Tennis News

How Rafter Helped Duckworth

The masterful serving performance that carried Australian James Duckworth into the Astana Open quarter-finals on Thursday may not have occurred without help from legend Pat Rafter.

Duckworth continued his fine run of form since the US Open by defeating fourth seed Filip Krajinovic 7-6 (2) 6-3 in one hour and 30 minutes in Nur-Sultan. It was the Australian’s seventh win in succession at all levels, with Duckworth bringing the form that saw him claim his 12th ATP Challenger Tour title last week in Istanbul to Kazakhstan.

World No. 65 Duckworth is demonstrating what he is capable of when free of injury.

“I went to Istanbul to get some matches, to try to get a few wins, and progressively got a bit better there,” Duckworth said. “I had a tough travel day and got through yesterday and felt like I played a lot better today. I am really happy with how the past couple of weeks have gone.”

There are those in Australian tennis who wondered whether Duckworth, who is popular among his peers, was cursed given his injury misfortune. The 29-year-old has undergone three different surgeries on his right elbow, another three operations on his right foot and also a couple on his right shoulder during an interrupted career.

The arrival of Covid-19 last year, which suspended professional tennis for more than five months, allowed Duckworth time to consider how best to treat the shoulder problem that had caused him pain for the previous year.

It is here that former World No. 1 Rafter, a two-time US Open champion, provided reassurance to Duckworth that has enabled him to flourish in 2021.

Duckworth approached Rafter, who lives about three hours south of Brisbane in the surfing hamlet of Byron Bay, for advice on what to do given he also battled serious shoulder injuries during his career.

Rafter recommended Greg Hoy, a surgeon in Melbourne who has worked with other Australian players, and the resulting operation proved a great success.

“I was really battling,” Duckworth said. “I had the option to try a debridement (removal of dead tissue) on my shoulder, but we weren’t quite sure if it was going to work.

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“Pat Rafter had the same surgery. He had some great success from it. I spoke to him about it and he advised me to do it and I thought that as I had been playing in pain for a while, and I had that time, it was not going to get any worse, so we would try it.

“It was not quite right when I came back, but from about November last year, it improved massively. I am pain-free. I am not taking anti-inflammatories. I am not having cortisone injections every couple of months, so that has been nice.”

Duckworth had a difficult end to a recent stint in the United States when he lost tight matches in Winston-Salem to Thiago Monteiro and then at the US Open to Pedro Martinez.

“I was none from nine in match points in two weeks, which was pretty brutal,” Duckworth said.

But the resilience he showed to overcome serious injuries has also proven beneficial to overcoming setbacks on the court. Coached by former Australian Davis Cup player Wayne Arthurs, he is working on being more aggressive against players the calibre of Krajinovic, and the signs are good.

The supreme serving performance by Duckworth, who dropped just five points on serve in the opening set Thursday in Nur-Sultan, placed the Serbian under immense pressure. Next up for the Australian is countryman John Millman, the defending Astana Open champion. Duckworth views the Queenslander as a role model given he too has overcome career-threatening injuries to carve out an accomplished career.

“He is playing well and he is obviously very comfortable on this court, in these conditions, being the defending champ. He is a really tenacious competitor,” Duckworth said. “He has been through his share of injuries also, so we have sort of helped each other along at different times through different rehab phases.

“It has been great to see him get to around 30 or so in the world over the past couple of years, since he has been 30, and hopefully I can build my way up the rankings like he has done.”

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Hurkacz Races Into Metz QF

Top seed Hubert Hurkacz cruised past Lucas Pouille 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the Moselle Open quarter-finals and continue his push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The 24-year-old, currently ninth in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, produced a dominant performance against 2016 champion Pouille, breaking three times as he dictated with his powerful groundstrokes to advance after 68 minutes.

“It was a good match from my side,” Hurkacz said in his on-court interview. “Lucas is a great player, he is playing very aggressively. He is coming back and I have high hopes I will see him closer to the Top 10, he has the game. It was really great to play here in front of you guys, it was a lot of fun.”

Hurkacz, who was competing for the first time since his second-round exit to Andreas Seppi at the US Open, now leads Pouille 3-1 in their ATPHead2Head Series and will next face former World No. 1 Andy Murray.

“I was able to practise here a couple of times on this court, so that helped for sure. I played two doubles matches with my friend [Jan Zielinski],” Hurkacz added. “I really enjoy playing here and it is nice to see the crowd. It is always a great atmosphere.”

The Pole is aiming to win his third tour-level title of the season on hard courts this week, after capturing titles in Delray Beach and Miami.

In other action, German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk’s strong form continued as he overcame seventh seed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(2) to reach his third tour-level quarter-final of the season.

The 32-year-old, who lifted the trophy in Metz in 2017, enjoyed a run to the fourth round at a major for the first time at the US Open. The World No. 101 will next face Marcos Giron after the American upset fourth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur 7-5, 7-6(5) to improve to 2-1 in their ATPHead2Head Series.

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Ruusuvuori Upsets Karatsev In Nur-Sultan

Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori sprung a surprise Thursday at the Astana Open as he downed top seed Aslan Karatsev 7-6(6), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals and continue his strong record at the ATP 250 event.

The 22-year-old, who enjoyed a run to the semi-finals in Nur-Sultan last year, won 74 per cent (14/19) of his first-serve points and saved one set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break, before advancing after two hours and one minute.

“He is a great player,” Ruusuvuori said. “He has shown the whole world this year how he can play. He didn’t start the best today and I was able to get a little bit better start, but maybe I didn’t use my chances as well as I could. But to close it in two sets is the main thing.”

The World No. 84 has advanced to semi-finals in Atlanta and Winston-Salem this season and also defeated then World No. 7 Alexander Zverev en route to the fourth round at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Ruusuvori will next face eighth seed Ilya Ivashka in the quarter-finals and will try to gain revenge against the Belarusian, after falling to the World No. 52 in Winston-Salem last month.

“I like the conditions. It is a little bit slower and heavier than last year, so it changes it a little bit, but I still like it,” Ruusuvuori said. “Everything is familiar and the people are so nice. It is nice to come back.”

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Second-seeded Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik survived a scare as he rallied from a set down to defeat Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The home favourite fired 18 aces to record victory after two hours and two minutes. Bublik will play Carlos Taberner in the last eight after the World No. 117 moved past Egor Gerasimov 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-5.

Soonwoo Kwon also advanced, upsetting third seed Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-4 after one hour and 38 minutes to improve to 2-0 in their ATPHead2Head Series. The World No. 82 will face seventh seed Laslo Djere in the last eight.

Australian James Duckworth overcame fourth seed Filip Krajinovic 7-6(2), 6-3 to reach his first tour-level quarter-final of the season. The 29-year-old will next play reigning champion John Millman.

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Emma Raducanu: Homecoming event for US Open champion to be shown on the BBC

A homecoming event for US Open champion Emma Raducanu will be shown live on the BBC on Friday.

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Team Europe & Team World Ready For Laver Cup In Boston

Will 2021 be the year that Team World takes down Team Europe in the Laver Cup?

Both teams got a close look at one another on Wednesday when they gathered for group portraits in front of the Boston skyline at LoPresti Park. 

Team Europe brings six of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings to Boston, led by three former Nitto ATP Finals champions: recent US Open winner Daniil Medvedev, World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Alexander Zverev. Russian Andrey Rublev, Italian Matteo Berrettini and Norwegian Casper Ruud join Medvedev in making their Laver Cup debuts.

“It feels great. I’ve never been to the city, so really looking forward to seeing a little bit. Obviously focussing more [on] playing,” Berrettini said upon his arrival in Boston. “Excited for the event, excited for the city.”

^{Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup}
Team World is hungry to earn its first overall win in the event’s fourth edition. Laver Cup veterans John Isner of the United States, Australian Nick Kyrgios, Argentine Diego Schwartzman and Canadian Denis Shapovalov will try to lead the charge alongside World No. 11 Felix Auger-Aliassime and American Reilly Opelka.

“First time in Boston, also first time playing the Laver Cup,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Super-excited to be with all the team. Hopefully we put on a good show and we get Team World’s first win.”

Team World’s @felixtennis is in @CityOfBoston for the first time and ready for his #LaverCup debut. pic.twitter.com/CzkdUGrePC

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 22, 2021

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Tsitsipas & Lopez Visit Harvard Ahead Of Laver Cup

Stefanos Tsitsipas will hope to lead Team Europe to victory in Boston at this weekend’s Laver Cup. But first, the Greek and team alternate Feliciano Lopez put their thinking caps on.

The stars on Tuesday visited Harvard Business School, where they spoke with Professor Anita Elberse, who is known for her Businesses of Entertainment, Media, and Sports course. Several high-profile celebrities and athletes have taken her courses, including Andy Roddick.

“We spoke about potentially enrolling for her programme and I’m genuinely very interested in studying here and doing one of her programmes,” Tsitsipas said. “It is a possibility. It also depends on my schedule, which is very intense at the moment. But I am pretty sure I’m going to have a little bit of time to spend here.”

Lopez, a longtime ATP Tour standout who is also the tournament director at the Mutua Madrid Open, enjoyed his visit to Harvard, where he also threw around an American football with Tsitsipas.

“I was waiting a long time for this opportunity to come here, to see the campus and to meet Anita in person. I was following her on Instagram because I was really interested in doing something here, coming and maybe trying to do one of the multiple courses that they have,” Lopez said. “It was a great chance, especially [doing it] together with Stef… we have really enjoyed our time here.”

^{Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup}
Team World’s John Isner, who is playing the Laver Cup for the fourth time, also took in the sights of Boston before the competition begins. The American visited the ‘Make Way For Ducklings’ statues in Boston Common. The famous bronze ducks, which were inspired by Robert McCloskey’s children’s picture book, were installed in 1987.

Isner also posed for a photo at the famous Cheers restaurant on Beacon Street. He is pumped to try to help Team World to its first Laver Cup victory.

“[I am] very excited. Obviously all of us missed this event last year, the players and the fans. But to be able to get back here in 2021 is really cool. This city has such an amazing tradition,” Isner said. “To bring this unique tennis event to this town and to the TD Garden is very cool.”

^{Photo Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images for Laver Cup}
Team World captain John McEnroe took the Laver Cup trophy to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, on Wednesday. The former World No. 1 hopes his team will deliver plenty of home runs on the tennis court in the coming days.

“It’s been an uphill battle,” McEnroe told the Laver Cup website. “We’ve been so close. We were in a position to win [in 2019]. That’s very exciting.”

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Moselle Open: Andy Murray beats Vasek Pospisil to reach quarter-finals

Andy Murray beats Canada’s Vasek Pospisil to move into the quarter-finals of the Moselle Open in France.

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Murray Marches Past Pospisil In Metz

Andy Murray’s return to form is gaining steam at the Moselle Open.

The former World No. 1 put forth a solid performance Wednesday evening in Metz to defeat Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 6-3 for a spot in the quarter-finals.

This is the first time Murray has won consecutive matches since Wimbledon, where he reached the third round. The Scot will play top seed Hubert Hurkacz or home favourite Lucas Pouille in the last eight.

Pospisil’s only previous win against a current or former World No. 1 came against Murray at Indian Wells in 2017. But Murray would not allow a repeat in France, breaking serve four times in his one-hour, 24-minute triumph to take a 5-1 lead in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series.

Murray cruised through the first set as his depth on return proved troublesome for the World No. 66. He broke twice to take the opener.

But Pospisil, who played aggressively, made things interesting to break to start the second set. Murray at times showed frustration, but he did not panic. The former World No. 1 took advantage of a loose service game to get back on serve and then yelled “Let’s go!” as he broke again following an approach to the net. Murray finished his win by serving out the match in the next game.

Earlier in the day, former Top 10 star Pouille, rallied past Canadian qualifier Brayden Schnur 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 59 minutes.

German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk, who made the fourth round of the US Open as a qualifier, beat French lucky loser Antoine Hoang 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Gojowczyk also beat Hoang in three sets in the final round of qualifying.

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Tennis United: Fognini & Vesnina On Juggling Parenthood With Playing

Being a professional tennis player and touring the world can be rewarding, but also strenuous and pressurised. Juggling competing with parenthood can increase that further.

Just ask Fabio Fognini and Elena Vesnina, as they sat down to discuss how they mix the joys of parenting with playing in episode four of Tennis United: Crosscourt.

“Your body is changing, [you deal with] hormones and sleepless nights,” Vesnina said about the aftermath of the birth of her daughter, Elizaveta. “She was not sleeping, she is a very active baby. I was enjoying it so much, even without sleeping. This is mum’s power. It is the toughest job in the world, but the best one. You see the smile of your baby and forget everything.”

Fognini said, “It is tough. When you are a player you have routines. It is always difficult and at the moment they [the children] stay home, so I [miss them]. When in Europe, every time I finish a tournament, I have the chance to go back.”

On how parenting has changed Fognini’s perspective on life and tennis, the Italian told Vesnina: “When you are on court, you try your best and try to reach your goal. But when you are home, it is done. In the past five years, I have changed in a really good way.”

The ATP and WTA are teaming again in 2021 for Tennis United: CrossCourt, a continuation of the award-winning digital content series originally released during the 2020 suspended season. The reimagined project marks the first major co-branded initiative to debut since the two Tours integrated marketing operations earlier this year.

Tennis United: CrossCourt goes behind the scenes of life on Tour through a series of intimate one-on-one conversations between ATP and WTA stars. Spanning eight short-format episodes, players explore a range of largely untouched subjects from within and beyond sport, offering fans a raw perspective on the experiences, pressures and privileges that make up life in professional tennis.

The complete episode list:
• Episode 1: Relationships (Gael Monfils & Elina Svitolina)
• Episode 2: Coaching (Felix Auger-Aliassime & Jennifer Brady)
• Episode 3: Doubles (Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Jamie Murray)

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Defending Champ Millman Survives Marathon In Nur-Sultan

John Millman has been made to work hard during his Astana Open title defence, but the Australian has battled into the quarter-finals.

The fifth seed clawed past Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5 after three hours and nine minutes on Wednesday to reach the last eight in Nur-Sultan. Millman, who also needed three sets in his first-round match Tuesday, is now 6-0 at the ATP 250.

“These long matches aren’t good in my old age, I tell you!” Millman said in his post-match interview. “But look, it was such a physical battle out there. I thought the level was extremely good. I thought I improved from yesterday in terms of how I was playing. But Mr. Munar, he’s a tough competitor.

“His body probably let him down a little bit towards the end. I’ve got to tell you, my body wasn’t feeling all that great, either. It was such a physical match and just so happy to extend my stay here.”

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Top seed Aslan Karatsev learned his first opponent when Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori advanced to the second round. The World No. 84 led Benjamin Bonzi 6-2 when the Frenchman retired. Bonzi has won six ATP Challenger Tour titles this year.

“I think it is going to be a fun match,” Ruusuvuori said of playing Karatsev. “We know he is playing at a high level, so it will be a nice test to see how high a level I can bring on the court tomorrow.”

Seventh seed Laslo Djere also moved on, beating #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 after two hours and 48 minutes. The Serbian will next play countryman Dusan Lajovic, the third seed, or South Korean Soonwoo Kwon.

In other action, eighth seed Ilya Ivashka ousted Kazakhstani wild card Timofey Skatov 6-2, 6-3 and Spaniard Carlos Taberner eliminated Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 7-5, 6-4.

– Reporting contributed by Courtney Walsh

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