Tennis News

Tsitsipas Sweeps Past Munar In Barcelona

Stefanos Tsitsipas appeared to have all the time in the world on Wednesday, never allowing Jaume Munar an opportunity to get into the match at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

The second-seeded Greek, fuelled by the confidence of winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title at last week’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, overcame early second-set resistance from the Spanish wild card in a 6-0, 6-2 victory over 78 minutes.

“It’s great to be able to play tennis like this today, even with a little rain in the second set,” said Tsitsipas. “I think I dealt with the situation well. I was serving well and felt comfortable from the baseline. I tried to be aggressive. My shots were working and I was trying to hit winners from all parts of the court.”

Tsitsipas, who hit 29 winners, has now won 23 of his 28 matches this year. He will next challenge Australia’s Alex de Minaur, the No. 14 seed, who beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 7-6(3), 6-2 in 86 minutes, in the third round.

Tsitsipas won 15 of the first 17 points, and hit 11 winners in the first set, which ended after 28 minutes when Munar hit a forehand into net. The World No. 5 won his seventh game in a row at the start of the second set, before an inevitable letdown.

Munar, who reached the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open final (l. to Carreno Busta) earlier this month, started to fire and although he could not convert break points at 1-1 and 2-3, he kept fighting. Tsitsipas won the final four games of the match, to improve to 3-0 lifetime against Munar in the ATP Head2Head series, finishing with a backhand crosscourt winner. The Greek won 21 of 24 first-service points.

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Rublev 'Feels Angry', But Finds A Way To Win In Barcelona

Andrey Rublev didn’t have things all his own way on Wednesday, but opened his Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell campaign with a win. The third-seeded Russian was often left frustrated by Italy lucky loser Federico Gaio’s game, and also the string tension in his racquets, during a 6-4, 6-3 victory over 84 minutes.

“It was more mental today,” said World No. 7 Rublev. “It was the way I was behaving after what I was trying to do in Monte-Carlo. I got the win, which is the most important thing, but I do feel angry. When you’re not thinking, you’re always trying to find excuses, but I need to control my emotions.”

Rublev will next play Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who defeated Adrian Mannarino of France 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes. Rublev leads Ramos-Vinolas 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, but the Barcelona third-round clash will be their first meeting on clay.

Rublev, who reached his first ATP Masters 1000 last week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, raised his level when it counted and improved to an ATP Tour-leading 25-5 match record on the season. He captured his eighth trophy last month at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (d. Fucsovics).

Rublev was below his best in the 41-minute first set, saving two break points at 4-4 before putting his foot down to break after Gaio struck a forehand wide. They exchanged service breaks early in the second set, before 23-year-old Rublev won the final three games – including three winners in a love hold at the end.

Elsewhere, in the first of what could be a great ATP2Head rivalry in the future, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime battled back to beat fellow #NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in two hours and five minutes.

Tenth seed Auger-Aliassime, who is being coached by Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, will now face seventh-seeded compatriot Denis Shapovalov in the third round.

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The Last Time… With Matteo Berrettini

Matteo Berrettini has been a fixture in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings since October 2019, and he is currently working his way back to form after suffering an abdominal strain earlier this year. The Italian is the second seed at this week’s Serbia Open in Belgrade.

ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 10 to learn the last time…

I missed a flight?
I have never missed a flight before, but I’ve been close and I’m grateful to be a good runner!

I lost something important?
Two or three weeks ago I left my phone in a taxi and I had to call different taxi companies to locate it. I gave them a description of the taxi and thankfully they found the driver and brought it back.

I paid for a court or bought my own tennis balls?
I think I was in Boca Raton a few weeks ago and I bought some tennis balls, around $5 per tube. I didn’t pay for the court.

Being famous or recognised helped?
With COVID and stuff it’s not easy to go anywhere. But there was one time, a long time ago, I was with a friend in a queue and the security guard recognised me, so [they] let us in quicker.

I strung my own tennis racquet?
I used to string my racquets all the time when I was in Rome growing up. It wasn’t cheap to string racquets, so I bought a stringing machine. I probably last strung a racquet a few weeks ago, when I was in Rome. It doesn’t take me long. I’m not professional, but I would definitely be confident to use the racquet in a match.

I cooked for myself or others?
I normally do when I am in Monaco with my girlfriend [WTA player Ajla Tomljanovic], cooking pasta with cheese. It’s amazing and next time we’re together, I’ll cook it for her.

I met my childhood idol?
It was a long time ago. I think the first time I hit with Roger [Federer], in 2015, was a big thing for me. I was so nervous and shaking. I was sweating so much before we started hitting. That’s a great memory.

I last took a selfie photo?
I’m not a fan of a selfie, so I wouldn’t ask my idol for a photo. After the 2019 US Open, when I reached the semi-finals, this Roman actor, Paolo Adonis, who is really famous in Italy, came to watch my practice. I was about to ask him for a selfie, but he asked me first. That was cool.

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Is Novak Djokovic The Luka Doncic Of The ATP Tour?

Is Novak Djokovic the Luka Doncic of the ATP Tour?

The World No. 1 showed off his basketball skills in Belgrade before the start of the Serbia Open, displaying his touch around the rim as well as a crisp jumpshot.

“Nothing but the net!” the Serbian exclaimed. “Iso! Iso! Amazing. On fire. Luka Doncic against Nikola Jokic here.”

The Serbian was referencing two NBA superstars; Doncic plays for the Dallas Mavericks and Jokic is on the Denver Nuggets.

Several stars recently picked their ATP basketball starting five in Miami, but nobody selected Djokovic. Perhaps they will rethink their choices after seeing the World No. 1’s talent.

Alexander Zverev’s Team
Alexander Zverev
Nick Kyrgios
Gael Monfils
Christopher Eubanks
John Isner

Diego Schwartzman’s Team
Diego Schwartzman
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal
Reilly Opelka
John Isner

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Team
Nick Kyrgios
Tommy Paul
Gael Monfils
Alexander Zverev
John Isner

Andrey Rublev’s Team
Nick Kyrgios
Gael Monfils
Jack Sock
Alexander Zverev
Reilly Opelka

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Team
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Nick Kyrgios
Gael Monfils
Christopher Eubanks
Reilly Opelka

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The Nomadic Life With… Alex de Minaur

Alex de Minaur is the 14th seed at this week’s Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where he will try to win his first ATP Tour title on clay. The Aussie is making his debut at the ATP 500.

There is plenty to know about the 22-year-old off the court, too. ATPTour.com caught up with De Minaur to learn more about his life on Tour, from his essential items on the road to a memorable travel story from his early days at tour-level.

What are two essential non-tennis items you always pack for trips?
My headphones. I listen to a lot of music on long flights. [Also] my iPad [because] I normally have a couple of Netflix shows backed up on there, downloaded and ready to go if I’m not really feeling the in-flight entertainment.

Right now, I have hit a spot where I am not too sure where I want to go [on Netflix]. I finished a couple of long TV shows and I am not really feeling another one, so I have just been going with movies. I watched Bright on Netflix with Will Smith not too long ago, but I don’t have a TV show right now that I am binge-watching.

Do you enjoy travelling the world or consider it just something that needs to be done to be a pro tennis player? If you do enjoy it, what do you enjoy about travelling?
I think that is something that, due to the pandemic, has really opened my eyes. I have definitely been missing out on actually travelling, seeing different places and the cities we are in. Normally we just tend to play the tournament, go back to the hotel and not really explore too much, so that is something that, once we are allowed, will definitely change for me.

Can you talk about a time you decided to play a specific tournament in part because you wanted to travel to that city?
There are a couple of tournaments that maybe don’t work for me and my game the best, but the actual place is so nice and so comfortable that you sometimes make the exception. I think Acapulco is one of them. I always enjoyed playing that tournament. I haven’t had my best results there, but it is always a great place to be.

What is your craziest travel story?
I have never missed a flight [and] I have never lost my passport. I have been pretty good with that stuff.

After my first final in Sydney, we finished very late and the tournament provided all the finalists with a private jet to go to Melbourne. That was my first time in a private jet. [It was] an incredible experience and we made it at 3 a.m. the following morning. We hit that day and the day after I started my Australian Open campaign. 

I guess you are a pretty organised traveller if you have never lost your passport or missed a flight?
I don’t tend to lose stuff. I am pretty good with that. Sometimes I might forget little, simple things, but I am pretty good and hopefully it stays that way.

How do you try to overcome jetlag and acclimate to the local time zone?
I am pretty good with jetlag. I have learned how to deal with it. I feel like I can just force myself to stay awake until nighttime. I feel like the first two days are probably the hardest part and, from there on, I might wake up a little bit earlier at 7 a.m.

But apart from that, I have gotten used to it. Don’t ask me how. I don’t need sleeping pills or anything, which is a big bonus.

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Kecmanovic Advances, Popyrin Saves 4 Match Points In Belgrade

Miomir Kecmanovic moved past qualifier Facundo Bagnis at the Serbian Open on Tuesday, 7-6(5), 7-6(4).

The eighth-seeded Serbian was serving for the match at 5-2 and 5-4, but got broken each time and didn’t see a match point until the tie-break. He set up a second-round clash with another qualifier, France’s Arthur Rinderknech. 

“It was a tough match. It was tough conditions – very slow, very heavy,” Kecmanovic said. “I’m happy that I was able to fight through even though I maybe didn’t play my best at times. I’m just happy to be able to move forward.”

Rinderknech, a French 25-year-old ranked No. 129, beat Juan Iganacio Londero, 6-1, 7-5.

Kecmanovic’s compatriot, Laslo Djere, didn’t fare as well. The ninth seed lost his bout with qualifier Gianluca Mager 6-4, 6-3. Djere was a finalist at the Sardegna Open just last month.

Mager will next play Alexei Popyrin, who saved four match points against qualifier qualifier Francisco Cerundolo, battling past the Argentine 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(6).

The Aussie lost the first 13 points of the deciding set, and later faced one match point at 4-5, two at 5-6 and another at 5/6 in the tie-break. Popyrin won his first ATP Tour title earlier this year in Singapore.

Ajlaz Bedene won a tight battle over Sebastian Korda, who was appearing in his first event since reaching the quarter-finals of the Miami Open presented by Itau. Bedene saved two match points against the young American before prevailing in two hours and 40 minutes, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(4). 

Bedene will take on third seed Aslan Karatsev in the second round.

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Sinner Makes Quick Work Of Gerasimov

Making his Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell debut, Jannik Sinner made quick work of Egor Gerasimov on Tuesday. In one hour and eight minutes, the 19-year-old advanced 6-3, 6-2 to set up a second-round match with Roberto Bautista Agut.

In his first meeting with Gerasimov, Sinner defended well on his backhand side to set up his forehand with a wide stance and loose swing: six of his seven winners in the first set came off his forehand, and he would hit 21 winners to Gerasimov’s seven.

Though in his post-match interview the Italian said he wasn’t that happy or comfortable with his performance, he still sprinkled in a few excellent drop shots to pull Gerasimov off the baseline.

The World No. 77 struggled with his serve, particularly in the second set, and would commit his seventh double fault on Sinner’s first match point.

Sinner comes into this week’s ATP 500 with a career-high ranking of World No. 19, marking his first time inside the Top 20. He’s the first Italian teen to crack the Top 20 in the history of the FedEx ATP Rankings after reaching the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau and then winning a round in Monte-Carlo last week. 

“Obviously it’s a good number, but for me at the moment [it’s] not that important,” Sinner said. “Just trying to improve day after day with my team and trying to improve as a player and the ranking is what it is. I’m happy to be [a] Top 20 player but the road is long so [there’s] a lot of work to do.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Bautista Agut eased past Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-0. The World No. 11 broke his Spanish compatriot on five occasions. Sinner leads their ATP Head2Head series 2-0.

“He’s an unbelievable player. He’s very consistent,” Sinner said. “He lost in Dubai against me, he lost in Miami against me, now we play once more here, so it’s quite a small period of time. We’re playing now our third match already, so it’s going to be a very tough match. He is very, very solid. I never played against him on clay. I’m trying to be ready in the best possible way.”

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Berrettini Gets Doubles Win in Belgrade

On Tuesday at the Serbia Open, Matteo Berrettini took to the doubles court with Italian countryman Andrea Vavassori for a 7-6 (7), 6-4 win over Andres Molteni and Frederik Nielsen. Berrettini will play singles as the second seed on Wednesday against Marco Cecchinato with the doubles quarter-finals set for Thursday.

Croatian twins Matej Sabanov and Ivan Sabanov made good use of their wild card entry to oust third seeds Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan, 6-4, 6-2. They’ll play Divij Sharan and Aljaz Bedene for a place in the semi-finals.

Second Seeds Fall in Barcelona
Horia Tecau and Kevin Krawietz upset second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, 7-6(4), 7-6(3) at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadel. Despite being unseeded, Krawietz and Tecau are both experienced multiple Grand Slam doubles champions, and teamed up in 2021 for the first time (they began their partnership by reaching the Rotterdam final).

On the heels of a run to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final, Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski saved a match point in the deciding Match Tie-Break during a 6-4, 5-7, 13-11 win over Henri Kontinen and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Third-seeded Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury made quick work of Cristian Garin and Guido Pella, 6-0, 6-3.

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Shapovalov Shines On 2021 Clay Debut In Barcelona

Denis Shapovalov’s clash against Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday was his first clay-court match of the season, but the Canadian had no problem adjusting in a 6-3, 7-5 victory in the second round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. 

The pair played just one month ago in Dubai, where Shapovalov won in straight sets. And after another comprehensive performance, the 22-year-old now leads their ATP Head2Head series 4-0.

Shapovalov’s only hiccup came as he neared the finish line at 4-2 in the second set. Chardy hit a backhand chip return against the serve-and-volleying Canadian. The shot barely clipped the sideline, getting the Frenchman back on serve. 

But despite showing some frustration at letting his advantage slip, the lefty refocussed and earned his fifth service break to close out his triumph after one hour and 38 minutes.

Shapovalov will next play one of two #NextGenATP stars: Felix Auger-Aliassime or Lorenzo Musetti. The seventh seed has split four ATP Head2Head meetings against Auger-Aliassime, and he has never played the 19-year-old Italian.

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Nadal: 'You Have Doubts Some Days'

Rafael Nadal is aiming to bounce back to top form at this week’s Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where he is an 11-time former champion.

Five days on from his quarter-final loss to Andrey Rublev at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the Spanish superstar has spent a lot of time on the practice court. Nadal hit seven double faults and won 42 per cent of his second-serve points against Rublev.

“I have not played much over the past few months, or the past year,” said Nadal on Tuesday. “Coming back to competition is always tough. Monte-Carlo was an important challenge, where I experienced a lot of positives during the tournament and practice sessions. I lost in the quarter-finals, not being able to compete at the level that I needed. Here I have another opportunity.

“I’ll go week by week. I have an important month that finishes with Roland Garros. Each match and each week is important now. That’s how I see it. I am hoping that the negative stuff doesn’t take a toll and I am aiming to be positive every day to get to where I want to be.

With the exception of last year’s shortened ATP Tour season, Nadal has won a clay-court title prior to Roland Garros in 12 of his 13 triumphs in Paris.

“I want to win events before Roland Garros, because I like to win tournaments,” said Nadal. “Of course, it’s easier winning Roland Garros with the confidence of winning events before, as I have done for much of my career. But the key is put myself into a position to be competitive in every single event. I have not competed a lot over the past year, but even if I felt ready for Monte-Carlo, matches like I had can happen. I will keep working hard for my match tomorrow in Barcelona, and every day for Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.”

Nadal, who has had time to reflect on his Monte-Carlo exit, admitted, “If you are training well every day, when you play a match and do some things especially bad, it is surprising. I knew what happened immediately. Losses, even if they are not pleasant or positive, put everyone in their place. I analyse details from every match, and I know that I need to improve certain things. It was a strange match. You can lose against a great player like Rublev, but I did some things wrong and that surprised me.

“Other times, when you’re not feeling great, playing bad seems logical. That wasn’t the case in Monte-Carlo, but it happened. You need to understand what went wrong to avoid making the same mistakes again. After any loss, you have some days with doubts [in your mind]. The key is to recover and that’s what I have been doing. I have trained with the right attitude to have great feelings to compete here.”

Nadal, who had compiled a 61-4 in Barcelona, plays Belarusian qualifier Ilya Ivashka in his first match on Wednesday afternoon.

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