Chicago Women's Open: Venus Williams crashes out in first round
Seven-time singles Grand Slam champion Venus Williams crashes out of the Chicago Women’s Open in the first round after being handed a wildcard.
Seven-time singles Grand Slam champion Venus Williams crashes out of the Chicago Women’s Open in the first round after being handed a wildcard.
Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin are pairing this week for just the second time, but it did not take long for them to get up to speed.
The second seeds defeated Tomislav Brkic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nikola Cacic of Serbia 6-4, 6-1 in 51 minutes on Monday to reach the second round of the Winston-Salem Open.
[FOLLOW ACTION]Brkic and Cacic lifted the Buenos Aires trophy earlier this year, but they found little to trouble the Frenchmen. Mahut and Martin, who first competed together in Hamburg last year, earned four service breaks to advance in North Carolina.
They will next play Austrians Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald, who ousted Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 7-6(4), 5-7, 10-4. In other action, British brothers Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski battled past Uruguay’s Ariel Behar and Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-5.
Lucas Pouille faced match point in his second-round qualifying match at the Winston-Salem Open on Sunday against Noah Rubin. But after rallying past the American, the Frenchman found his form and on Monday dismissed Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4 to reach the second round of the main draw.
The former World No. 10 saved all four break points he faced and won 83 per cent of his first-serve points to earn his first tour-level win since April at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he reached the third round. Pouille now has won five consecutive matches against Lopez and leads their ATP Head2Head series 5-1.
Next up for the 27-year-old qualifier will be third seed Daniel Evans, a wild card who received a bye in the first round. The Briton won the pair’s only previous clash in four sets at the 2019 US Open.
[FOLLOW ACTION]Argentine Federico Coria clawed past #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 after two hours and 44 minutes in the North Carolina heat, and he will play French lucky loser Pierre-Hugues Herbert for a place in the third round.
In other action, Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori beat American qualifier Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-4 and Australian Jordan Thompson eliminated Argentine lefty Guido Pella 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.
Did You Know?
Pouille won three of his five ATP Tour titles after saving match point: 2017 Budapest (2 MPs vs. Vesely in R2), 2017 Stuttgart (1 MP vs. Struff in R2) and 2018 Montpellier (2 MPs vs. Tsonga in SF).
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will arrive at the US Open aiming to create even more history as he bids to become just the second male player in the Open Era alongside Rod Laver in 1969 to capture a Grand Slam in New York.
The Serbian, who last lifted the title at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2018, has claimed the first three major championships of the year, drawing level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 majors after his Wimbledon triumph in July.
A fourth US Open crown would also move the 34-year-old ahead of his rivals onto 21 major championships, but despite Federer and Nadal’s absence, the 85-time tour-level titlist will face stern competition in New York.
Last year’s finalist Alexander Zverev ended Djokovic’s hopes of clinching his first Olympic singles gold medal when the 24-year-old downed the top seed in the semi-finals in Tokyo, before going on to defeat Karen Khachanov in the final. Zverev is currently on an 11-match winning streak as he backed up his triumph in Asia by capturing the Western & Southern Open title in Cincinnati.
Daniil Medvedev will be the second seed and will return to Flushing Meadows with fond memories, having enjoyed a run to his first major final there in 2019. The 25-year-old, who lifted the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers trophy earlier this month, will be targeting a maiden major alongside Zverev at the US Open.
Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas has collected a tour-leading 48 wins this year and will also pose a threat, but he has never advanced past the third round in his three previous main draw appearances in New York.
Here’s all you need to know about the US Open: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more.
Established: 1881
Tournament Dates: 30 August-12 September 2021
Tournament Director: Stacey Allaster
Draw Ceremony: Thursday 26 August at 12:00 p.m.
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View Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Tuesday, 24 August – Friday, 27 August at 11:00 a.m.
* Main Draw: Monday, 22 August – Sunday, 12 September, Monday – (second) Monday 11:00 a.m and 7:00 p.m., (second) Tuesday-Friday, 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Saturday 12:00 p.m., Sunday 4:00 p.m.
* Doubles Final: TBC.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 12 September at 4:00 p.m.
How To Watch
TV Schedule
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: Total Financial Commitment: $57,500,000
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown
Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Daniel Nestor (5)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 35, in 1970
Youngest Champion: Pete Sampras, 19, in 1990
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Jimmy Conners in 1974, 1976, 1978, John McEnroe in 1981, 1984, Ivan Lendl in 1986-87, Pete Sampras in 1996, Roger Federer in 2004-07, Rafael Nadal in 2010, 2017, Novak Djokovic in 2011, 2015
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 20 Andre Agassi in 1994
Last Home Champion: Andy Roddick in 2003
Most Match Wins: Jimmy Connors (98)
2020 Finals
Singles: [2] Dominic Thiem (AUT) d [5] Alexander Zverev (GER) 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6) Read More
Doubles: Mate Pavic (CRO) / Bruno Soares (BRA) d Wesley Koolhof (USA) / Nikola Mektic (CRO) 7-5, 6-3 Read More
Social
Hashtag: #USOpen
Facebook: @usopentennis
Twitter: @usopen
Instagram: @usopen
Did You Know?
The US Open bears little resemblance to the tournament that started in 1881. It has evolved from an exclusive men’s singles and doubles tournament in Newport, R.I., to a two-week sports and entertainment extravaganza held in Flushing, N.Y. It is home to the Arthur Ashe stadium, which with a capacity of 23,771, is the largest tennis-specific stadium in the world.
No. 4 Alexander Zverev, +1
The German has risen one spot to No. 4 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after he overcame Andrey Rublev at the Western & Southern Open to capture his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title. The 24-year-old, who dropped just one set in Cincinnati, had never won a match in six previous appearances at the tournament. Read Cincinnati Final Report & Watch Highlights
View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings
No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime, +2 (Joint Career-High)
The #NextGenATP Canadian has climbed two places after he reached the quarter-finals in Cincinnati. It was the first time this season that the 21-year-old had reached the last eight at a Masters 1000 tournament. The eight-time tour level finalist’s best result at this level came in 2019 when he enjoyed a run to the semi-finals in Miami.
No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov, +3
The 30-year-old has returned to the Top 20, jumping three spots to No. 18 after he snapped a three-match losing streak to reach the third round in Ohio. The Bulgarian defeated 13th seed Roberto Bautista Agut and World No. 37 Alexander Bublik before falling to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
No. 20 Gael Monfils, +2
After overcoming Alex de Minaur to capture his 500th tour-level victory in Cincinnati, the Frenchman has risen two spots to No. 20. The 34-year-old is only the 11th active player to reach the 500-wins milestone.
Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 22 John Isner, +4
No. 23 Lorenzo Sonego, +4 (Career-High)
No. 26 Ugo Humbert, +3
No. 32 Fabio Fognini, +4
No. 84 Guido Pella, +9
Britain’s Andy Murray beats American lucky loser Noah Rubin in the Winston-Salem Open first round after his scheduled opponent Nick Kyrgios withdraws.
Britain’s Andy Murray beats American lucky loser Noah Rubin in the Winston-Salem Open first round after his scheduled opponent Nick Kyrgios withdraws.
A fifth ATP Masters 1000 trophy, an Olympic gold medal and an 11-match winning streak to boot have Alexander Zverev arguably in the hard-court form of his life. The German’s comprehensive triumph over Andrey Rublev in the Western & Southern Open final on Sunday came as a further boost as he shifted his focus to next week’s US Open.
It was the World No. 5’s fourth title of the season and took his ATP Head2Head to 5-0 against his former junior doubles partner. Victory means he has not lost a match since his fourth-round exit at Wimbledon seven weeks ago (l. to Auger-Aliassime) and ensures he will arrive in Flushing Meadows as one of the favourites to go one better than he did a year ago in a five-set defeat to Dominic Thiem in the final.
This is Zverev at his very best ? #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/XoVmbfZk2m
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 22, 2021
“The US Open is a week that everybody is looking forward to. I think Novak [Djokovic] will be back. He’s obviously going to be the favourite, as well. But I think other guys are going to be in great shape,” Zverev said following his 6-2, 6-3 victory.
“I’m looking forward to the week. Let’s see how it goes. But there is still one week to go. I still have a lot of work ahead of me. I have to find my rhythm in New York, as well.”
Zverev ended World No. 1 Djokovic’s bid for the Golden Grand Slam this season on his way to Olympic gold in Tokyo last month. The Serbian has not played an event since Tokyo, but Zverev holds no doubt he will still be the man to beat at the US Open.
“I do think that he’s still the favourite. I do think he’s going to be playing incredible tennis there,” Zverev said. “He’s going to be fresh, and I think there is also other guys that are in very good form. I think Rublev is in very good form, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, all those guys are playing great tennis.
“It’s definitely going to be an interesting US Open. But I’m also looking forward to it, because I know where I stand, I know how I’m playing, and I hope I can continue the work and hopefully play even better in New York.”
While Djokovic remained at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Race to Turin, the next four behind him filled the semi-final berths in Cincinnati. Tsitsipas and Medvedev held down second and third places, respectively, while Zverev jumped ahead of Rublev following his win on Sunday. Given all are 23 to 25 years old, could it be a glimpse into a burgeoning new Big Four?
“I mean, we have to see. The other guys are still there, right? I mean, Novak is still World No. 1. Let’s not forget that. Rafa is still top 10, as well. They are still there. I think… they’re going to come back even stronger,” Zverev said.
“But we’ll see. I think tennis is in a good spot, I would say, because the other guys are still there. Novak is still at the top of his game, but the young guys all look quite strong. It’s going to be interesting to see who will do what in the next few years.”
Barely an hour before Noah Rubin took the court to face former World No. 1 Andy Murray at the Winston-Salem Open on Sunday, the American had good cause to believe his shot at a main draw berth was over.
Murray ensured his opponent’s stay would not last another hour following a 6-2, 6-0 victory under the lights, but it was a main draw reprieve Rubin never expected in the first place. The 25-year-old had held a match point on serve before he fell in a dramatic final-round qualifying match to Lucas Pouille earlier on Sunday.
Then came an 11th-hour main draw call-up, following Nick Kyrgios’ withdrawal due to a knee injury. Murray said it was quite the change from preparing to face the unpredictable Kyrgios, over whom he held a 5-1 ATP Head2Head record, to then taking on a lucky loser at No. 306 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.
Rock solid, Andy ?
?? @andy_murray beats lucky loser Rubin 6-2, 6-0 to set up a 2R clash with Tiafoe at the #WSOpen. pic.twitter.com/UHqARhzAxE
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 23, 2021
“Originally I was playing Nick and he had an injury to his knee so wasn’t going to play. I didn’t know if I was going to play tonight. They said if I was playing against a qualifier then I wouldn’t play and then I drew a lucky loser… so then I was playing Noah… It was tricky,” Murray said in his on-court interview.
“It was obviously difficult for 45 minutes and then the first couple of games because you’ve gone over a strategy with your coach about the match you’re going to play and then obviously that changes.
“… Twenty minutes before you go on court you’re playing someone you haven’t played against.”
Murray kicked off his North American hard-court swing last week with a first-round victory over Richard Gasquet before putting up a tough fight against ninth seed Hubert Hukacz in a second-round defeat. He continued to build up valuable match-play in only his sixth tour-level singles event this season on Sunday as he won 92 per cent of first-serve points and broke five times to book a second-round meeting with 13th seed Frances Tiafoe.
“It’s a bit tricky but obviously after the first few games I started to get a bit more comfortable and then towards then end he was struggling a bit,” Murray said of the 58-minute win. “Unfortunately I know he’s from here and that’s great. It was a nice atmosphere to play in and everything but my job is to try to win the match.”
Alexander Zverev won his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday at the Western & Southern Open, and by doing so made a big move in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin.
Thanks to the 1,000 points he earned in Cincinnati, the 24-year-old climbed from sixth to fourth in the Race, moving past Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini. Zverev now has 4,195 points and is within 185 points of third-placed Daniil Medvedev, who reached the semi-finals in Ohio.
The 17-time tour-level titlist is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals — which will be held in Turin from 14-21 November — for the fifth consecutive year. Zverev has wins against Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in his career at the season finale, which he won in 2018.
FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings (as of 23 August)
| Player | Points |
| 1) Novak Djokovic | 7,170 |
| 2) Stefanos Tsitsipas | 5,380 |
| 3) Daniil Medvedev | 4,380 |
| 4) Alexander Zverev | 4,195 |
| 5) Andrey Rublev | 3,940 |
| 6) Matteo Berrettini | 3,595 |
| 7) Rafael Nadal | 2,985 |
| 8) Casper Ruud | 2,630 |
| 9) Hubert Hurkacz | 2,460 |
| 10) Jannik Sinner | 2,075 |
Rublev, who reached his second Masters 1000 final, jumped ahead of Berrettini by 345 points as he tries to qualify for the season finale for the second consecutive year. Berrettini is also attempting to earn a spot at the year-end championships for the second time (2019) in the event’s first year in Italy.
There was no movement this week between positions seven and 14. But with seventh-placed Nadal announcing the end of his season, that will make the battle for one of the final positions at the Nitto ATP Finals even more fierce.
Norwegian Casper Ruud, who made the quarter-finals in Cincinnati, is in eighth place with 2,630 points, and Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz of Poland is 170 points behind in ninth place with 2,460 points.
The only player who has qualified is World No. 1 Novak Djokovic (7,170 points). Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion, is in second place with 5,380 points.