos.
Thompson has reached two of his three tour-level finals on grass, both in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. With his run at Queen’s Club, the 30-year-old has shown his comfort on the surface and will try to maintain it in Mallorca, where he will begin his tournament against Yannick Hanfmann.
The seventh seed could meet top seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals and the American has won their first two Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. However, both of those matches were tight three-setters.
[ATP APP]Marcos Giron — replacing 20 points
It has been a memorable season for Giron, who made his second ATP Tour final earlier this year in Dallas.
The grass-court season has been especially successful for the American. The former college tennis star (UCLA) earned a victory against former World No. 1 Andy Murray in Stuttgart and triumphs against Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini in Halle.
Giron is making his debut in Eastbourne, where he will try to maintain his momentum against fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo. It is a tough opener for the 30-year-old, but he has proven to not mind the challenge in recent weeks.
Bonus Ball — Taylor Fritz
Fritz, the highest-ranked player in action this week, will only be replacing 45 points, giving him an opportunity to add as many as 455 net points. Place your Bonus Ball on the American, and a title would net your team 910 points.
The Eastbourne top seed has advanced to at least the quarter-finals at six tournaments this year and historically he has enjoyed success at ATP 250 events. Fritz has won five of his seven titles at the level, to which the Rothesay International belongs.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Former champion Hubert Hurkacz moved to within one win of clinching his second title at the Terra Wortmann Open on Saturday when he overcame World No. 4 Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 6-4.
The fifth-seeded Pole produced an impressive serving display in his semi-final clash against Zverev, firing 17 aces and saving all four break points he faced to earn his fifth Top 10 grass-court win.
“It needed to be really good,” Hurkacz said. “He is such a good competitor and is playing good tennis, reaching the final at the French [Roland Garros] and playing at a really high level.
“I am really confident on my serve. I am serving really good. There were some moments but I managed to believe in my game and hit some good serves and good shots, so I stayed pretty calm.”
With his one-hour, 33-minute triumph in Halle, Hurkacz improved to 1-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Zverev. Into his 11th tour-level final, the 27-year-old will aim to clinch his ninth ATP Tour title when he faces top seed Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
[ATP APP]Hurkacz has often produced his best level on grass, winning the title at the ATP 500 event in 2022. The 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist is up two spots to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will move to a career high on Monday.
“I really love grass,” Hurkacz said. “The surface suites my game and the atmosphere here, having the full crowd is incredible. It brings so much joy to the players.”
Germany’s Zverev advanced to the title match on home soil in Halle in 2016 and 2017 but was unable to find a way past Hurkacz, who won 81 per cent (43/56) of his first-serve points according to ATP Infosys Stats. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion leaves the event holding a 37-11 record on the season.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]