GB's Harris and Miyazaki win in US Open qualifiers
Britain’s Billy Harris and Lily Miyazaki win to reach the second round of qualifying at the US Open.
Britain’s Billy Harris and Lily Miyazaki win to reach the second round of qualifying at the US Open.
Hamad Medjedovic moved one step closer to competing in the US Open main draw for the first time on Tuesday. The champion of last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF kept his hopes alive with a gutsy qualifying performance, rallying past Oriol Roca Batalla 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round.
Each time the 21-year-old has competed in a major, he has advanced through qualifying, a good omen for the Serbian who next faces Duje Ajdukovic. Medjedovic qualified for Roland Garros for the second consecutive year in May and also reached the Wimbledon main draw in 2023.
Abdullah Shelbayh advanced to the second round after his 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory against Brandon Holt. The 20-year-old Jordanian, who last year competed in Jeddah and fell to Medjedovic in round-robin play, converted five of his six break points to defeat the 26-year-old Holt.
Shelbayh is seeking his first major main draw appearance. He reached the third round of qualifying at this year’s Australian Open, where he beat Medjedovic in the penultimate round.
[ATP APP]Third seed Aslan Karatsev raced past Enzo Couacaud 6-3, 6-1 after winning nine of 10 net points across his 57-minute victory. Karatsev was clinical from the baseline too, hitting 28 winners compared to his opponent’s six.
Karatsev, who has twice reached the third round at Flushing Meadows (2021, 2023), is hoping to make his fourth consecutive appearance in the main draw.
China’s Buyunchaokete defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-2, 7-6(4) while Pole Maks Kasnikowski overcame home hope Emilio Nava 6-2, 2-6, 6-2. Ajdukovic won the all-Croatian match against Dino Prizmic 6-2, 6-4.
Nishesh Basavareddy, 19, led the American charge by outlasting Ugo Blanchet 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-4. J.J. Wolf, Mitchell Krueger, Patrick Kypson were among the other home hopes to advance.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Kelly Cates and guests preview the US Open that begins on Monday.
World number one Jannik Sinner is cleared of any wrongdoing after twice testing positive for a banned substance in March.
We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner’s part. We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), which has allowed him to continue competing. This has been a challenging matter for Jannik and his team, and underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments. Integrity is paramount in our sport.
The ATP has announced that an ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, will take place from 3-9 November.
The tournament will be played on indoor hard court at Belgrade Arena, a multi-purpose venue and host of the historic 2010 and 2013 Davis Cup finals.
Djordje Djokovic, Belgrade Open Tournament Director, said: “We are grateful that we got a chance to organise yet another ATP 250 tournament, this time on a hard-court surface. Belgrade has a successful history in hard-court tournaments, as some of the most exciting Davis Cup matches and finals were played here many years ago. We are excited to continue with this tradition and try to make everything even more exciting and better, this time with an ATP tournament.”
The tournament was initially due to be held in Gijon, Spain, but was relocated due to unforeseen operational matters. The relocation will see the event held in Belgrade for an initial two-year period.
All other tournaments on the 2024 ATP Tour calendar remain unchanged at this time and are planned to take place as scheduled.
The US Open – the final Grand Slam of the year – begins in New York on Monday – here is all you need to know.
The Cincinnati Open provided another week of thrilling ATP Masters 1000 action as Jannik Sinner clinched his tour-leading fifth title of the season. The man he overcame in the championship match, Frances Tiafoe, has surged back into the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings as a result of his run in Ohio, where he became the first American finalist since John Isner in 2013.
ATPTour.com looks at the movers in the PIF ATP Rankings as of Tuesday, 20 August.
[ATP APP] No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, +7
Tiafoe’s run to the final at the Cincinnati Open has propelled the 26-year-old back into the Top 20 for the first time since March. The home favourite defeated Top 20 opponents Lorenzo Musetti, Hubert Hurkacz and Holger Rune (against whom he saved two match points) at the Masters 1000 event before falling to World No. 1 Sinner.
No. 13 Ben Shelton, +1 (Career High)
The 21-year-old Shelton strengthened his bid to crack the Top 10 with a run to his maiden Cincinnati quarter-final. The lefty overcame the big-serving threat of Reilly Opelka in his opening round, before also notching wins against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Fabian Marozsan. Alexander Zverev edged Shelton in three sets in the last eight, but the American has nonetheless risen to a career-high No. 13.
No. 15 Holger Rune, +1
Rune’s inspired run in Cincinnati was ended in heartbreaking fashion by Tiafoe, but the Dane can still reflect on a confidence-building run in Ohio. Rune overcame tricky tests from Matteo Berrettini, Nuno Borges, Gael Monfils and Jack Draper before letting slip two match points in his semi-final defeat. He has risen one spot to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Rankings as he now prepares for the US Open.
No. 25 Jack Draper, +3 (Career High)
Draper’s impressive 2024 season continued in Cincinnati, where he reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final since 2022 to seal his rise to a career-high World No. 25. The Briton improved his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Stefanos Tsitsipas to 2-0 with a three-set victory in the second round, while he also defeated Jaume Munar and Felix Auger-Aliassime in deciding sets.
No. 52 Alex Michelsen, +5 (Career High)
Michelsen maintained his reputation as a man who raises his game on home soil by reaching the second round as a qualifier on his Cincinnati debut. The #NextGenATP star, who is currently second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, downed Zizou Bergs, Mackenzie McDonald and Tallon Griekspoor at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, before falling in two entertaining sets to World No. 1 Sinner. Michelsen has risen five spots to a career-high World No. 52.
Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 32 Jiri Lehecka, +3
No. 34 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, +3
No. 35 Nuno Borges, +4 (Career High)
No. 41 Zhang Zhizhen, +3
No. 59 Roman Safiullin, +7
No. 75 Aleksandar Kovacevic, +4 (Career High)
No. 79 Marton Fucsovics, +5
No. 81 Damir Dzumhur, +19
No. 82 Jaume Munar, +7
No. 100 Laslo Djere, +6
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
World number one Jannik Sinner beats Frances Tiafoe in straight sets in the Cincinnati Open final for his fifth title of the season.
Nobody likes losing tennis matches. But despite falling to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Cincinnati Open final, Frances Tiafoe was thrilled with his week at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
“Insanely happy for the effort I had all week. Tennis is a funny sport, man. It’s been a really tough year,” Tiafoe said. “Since post-US Open honestly, since I made the quarters there last year, I’ve struggled to put matches together, taking the game for granted, not having much gratitude. [I] changed coaches, [was] trying to just figure myself out. [I am] in a great situation now, and to be able to make a final in a Masters series, a chance to win it, I couldn’t be happier.”
This was the first time the American reached the final of an ATP Masters 1000 event. He defeated plenty of tough opponents, including Paris Olympics bronze medalist and Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti, and former World No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings Holger Rune.
“It doesn’t really shock me or anything that I played tight with the best players in the world. I think I’ve beaten the best players in the world. I’ve played insanely tight matches with the best players in the world,” Tiafoe said. “More [the] thing that stood out to me is beating Musetti, who’s had an insane season, and then backing it up and beating Lehecka and beating Rune in a tough match.”
This was Tiafoe’s second final of the year after making the championship match in Houston. He is now back in the Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings after falling from the elite group in March.
“Sucked being outside of Top 20. I’ve been in Top 20 for a couple years now. So yeah, that’s a great sign,” Tiafoe said. “And now I can just kind of keep going and keep pushing and try to get back to where I need to be in the top of the game. I think I’m one of the better players in the world, but definitely wasn’t playing like that for a lot of the year. So happy I am now.”
Tiafoe arrived in Cincinnati with a 19-18 record in 2024. But he was able to find his best tennis to earn the best Masters 1000 result of his career.
“I just think the depth in tennis is a joke right now. I think anybody can clip anybody. If you’re not ready to go, you’re going to get clipped. And it showed for me,” Tiafoe said. “You’re taking the game for granted, you’re not sharp, you know you may have something going on, you’re not fully present, someone will beat you.”
[ATP APP]The American pointed to Jiri Lehecka defeating Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz falling to Gael Monfils in Cincinnati as examples.
“If you’re not sharp, you’re just going to lose,” Tiafoe said. “It’s a good and bad thing. I think, obviously, you guys want to see the top players play on the weekends. But at the same time, it’s great for the game of tennis. There are so many good players that can win. Fans get to know new, new people, new players. So it’s great.”
Historically this has been the period of the season when Tiafoe shines brightest. Two years ago he advanced to his first major semi-final at the US Open and last year the home favourite made the quarter-finals.
“The ball kind of starts making sense for me in August. I always play really well during this time,” Tiafoe said. “I love playing in America. I love the US Open. So I always want to be at my best going into that time. And if this is any indication of playing great tennis it looks like the US Open’s going to be a good one.”
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