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Iconic Brandenburg Gate sets the scene for Laver Cup official photo

  • Posted: Sep 18, 2024

ATP Tour stars from the past and present stood before an iconic landmark on Wednesday evening in Berlin for the official pre-event photograph of the 2024 Laver Cup.

Captains and players partaking in this year’s edition of the teams event headed to the German capital’s Brandenburg Gate for a spectacular sunset shot. Former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe are this year captaining Team Europe and Team World, respectively, for the seventh and final time, and they will have some of the current day’s finest talent to choose from across 20-22 September at Uber Arena.

Borg’s Team Europe lineup includes home favourite Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, with Flavio Cobolli and Jan-Lennard Struff in Berlin as alternates. The Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz is looking forward to making his bow in an event that pits six of the best European stars against six players from the rest of the world.

“I think it’s a unique event,” Alcaraz told media after the photoshoot. “I’m supporting my opponents from the rest of the year, so it’s going to be a little bit weird for me but I think it’s going to be fun. The format is unique as well, so I’m super excited to start the event and see how it’s going to be on Friday and at the weekend. Really happy to be here at the Laver Cup.”

The World No. 7 Taylor Fritz is the highest-ranked star on Team World. The American will hope to back up his run to his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open with a strong showing in Berlin.

“I’m super excited I’m here,” said Fritz. “I’ve heard really good things about Berlin and so far I’m really enjoying it. It’s one of those places, that if Laver Cup wasn’t here, I might never have gotten the chance to come.”

For McEnroe, the fact that this will be his last as captain of Team World only serves as extra motivation. The American hopes to steer his roster, which includes Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Alejandro Tabilo, Francisco Cerundolo and Thanasi Kokkinakis, to a third consecutive Laver Cup triumph.

“My idol as a kid was Rod Laver, and Roger Federer was the most beautiful player, one of the best people I’ve ever met. He came up with this idea, and to be able to do this with my best rival and great friend Bjorn Borg [is great],” McEnroe told ATPTour.com. “It’s pretty tough and when you lose, it sucks, but it’s still a great experience to be part of this. Hopefully, since we finally won the past two, we can go out with a bang.”

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Cilic, Marozsan record wins on Day 1 in Hangzhou

  • Posted: Sep 18, 2024

Marin Cilic secured his first win on the ATP Tour since January 2023 on Wednesday, finishing with a flourish to complete a 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 comeback over Zachary Svajda in the first round of the inaugural Hangzhou Open.

The former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings has been hampered by injuries over the course of the past two seasons, eventually undergoing a second knee surgery in May this year. After a spell on the sidelines, Cilic returned to action on the ATP Challenger Tour last month and has worked his way back to record an impressive triumph over Svajda.

“It means a lot,” Cilic said of his return to winning ways. “It means a lot for me, for my team who have been with me through this extremely long, boring and difficult period. Two surgeries, lots of recovery, rehab and training. [I’m] just extremely happy that I am healthy, enjoying myself on the court, and physically back to 100 per cent.”

The 35-year-old, who clinched his maiden Grand Slam at the 2014 US Open, won 92 per cent of first-serve points in the deciding set according to Infosys ATP Stats to cruise to victory and book his spot in round two, where he will face Maximilian Marterer or Yoshihito Nishioka for a place in the quarter-finals.

Earlier in the day, seventh seed Fabian Marozsan secured an emphatic 6-0, 6-2 win over Luca Nardi to advance in one hour, 10 minutes. The Hungarian has established himself as a persistent threat on hard courts this season and is off to a strong start in Hangzhou with a statement win, overpowering Nardi with a comfortable triumph.

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The Italian Nardi produced a stellar run to defeat Novak Djokovic en route to the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells in March but has since been unable to record a win over a Top 50 opponent.

Just like Cilic, veteran Mikhail Kukushkin also rolled back the years with a dominant display to defeat fifth seed Luciano Darderi 6-3, 6-4. The 36-year-old, who currently sits at No. 112 in the PIF ATP Rankings, used his craft and guile to record his first tour-level win since October 2023.

The former World No. 39 will now attempt to notch his 175th tour-level win when he faces either Alexander Shevchenko or Marco Trungelliti in the second round. 

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‘No, you’re the king!’ Federer greets Captains Borg, McEnroe ahead of Laver Cup

  • Posted: Sep 18, 2024

A host of tennis greats is gathering in Berlin.

Roger Federer on Tuesday headed to the city’s Uber Arena to help welcome his fellow former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings and Laver Cup captains Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe to the German capital.

“The king!” exclaimed Team Europe captain Borg upon seeing Swiss great Federer, who is a co-founder of the Laver Cup and featured in a victorious Team Europe lineup at three editions of the teams’ event.

“No, you are the king!” replied Federer to Swedish legend Borg, who will captain Team Europe for the seventh and final time in Berlin.

Also set for his final outing as a captain this year is McEnroe, who had just finished hitting with his brother and Team World Vice-captain Patrick McEnroe on the iconic black Laver Cup court when Federer appeared.

“Good surprise, they said nobody was hitting!” said Federer to the McEnroe brothers.

First held in 2017, the Laver Cup pits a lineup of six European ATP Tour stars against six counterparts from the rest of the world. Team Europe has won four of the past six editions of the event and boasts a strong lineup this year that includes World No. 2 and home favourite Alexander Zverev and No. 3-ranked debutant Carlos Alcaraz.

Team World, which triumphed in the past two editions of the Laver Cup in London and Vancouver, respectively, will this year be spearheaded by a trio of Americans in Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.

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Mpetshi Perricard, Daniel make winning starts in Chengdu

  • Posted: Sep 18, 2024

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard survived a scare on Wednesday, when he rallied from a set down to defeat Chinese wild card Fajing Sun 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4 and advance to the second round of the Chengdu Open.

The Frenchman, who has experienced an eye-catching breakthrough year, dug deep to outlast the No. 359 in the PIF ATP Rankings in a gripping contest that lasted two hours, 28 minutes. The win was just Mpetshi Perricard’s second hard-court triumph on the ATP Tour this season but will be a welcome one as he quashed a four-match drought to advance in China.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a dazzling run to the fourth round of Wimbledon earlier this year, becoming just the seventh man in history to hit more than 50 aces in a match (51). Seeking a second title of the season, the Lyon champion will next play Yannick Hanfmann or Shintaro Mochizuki. 

Taro Daniel bounced back from his gut-wrenching five-set defeat in the US Open first round to Tristan Schoolkate to secure his first Top 50 win since January, upsetting sixth seed Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5 to progress to the second round.

In winning his first tour-level match since the Mutua Madrid Open in April, the Japanese star snapped an 11-match losing streak. Sonego, the No. 50 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, has been unable to capitalise on the form that drove him to his fourth ATP title at the Winston-Salem Open last month, falling to back-to-back first-round defeats in his past two tournaments.

In the first match on centre court, Lukas Klein muscled his way past Adam Walton 7-6(3), 6-4 in a battle that was largely dominated by the serving prowess on display from both men. Klein, however, slammed down 12 aces to seal victory as he became the first Slovak to record a match win in Chengdu.

Walton’s difficult end to the season continued as the Australian fell to his seventh straight defeat at all levels since reaching the last 16 at the Atlanta Open in July.

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Murray swaps racquet for golf clubs, stars at Celebrity Pro-Am in Wentworth

  • Posted: Sep 18, 2024

Andy Murray has wasted little time in getting his competitive juices flowing again following his retirement from tennis last month. The Scot swapped his racquet for golf clubs on Wednesday in England, where he competed in the celebrity Pro-Am event ahead of the DP World Tour tournament in Wentworth.

The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings retired following the Paris Olympics last month and has since spent time improving his golf game. The Scot will put his newfound skills to the test at the celebrity warm-up event in Surrey, where he will team with countryman and professional golfer Robert MacIntyre in the exhibition event.

Ahead of his round, Murray caught up with four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, with the pair in high spirits as they shared a laugh.

Murray will feature in the Pro-Am alongside a host of other celebrity names, including former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale and English cricketers James Anderson and Ollie Pope.

MacIntyre forms part of a strong field for the BMW PGA Championship, which commences Thursday. Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose are all set to be in action.

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Tien, Fearnley continue red-hot form with Challenger titles

  • Posted: Sep 17, 2024

American teen Learner Tien and Briton Jacob Fearnley are two of the most dominant players on the ATP Challenger Tour right now.

The #NextGenATP Tien added his name to elite company in American tennis history Sunday when he won his second Challenger title at the Las Vegas Tennis Open. Fearnley, 23, lifted his third trophy in just his fourth appearance at that level this year.

Tien, seeded third, overcame Tristan Boyer 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the Las Vegas Challenger final, during which Tien won 65 per cent of his second-serve return points, compared to Boyer’s 37 per cent.

“I put a lot more importance on return points. I know how much pressure winning a couple points in someone’s service games can make them feel,” Tien told commentator Bryan Fenley.

By triumphing on the Las Vegas hard courts, Tien became the fifth-youngest American to win multiple Challenger titles, only behind Taylor Fritz, Andy Roddick, Frances Tiafoe, and Sam Querrey.

Youngest Americans To Win A Second Challenger Title

Player Age Second Challenger Title
Taylor Fritz 17 years, 11 months 2015 Fairfield
Andy Roddick 18 years, two months 2000 Burbank
Frances Tiafoe 18 years, eight months 2016 Stockton
Sam Querrey 18 years, nine months, two days 2006 Winnetka
Learner Tien 18 years, nine months, 13 days 2024 Las Vegas

“I’m happy I was able to get through this week,” Tien said. “Tougher conditions here with the altitude and wind. Some moments I wasn’t playing as well as I wanted to, but I’m happy I was able to problem solve and make it through the week.”

In May, Tien was No. 432 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but the 18-year-old has since propelled to a career-high No. 151. The teenager claimed his maiden Challenger title in Bloomfield Hills in June amidst his 28-match winning streak — including four ITF World Tennis Tour titles — across all levels.

Tien is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. He is aiming for his maiden trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December.

The Briton Fearnley beat three of the Top 4 seeds at the Open Blot Rennes, including fourth seed and home favourite Quentin Halys in the final, which Fearnley won 0-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 after saving 12 of the 15 break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Fearnley completed his standout five-year collegiate career at Texas Christian University this year and has since made a rapid rise on the ATP Challenger Tour, boasting an 18-1 season record at that level. Up to a career-high No. 129 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fearnley won his first major main-draw match at Wimbledon, where he then pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets in the second round.

In other Challenger action, Vit Kopriva went one step further than last year’s runner-up finish at the Invest In Szczecin Open to claim his fourth title. The Czech avenged last year’s final loss against Federico Coria in dramatic fashion, fending off five match points in the semi-finals to survive the Argentine. Kopriva raced past Andrea Pellegrino 7-5, 6-2 in the final.

“The whole week was very special. Very tough for me coming back after last year’s final,” Kopriva said. “I’m really happy for the whole week. Today’s final was up and down. It was windy. We both struggled a little bit at the beginning, losing service games. The first set was the deciding one and luckily I made it.” 

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/17/17/15/kopriva-szczecinch-2024.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Vit Kopriva wins the Szczecin Challenger.” />
Vit Kopriva wins the Challenger 125 event in Szczecin, Poland. Credit: Invest In Szczecin Open

Guy Den Ouden did not drop a set all week at the IZIDA Cup in Dobrich, Bulgaria, where the 22-year-old beat Jelle Sels 6-2, 6-3 in the final. Following the Dutchman’s maiden Challenger title, Den Ouden is up to a career-high No. 277 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Christopher O’Connell won his sixth Challenger title and first of this season at the Guangzhou Huangpu International Tennis Open. The 30-year-old Australian, who has won a trophy on Asian hard courts each of the past three seasons, downed Sho Shimabukuro 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in the championship match. O’Connell was competing in his first tournament since reaching the third round of the US Open and falling to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/17/17/00/oconnell-guangzhouch-2024.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Christopher O’Connell in action at the Guangzhou Challenger.” />
Christopher O’Connell in action at the Guangzhou Challenger. Credit: Guangzhou Huangpu International Tennis Open

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