Tennis News

Medvedev Clinches ATP Cup Title For Russia

Daniil Medvedev finished 2020 hotter than anyone on the ATP Tour, so it is only fitting that he began 2021 by clinching the ATP Cup title for Russia on Sunday. The World No. 4 defeated Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 6-2 to cap a near-perfect singles performance by his country shortly after Andrey Rublev overpowered Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 2 singles match.

Russia’s two-headed monster of Medvedev and Rublev dominated throughout the week, winning all eight singles matches they played against some of the best players in the world. They combined to lose just two sets to lead their country to glory at Melbourne Park.

An @ATPCup crown will even get a smile out of ?? @DaniilMedwed ?#ATPCup | #RUSITA pic.twitter.com/ZJ9rxxmf3H

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 7, 2021

“I want to thank my team. Andrey won all of his matches,” Medvedev said during the trophy ceremony. “Thank you for being with me here and lifting this trophy in a few moments.”

Medvedev faced a stern test in the tie’s No. 1 singles match against Berrettini, who did not lose a set against three of the top 13 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings to push his country to the final. But the Russian passed with flying colours. The World No. 4 was too solid for the Italian and he triumphed after one hour and 20 minutes. Medvedev is known for showing no emotion after winning big matches, but on this occasion he cracked a smile as he gestured towards Russia’s Team Zone.

Medvedev has won a personal-best 14 consecutive matches dating back to the start of last year’s Rolex Paris Masters, with 10 of those triumphs coming against Top 10 opponents. The 24-year-old won the title in Paris-Bercy and then lifted the biggest trophy of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals to finish 2020.

“It’s a really big achievement because I also didn’t lose a match. Yeah, 10 matches against Top 10 opponents, didn’t lose a match in these 10 matches.
It’s a big boost in confidence,” Medvedev said. “Even when you lose, you know that you’re capable of playing this level, and it helps you for the next time to stand up.”

Medvedev has maintained his momentum — and added to it — with his effort at the ATP Cup, where he led Russia to the semi-finals last year. The 2019 US Open finalist is now arguably the second favourite at the Australian Open behind eight-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Throughout the tournament, Berrettini powered his way past every opponent in front of him — including World No. 3 Dominic Thiem — using his forehand to push them back before throwing in drop shots and net charges when necessary. But Medvedev pinned the Italian deep in his backhand corner, and the World No. 10 never found a solution to get out of that pattern.

Throughout the match, Italian captain Vincenzo Santopadre provided urgent instructions for his charge during changeovers to try to change the rhythm of the action. On the other side of the court, Russian captain Evgeny Donskoy and Medvedev’s personal coach, Gilles Cervara, mostly let their player relax knowing he was in control.

“It’s such an honour to be part of this team. Thanks for inviting me to be captain,” Donskoy said. “It’s not tough to be captain of such a strong team, because they are very easy people. Thanks to you guys, you are playing amazing.”

Berrettini unleashed some big forehands during the match, showing how dangerous that shot is. But Medvedev often went to the Italian’s stronger wing on his terms, forcing the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals competitor to go for more aggressive shots from tough positions, which backfired on several occasions.

The Italian was mostly successful with his drop shot at this event, but even that proved unsuccessful against the Russian. Medvedev went up a double-break in the second set by tracking down a drop volley and delivering a body blow to win the point. The nine-time ATP Tour titlist broke the Italian’s serve three times and did not drop his own serve.

Team Italy did not advance out of the group stage last year, when they also lost against Russia. Berrettini did not compete in the inaugural edition due to a hernia, but with the 24-year-old at No. 1 singles, Italy proved a forced to be reckoned with this year, despite falling short in the final.

“Congrats to my team. It was the first time for the ATP Cup, for me at least,” Berrettini said. “I had an unbelievable week. We had a lot of fun, great tennis.”

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Relentless Rublev Moves Russia One Win From ATP Cup Title

Andrey Rublev was relentless on Sunday at Melbourne Park, powering past Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-2 to give Russia a 1-0 lead against Italy in the ATP Cup final.

Daniil Medvedev can clinch the prestigious title for his country in the No. 1 singles match when he plays Matteo Berrettini. Neither player has lost a match at this year’s ATP Cup.

“It’s going to be a tough match. Matteo has an amazing serve, an amazing forehand,” Rublev said in his on-court interview. “I think it’s going to be a really, really interesting match. It’s going to be a huge fight. We’ll see what’s going to happen.”

Rublev is the highest-ranked No. 2 singles player in this competition, and the World No. 8 has shown he is more than deserving of that standing. The Russian won his four singles matches with the loss of just one set to put his country in a dominant position in every tie.

“I was playing really well all week since the first match and I was just going on court thinking that I needed to fight for every ball. I played Fabio before six times and I lost a few times really tough matches, really painful ones,” Rublev said. “I knew it didn’t matter the score, he always has a chance. He always knows how to come back, so I was trying to keep going no matter the score. In the end, I’m really happy with the way it went today and the way I played today.”

Judging by the action in this No. 2 singles match, you wouldn’t know that Fognini had won five of the pair’s six previous ATP Head2Head meetings. The 33-year-old had been especially dominant on hard courts in their rivalry, winning all three of their clashes on the surface in straight sets.

But Rublev dominated with his forehand from the outset to triumph after 61 minutes. Fognini battled hard for his country, with the Italian Team Zone urging him on. Berrettini even stayed until late in the second set to support his countryman, but it was to not avail.

The Russian set the tone in his first return game by going after his returns to put Fognini on the back foot. The Italian dropped his first service game by wildly misfiring on a forehand, and he was never able to gain a foothold in the match after that.

Early in the second set Fognini tried to mix up the pace of his shots on return, even throwing in a couple of loopy shots to try to disturb Rublev’s rhythm. But the Russian machine was locked in and showed no signs of breaking down.

Rublev used his serve to great effect, losing just seven service points in the match. He pounced on every ball that sat up or landed short to immediately pressure his opponent.

Rublev has picked up right where he left off in his breakthrough 2020 season. The 23-year-old has won an ATP Tour-leading 45 matches since the start of last year.

“I was trying to work every day as hard as I can and that’s it. In the end little bit little by little I was improving… it’s a long process,” Rublev said. “You don’t improve in one day, it takes years. So in the end, [this] was my journey.”

Did You Know?
One year ago, Russia beat Italy 3-0 at the ATP Cup. However, Berrettini did not compete in the event because of a hernia.

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Andy Murray angry at missing Australian Open & questions LTA protocols

Andy Murray speaks of his anger at missing the Australian Open through Covid, pointing the finger at the culture inside the National Tennis Centre over Christmas.

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Russia, Italy Ready For ATP Cup Final Showdown

After four days of competition, only two countries remain in the battle to be crowned ATP Cup champion. Russia and Italy enter the championship match with undefeated 3-0 tie records, but which team will emerge with the trophy?

Described as the two-headed monster of this year’s competition, Russia will aim to extend its perfect 6-0 singles record to take the trophy in Melbourne. Russia is the only team in the tournament to feature two Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings: Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.

Italy’s hopes of winning rest in the hands of Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini. The Italians, who both cracked the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time in 2019, own a combined 5-1 record in singles this week.

Should the two nations split the singles encounters, team captains Evgeny Donskoy and Vincenzo Santopadre will both have a big decision to make. Do they stick with their selected doubles team or bring in their singles stars? Russia may own an unbeaten 6-0 record in singles this week, but they are yet to claim a win in three doubles matches. Italy owns a 1-1 record in contested doubles matches at this year’s event.

Rublev Seeks Rare Fognini Win
In the opening match of the final, World No. 8 Andrey Rublev will attempt to continue his dominant singles run this week. Across his two Group D matches, the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals qualifier dropped a combined seven games against Guido Pella and Yoshihito Nishioka.

Despite Rublev’s red-hot form, his opponent — Fabio Fognini — will have a reason to be confident when he walks onto Rod Laver Arena. The 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion owns a 5-1 ATP Head2Head record against Rublev, which includes wins in his three most recent encounters with the Russian.

Since losing his opening match of the tournament, the World No. 17 has claimed three straight victories. Fognini combined with Berrettini to clinch a tie-deciding doubles win against Austria and has also picked up singles wins against Benoit Paire and Pablo Carreno Busta.

“Fabio is really a great player. Everyone knows that he’s really talented,” said Rublev. “When he’s at his best, [it is] really tough to beat him… It’s going to be interesting. I have nothing to lose. He has all the pressure because he beat me more times than I [beat him]… It’s going to be a challenge for me. I will try to do my best and give my everything. I think it’s going to be great match from both of us.”

Rublev and Fognini will both be eager to deliver their teammates an opportunity to clinch the trophy. The title will be on the line in the No. 1 singles match, when Medvedev meets Berrettini.

Can Medvedev Or Berrettini Clinch The Title?
Medvedev enters the championship match on a 13-match winning streak. The Russian’s run began last year, when he claimed 10 straight victories to lift trophies at the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals. The World No. 4 has added three straight sets wins to that tally this week. Remarkably, during his 13-match winning run, Medvedev has overcome nine Top 10 opponents.

The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals titlist can take that statistic into double figures on Sunday, when he faces World No. 10 Berrettini. With a combined 4-0 record in singles and doubles, Berrettini has been one of the standout players of this year’s competition. The Rome-born star has already beaten a player ranked higher than Medvedev in the FedEx ATP Rankings at this event. In his opening match of the tournament, Berrettini claimed a 6-2, 6-4 win against World No. 3 Dominic Thiem.

“Italian tennis is amazing… It’s an amazing tennis nation,” said Medvedev. “They had maybe, for some time, just a little bit of a downfall, but just a little one. Now they’re back at it, especially [with] Matteo [and] Fabio playing amazing here.”

Both men have come a long way since they contested their only previous ATP Head2Head match at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open. On that occasion, World No. 57 Medvedev outlasted World No. 108 Berrettini 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-4. The prize? A third-round encounter with Pablo Carreno Busta. This time, the ATP Cup trophy could await the winner.

Doubles Decisions
If the destination of the trophy is not decided by Medvedev and Berrettini’s second career meeting, captains Donskoy and Santopadre will play their biggest role in the tie. Will they commit to their original doubles selections, or place one of their singles stars into the team?

As player/captain, Donskoy is slated to play the final match of the tournament alongside Aslan Karatsev. Donskoy and Karatsev own a 0-2 team record this week. Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori are scheduled to represent Italy on the other side of the net, but they lost their only match of the week against Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Italy has played just one decisive doubles match this week and, on that occasion, Santopadre brought in his singles stars. The gamble paid off, as Berrettini and Fognini clinched a 6-1, 6-4 win against Thiem and Dennis Novak to clinch a 2-1 win against Austria.

It is difficult to predict which side will emerge victorious on Rod Laver Arena, but one matter is certain. There will be a new country inscribed on the ATP Cup trophy. Serbia won the inaugural edition of the event last year, but will it be Russia or Italy that makes history on Sunday?

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Memories Of 2020 Fuel Thiem Ahead Of Australian Open

Dominic Thiem says memories of losing the 2020 Australian Open final lingered during lockdown, but helped him to capture the US Open crown in September.

Twelve months ago, Thiem beat Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev en route to the Australian Open final, his third Grand Slam championship title match, where he lost to Novak Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“It was a hell of a run, hell of a tournament in general just with [that] last little step missing,” the Austrian said on Saturday. “I always love to look back at the 2020 edition and can’t wait [for] the tournament [to] start on Monday for me.

“I was thinking so much about that tournament, especially about the lost final in the first part of the lockdown. [When] the lockdown started, I had so much time to think about everything, to reflect on everything, what was happening.

“It was not a nice thought because maybe it was the best tournament I’ve ever played, six amazing matches, especially [the] quarter-finals against Rafa and [the] semi-finals against Sascha. They were outstanding matches. Also, the final against Novak was so good. I didn’t win it, so that was so painful.”

But winning his first major title in September, with a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6) victory over Zverev in the US Open final, erased the doubts.

“The US Open title deleted everything, somehow,” said Thiem. “I wouldn’t have won it probably [without losing in Melbourne]. I was probably way stronger in my mind. But now I just try to recall all the positive memories and positive energy from last year. It was an outstanding two weeks for me.”

Thiem begins his Australian Open campaign on Monday when he faces Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in the first round. It will be his eighth tilt at the title, but the 27-year-old still believes World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the title favourite.

“He’s the top favourite for the title, no doubt,” said Thiem. “I think conditions are suiting his game perfectly. Then obviously if you win a tournament so many times… you get automatic confidence somehow.”

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Murray/Soares Earn Back-To-Back Wins, Reach Great Ocean Road Open Final

On an action-packed day of doubles at the Great Ocean Road Open, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares claimed back-to-back wins to reach the championship match in their comeback event.

The 10-time tour-level team titlists claimed a 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 quarter-final win against Alexander Bublik and Andrey Golubev and doubled their Saturday win tally with a 6-2, 7-6(0) victory against Antlaya finalists Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek.

Murray and Soares are competing together for the first time since 2019 Roland Garros this week. The second seeds are chasing their fourth title as a team on Australian soil, with past title runs at the Australian Open (2016) and Sydney (2016, ’19).

Murray and Soares will meet top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah for the trophy. Cabal and Farah started the day with a 6-3, 6-4 win against sixth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop and returned to the court later in the day to defeat Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-finals.

The Colombians will attempt to capture their first trophy since the 2019 US Open in Sunday’s championship match. Cabal and Farah finished as the runner-up team in Acapulco (l. to Kubot/Melo) and Sardinia (l. to Daniell/Oswald) last year.

Unbeaten Mektic/Pavic Reach Murray River Open Final
Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic extended their unbeaten team record to seven matches on Saturday, as they claimed two Match Tie-break wins to advance to the Murray River Open final.

The Antalya champions were tested throughout the day in Melbourne, as they beat Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 7-6(4), 3-6, 10-6 in the quarter-finals and then overcame Delray Beach titlists Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar 6-7(4), 7-5, 10-7 in the semi-finals.

The Croatian duo will attempt to add a second crown to their 2021 collection on Sunday, when they face Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin in the final. The Frenchmen upset second seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot 7-6(8), 6-3 in the quarter-finals and claimed a 7-6(4), 6-7(2), 10-8 semi-final win against Marcelo Demoliner and Santiago Gonzalez.

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Advantage Argentina: Pella Claims Nishioka Win At ATP Cup

Guido Pella earned his first victory of the 2021 ATP Cup on Saturday, as he defeated Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 7-6(4) to claim a 1-0 lead for Argentina in its Group D tie against Japan.

The 30-year-old won 11 of 15 net points and struck 24 winners to improve to 1-1 in this year’s tournament. Pella is unbeaten in two ATP Head2Head matches against Nishioka. The World No. 44 also beat the Japanese 6-3, 6-0 win at last year’s Generali Open in Kitzbühel.

Argentina and Japan are both attempting to finish Group D in second place. Both nations lost their opening ties of the tournament 2-1 to group winners Russia.

In the No. 1 singles match, Diego Schwartzman will attempt to clinch the tie when faces former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori. The 31-year-old Nishikori owns a 3-1 ATP Head2Head record against Schwartzman.

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Sinner Saves M.P., Gains Khachanov Revenge At Great Ocean Road Open

Jannik Sinner ended his 2020 season by lifting his maiden ATP Tour title. After a dramatic semi-final at the Great Ocean Road Open on Saturday, the #NextGenATP Italian is just one win away from starting his 2021 campaign in similar fashion.

The 19-year-old saved match point with all-out aggression at 5-6, 30/40 in the decider to beat Karen Khachanov 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4) in three hours and seven minutes. It was the second time in as many ATP Head2Head meetings between the pair that a final-set tie-break was required. At last year’s US Open, Khachanov recovered from two sets down to beat Sinner 6-3, 7-6(7), 2-6, 0-6, 6-7(4) in three hours and 44 minutes.

“A lot of credit [goes to Khachanov]. We had a great battle at the US Open as well, 7-6 in the fifth. He is a great player… and I am very happy to be in the final,” said Sinner, in an on-court interview.

Sinner extends his unbeaten record on the ATP Tour to nine matches. The World No. 36 ended 2020 with five consecutive wins en route to the Sofia trophy and has picked up four wins this week in Melbourne.

For the third match in a row, Sinner was forced to save a set point in the first set. Khachanov landed a powerful second serve at 4-5, 30/40 to stay in the set and created a set point opportunity of his own two games later. Sinner reacted quickly to a net cord and flicked a forehand winner to escape danger, before taking the first set in a tie-break. The #NextGenATP Italian returned with depth and extracted multiple forehand errors from his opponent to clinch the set after 62 minutes.

Sinner appeared to be closing in on victory in the second set, when he ripped a cross-court forehand winner to break serve at 3-3. But Khachanov responded emphatically, as he broke serve in back-to-back return games with aggressive forehand play.

Sinner opened the third set with two inspired cross-court forehand passing shots from deep positions to claim a 1-0 advantage. The Sofia titlist held his nerve to save four break points en route to a 5-3 lead, but he failed to serve out the match as Khachanov attacked Sinner’s backhand to extract errors.

The momentum had shifted firmly in Khachanov’s favour and the Russian earned a match point at 5-6, 30/40. In an extended rally, Sinner ripped a series of forehands to keep Khachanov on the run and finished the point with an overhead winner. In the final-set tie-break, Sinner clinched victory with the same tactic as he came to the net behind his forehand to drive an overhead winner down the centre of the court.

It is the latest success story in a remarkable week for Italian tennis. At the ATP Cup, Italy has claimed three tie victories to reach the championship match. Sinner will face countryman and first-time ATP Tour finalist Stefano Travaglia in the championship match.

“It’s great to see for Italy many players, many great players. I think everyone pushes each other a little bit,” said Sinner. “Everyone is playing very, very good tennis. Everyone is different as player, so I think it’s great to see… having quite a big amount of players.”

Travaglia recovered from a slow start to beat Thiago Monteiro of Brazil 6-3, 6-4 in 86 minutes. It will be a moment to celebrate for the Italian, almost 10 years on from a freak accident at his family’s apartment in Ascoli Piceno. Travaglia slipped in his flip-flops, fell down a staircase, put his right arm through a plate-glass window and severed an artery. He was rushed to hospital by his parents, with his father stemming the bleeding.

Travaglia, then ranked outside of the Top 300 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, told the New York Times in 2017, “My tennis career, of course, was over. But in that moment I think about my hand and my arm — because it’s tough to live without a hand.” The Italian spent 18 days in hospital after surgery and it was eight more months until he was able to hold a racquet once again.

Four of Travaglia’s five wins this week at the Great Ocean Road Open, an ATP 250 tournament, have come in straight sets.

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Australian Open warm-ups: Serena Williams 'feeling good' despite shoulder problem

Serena Williams is confident a shoulder problem will be fine for the Australian Open as more players withdraw from their warm-up matches.

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Murray River Open: Dan Evans beats Jeremy Chardy to reach final

British number one Dan Evans races past Jeremy Chardy in 60 minutes to reach his third ATP Tour final at the Murray River Open.

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