Tennis News

Schwartzman & Garin Lead Buenos Aires Action; All You Need To Know

Born in Buenos Aires and named after football legend Diego Maradona, Diego Schwartzman is about as Argentine as they come. The former World No. 8 will hope that home court advantage will help him take a sip from the Argentina Open trophy for the first time. 

Home talent has enjoyed plenty of success in Buenos Aires, winning four editions during 2004-2008, but it’s been 13 years since an Argentine has won since then. With the tournament introducing a new trophy in 2017 in the shape of a mate gourd – a nod to the country’s favourite beverage – fans are more eager than ever for an Argentine champion to toast his victory. 

 

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Schwartzman will be joined by Chile’s Cristian Garin as both of South America’s top-ranked singles players hit the court at the ATP 250 event. Contested on red clay at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, known as the “Cathedral of Argentinean tennis”, the tournament also features Benoit Paire, Miomir Kecmanovic and Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Here’s all you need to know about Buenos Aires tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 2001

Tournament Dates: 1-7 March 2021

Tournament Director: Martin Jaite

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 27 February at 3pm

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday 27 February – Monday 1 March; Saturday at 9:30am, Sunday and Monday at 11am
* Main draw: Monday 1 – Sunday 7 March, Monday – Friday at 11am and 6pm (weekend start times TBA)
* Doubles final: Start time TBA
* Singles final: Start time TBA

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis
Main Court Seating: 4,800

Prize Money: US $329,550 (Total Financial Commitment: US $411,940) 

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: David Ferrer (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Horacio Zeballos (4)
Oldest Champion: David Ferrer, 31, in 2014
Youngest Champion: Casper Ruud, 21, in 2020
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 2 Gustavo Kuerten in 2001
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 90 Nicolas Massu in 2002
Most Match Wins: Nicolas Almagro (29) 

2020 Finals
Singles: [8] Casper Ruud (NOR) d [LL] Pedro Sousa (POR) 61 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: [1] Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d Guillermo Duran (ARG) / Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 5-7, 18-16   Read More 

Social
Hashtag: #ArgOpen2021

Facebook: @ArgentinaOpen
Twitter: @ArgentinaOpen
Instagram: @argentinaopenatp

Did You Know… From Carlos Moya’s triumph in 2003 to Rafael Nadal’s in 2015, Spaniards and Argentines (David Nalbandian, Juan Monaco, Gaston Gaudio, Guillermo Coria) shared 13 straight titles in Buenos Aires.

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Cagliari Added To ATP Tour Calendar

The ATP Board has approved a single-year license for the Sardegna Open in Cagliari in the week of April 5, the first week of the European clay-court swing. ATP Tour players will now have two opportunities to play in Europe in the week before the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, following an announcement earlier this year of a single-year license awarded to the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open in Spain.

The Cagliari event adds to the depth of tournaments held in Italy, which also includes the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the traditional ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome, the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and, for the first year, the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

“The addition of this ATP 250 tournament to the already very rich programme of major international events in Italy reflects the confidence in the country’s organisational skills we enjoy around the world,” said the President of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi. “When the ATP invited us to present our candidacy to organise an ATP 250 in that week we did not hesitate to do so. It’s also a great opportunity to promote the appeal of the Sardinia region as a tourist destination during difficult times.”

The tournament will take place at the Cagliari Tennis Club and will be broadcast live exclusively by the federal TV channel SuperTennis.

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Ramos-Vinolas Takes Revenge On Schwartzman In Cordoba

Fifth-seed Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas broke up the Argentine party at the Cordoba Open as he took down last year’s finalist Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday.

Schwartzman was looking to become the fourth Argentine to advance and complete a home sweep of the semi-finals. But Ramos-Vinolas didn’t read the script, and won his third three-setter of the week to stun the World No. 9 at home.

“I’m really happy because it was my first win against him after five losses,” Ramos-Vinolas told ATPTour.com. “I think he’s a great player, and I did a great job to beat him today.”

It was the perfect revenge for Ramos-Vinolas, who fell at this stage to Schwartzman last year in Cordoba. That result extended the Argentine’s ATP Head2Head lead to 5-0, with Ramos-Vinolas unable to win a set in any of their encounters.

But this time around, Ramos-Vinolas raised his level to overpower Schwartzman and reel off the first four games of the match en route to taking a one-sided opening set. He had to weather a mid-match comeback from Schwartzman, who was drawing from the crowd’s energy as he sported taping on his left knee. 

Ramos-Vinolas needed two hours and 27 minutes to prevail and move into his first ATP Tour semi-final since 2020 Santiago. He will face another Argentine in his next match after qualifier Facundo Bagnis recorded a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jozef Kovalik. 

Earlier in the day, Cancha Central witnessed back-to-back upsets as two more Argentine players claimed big wins over seeded players to advance in Cordoba. 19-year-old Juan Manuel Cerundolo continued his dream run with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over No. 7 seed Thiago Monteiro to start Friday’s action. 

Sitting at No. 335 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Cerundolo qualified for his first ATP Tour event to join older brother Francisco in the main draw, becoming the first pair of Argentine siblings to feature at the same tournament since 1981. But Juan Manuel just kept winning, toppling third-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round before taking down Monteiro to reach the semi-finals.

“It’s amazing, I can’t believe it,” Cerundolo told ATPTour.com. “I just feel very happy and I want to enjoy this moment… The most important thing is the confidence [from] these matches. Since the qualies, I have a lot of confidence so I think that was the key. I need to stay healthy mentally too because these matches are very hard.” 

Cerundolo is now the youngest Argentine to reach an ATP Tour semi-final since 18-year-old Juan Martin del Potro in Adelaide in 2007.

Federico Coria followed Cerundolo’s upset with one of his own as he powered past No. 2 seed Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-2. No. 95 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Coria broke Paire six times and needed just 72 minutes to move into his first ATP Tour semi-final.

The younger brother of former World No. 3 Guillermo Coria, 28-year-old Federico will be looking to channel his sibling’s famous clay-court prowess and lift his maiden ATP Tour trophy at home. Guillermo himself lifted nine trophies during his career, including one on home soil at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires in 2004.

In order to achieve the same in Cordoba, Coria will have to end another Cerundolo brother’s run in his next match. Coria defeated Francisco in the second round, and will now face 19-year-old Juan Manuel for a spot in the final.

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Federer Teases Fans Ahead Of Doha Return

It wasn’t much, but after a year, fans will take even a fleeting glimpse of Roger Federer.

On Friday, little more than a week out from his return to the ATP Tour, the Swiss legend tweeted a photo of himself from an undisclosed practice court, leaning on the net with a simple message: “The countdown to Doha begins”

The countdown to Doha begins
???#1weektogo pic.twitter.com/EDAgvqp2Md

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) February 26, 2021

Teasing fans just a little, Federer didn’t reveal in which city he was practising, nor was he holding a racquet in his hand.

In the first hour after it was posted, Federer’s tweet had more than 2,000 retweets, 20,000 likes and a number of creative memes.

“Looking forward to see you King Roger in my country,” tweeted Fahad Imran Butt.

“This week better go by quickly,” wrote Steven Ross. “So happy to see you again. One lovely pic can change your fan’s day,” tweeted “hanay”.

The 39-year-old, 103-time tournament champion has been sidelined for the past 13 months following two surgeries on his right knee, but will make his long-awaited return 8 March at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

His last match was a semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2020 Australian Open.

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Tsitsipas & Wawrinka On Rotterdam QF Collision Course

The last time that World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka clashed, they produced an epic and entertaining battle that went down to the wire. Now, they’re on track for another showdown at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

Four of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings, led by World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, are heading to Rotterdam for the first ATP 500 tournament of the season. There are several mouthwatering first-round matches to watch – not to mention the blockbuster action in store should the seeds win through.

Headlining a stacked bottom half of the draw, Tsitsipas and Wawrinka are on a quarter-final collision course. The pair contested one of the best matches of the 2019 season at Roland Garros, with Wawrinka coming away the victor after more than five hours, 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6. But the eighth-seeded Swiss will have to overcome a major test right out of the gate as he drew one of the toughest first-round opponents: an unseeded Karen Khachanov.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has also landed in the bottom half of the draw. The 2009 champion returned to Rotterdam with a wild card, and will begin his campaign against Robin Haase. The winner would have to get through No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev in the second round. Rublev will face a qualifier, and could take on No. 6 seed David Goffin in the quarter-finals. 

Top seed Medvedev starts his own campaign against Dusan Lajovic as he seeks his first title in Rotterdam. But a trophy would just be the icing on the cake for the Russian, who is looking to overtake Rafael Nadal and rise to the No. 2 spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

Medvedev only has to make the final to become the first player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — to hold a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 back in 2005. 

But he could face a stern test in the quarter-finals in the form of seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, should the Canadian get past former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori in his own first-round battle. An Australian will await the winner in the second round, either John Millman or Alex de Minaur. Third seed Alexander Zverev and fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut have also landed in Medvedev’s half of the draw. 

Did You Know…  The Rotterdam honour roll includes Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

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Medvedev Learns Road To World No. 2, Ending Big Four's Streak

When the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament draw came out Friday, Daniil Medvedev learned his path to becoming the No. 2 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

If the Russian reaches the final in Rotterdam, he will become the first player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — to hold a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 the week of 18 July 2005. Nadal passed the Aussie the following week and the quartet has not looked back since.

Medvedev will begin his run against Dusan Lajovic, and may face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals, prior to meeting Alexander Zverev or Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals with World No. 2 on the line.

If Medvedev makes the championship match at this ATP 500, he will add 300 FedEx ATP Ranking points, which would replace the 90 points the 25-year-old earned in Vienna last year. The net gain of 210 points would propel the Russian ahead of Nadal, who currently leads him by 115 points.

FedEx ATP Rankings – 22 February 2021

Medvedev has been playing the best tennis of his career. The World No. 3 has won 20 of his past 21 matches, with his only loss coming against nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, the World No. 1, in the championship match at Melbourne Park. Twelve of Medvedev’s victories during that stretch came against Top 10 opponents.

The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champions owns a 5-3 record in Rotterdam. Medvedev’s best result at the ATP 500 came in 2019, when he reached the semi-finals before losing against Gael Monfils in three sets.

Did You Know?
The last time someone outside the Big Four held a top two spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Medvedev was only nine years old.

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Goffin Closing In On Montpellier Final

David Goffin is one step away from reaching his 14th ATP Tour final after beating Lorenzo Sonego of Italy 6-4, 6-4 in 87 minutes on Friday at the Open Sud de France.

The second-seeded Belgian, who reached last month’s Antalya Open semi-finals (l. to De Minaur) and entered the ATP 250 event on a two-match losing streak, will next challenge Belarus’ Egor Gerasimov.

Gerasimov, who beat Goffin 6-4, 7-6(5) at the 2020 Open 13 Provence in their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, knocked out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and 28 minutes. The 28-year-old Gerasimov struck 16 aces for a place in his third tour-level semi-final.

Later today, top-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut takes on sixth seed Ugo Humbert of France, while Austria’s Ugo Humbert meets qualifier Peter Gojowczyk of Germany.

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Lacoste Brings Elegance & Performance To New Racquet Line

The iconic French champion Rene Lacoste was also the inventor of both the polo shirt and the modern metal tennis racquet.

So it’s only fitting that after revolutionising the world of tennis apparel and footwear, his namesake brand would set out to conquer the tennis racquet game as well with the launch of the new Lacoste L20 racquet.

Inspired by Lacoste’s innovative spirit and engineered by Tecnifibre, the new L20 features the familiar alligator logo and brings the brand’s signature mix of lifestyle elegance and performance to the tennis court – but now in a tennis racquet as well as head-to-toe apparel.

Made for experienced club players as well as dedicated beginners, the L20 and its lighter companion the L20L are more than just a stylish accessory. The lightweight racquet delivers on both speed and spin-friendly precision for a user-friendly hitting experience.

The L20 also features an updated version of the famous dampening system developed by Rene Lacoste himself, maximizing comfort on every stroke and serve. The innovative string pattern has denser spacing in the center for control, and wider spacing at the edges for a more forgiving response.

Engineered by Tecnifibre and infused with Lacoste’s trailblazing DNA, the L20 and L20L strike the perfect balance between competition and leisure – another game-changing combination from a brand that has made its legacy out of changing the game.

Buy the L20 and the L20L at Tennis Warehouse.

Lacoste in an official supplier of the ATP Tour.

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Gille/Vliegen Sweep Into Singapore Doubles Final

Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen advanced to their sixth ATP Tour doubles team final (4-1 record) on Friday at the Singapore Tennis Open. The top seeds knocked out third-seeded Britons Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 6-4, 6-4.

Gilles and Vliegen, who captured the Astana Open crown (d. Purcell/Saville) in November last year, have yet to drop a set in three matches at the ATP 250 event this week.

Matthew Ebden, who lost to Alexei Popyrin in the singles quarter-finals on Friday, returned to the court to join forces with fellow Australian John-Patrick Smith to beat Americans Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 for a place in the semi-finals.

Ebden and Smith play Luis David Martinez and David Vega Hernandez on Saturday.

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Albot Moves Into Singapore Semi-finals

Radu Albot booked a place in his first ATP Tour semi-final for 19 months on Friday after he beat top-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 35 minutes at the Singapore Tennis Open.

Albot, who last reached a semi-final in August 2019 at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos (l. to Fritz), led 5-1 in the second set before Mannarino staged a comeback. He’ll next play fourth-seeded Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik or fifth seed Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Albot, who beat World No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut en route to the Australian Open third round (l. to Ruud) earlier this month, saved three match points against Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in the Singapore second round on Thursday.

Alexei Popyrin advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final by knocking out fellow Australian Matthew Ebden 6-4, 7-6(7) in 85 minutes. Popyrin, who hit 14 aces, saved two set points at 4/6 in the second set tie-break and closed out on his second match point. He awaits the winner of third-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic and eighth seed Soowoo Kwon of South Korea.

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