Tennis News

Tiafoe saves 2 MPs, stuns Rune to reach Cincinnati final

Frances Tiafoe reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final in dramatic fashion on Sunday at the Cincinnati Open.

The American rallied from a 2-5 deficit in the third set of his semi-final against Holger Rune and saved two match points on serve at 4-5 before rallying past the 15th seed 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). Tiafoe will face Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, on Monday for the trophy.

“Crazy, crazy. That last set was nuts,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “It got pretty breezy there at the end so we were kind of just playing the percentages. But yeah, I got really lucky there. I had a couple net cords, but I also battled. I competed really hard and put myself in position.”

🌟 The dream is still alive 🌟@FTiafoe takes out Rune with a 4-6 6-1 7-6 win to face Sinner in the #CincyTennis final!@CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/v1Ip4lREMk

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 19, 2024

Tiafoe began the week with a 19-18 record on the season. But he has found form in a big way under the tutelage of new coach David Witt, becoming the first American to reach the Cincinnati final since John Isner in 2013.

With his victory, Tiafoe ascended to No. 20 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. When the new PIF ATP Rankings are released, there will be five Americans — Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Tiafoe — inside the Top 20 for the first time since the week of 24 February 1997.

The fans’ favourite was just millimetres from losing. On the first match point he faced at 4-5, Tiafoe hit a forehand that clipped the top of the net and just popped over to stave off elimination. Rune had another opportunity to close out the match, but missed a backhand return.

“At 5-3 I played a really tough game, made returns. The luck goes on your side sometimes. Those net cords made a huge, huge difference,” Tiafoe said. “Saved one of my match points like that. But in the breaker I came up with some good shots, man. I played well, hit some good serves early, didn’t serve great at the end. But I battled, I battled and he got a little tight. One thing led to another and here we are.”

From there, momentum was firmly in the American’s corner. Rune has one of the best backhands in the world, but Tiafoe was willing to trade blows off that side and often came out better in those rallies.

The three-time ATP Tour titlist hit a sensational curling backhand passing shot crosscourt to take a 6/3 lead in the final-set tie-break and was able to seal his victory after two hours and nine minutes.

Tiafoe hit 13 aces and saved four of the six break points he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats. The key was second-serve success — the unseeded American won 61 per cent of those points and Rune only managed to capture 46 per cent of them.

Sinner leads Tiafoe 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and this will be their first match of the season. They most recently clashed last year in Vienna, where the Italian won 6-3, 6-4. With that in mind, the American said that the top seed is the favourite, but he is excited for the opportunity to battle in front of the Cincinnati fans.

“Absolutely, for sure he is, right? He’s lost like [five] matches all year? He’s the favourite in every match he plays, no question about it,” Tiafoe said. “You’ve got to tip your hat to a guy like him.”

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Marcelo's Magic: Arevalo's unlikely ascent to doubles stardom

In the second round of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, top seed Roger Federer played an opponent, Rafael Arevalo, who had never cracked the Top 400 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 22-year-old from El Salvador, not known for its tennis history, would never climb higher than World No. 374.

But that match proved a launching pad for the standout career of another Salvadoran: Rafael’s younger brother, Marcelo Arevalo, who will partner Mate Pavic in the Cincinnati Open final on Monday against Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen.

“It was like a dream because my brother was at home, and then a few days later, I was watching my brother on TV against Federer, who at that point was dominating everybody. He still was number one in the world. It was crazy,” Arevalo told ATPTour.com. “Seeing my brother playing against Federer, and coming from the same house, the same family, that’s when it kind of hit me, and I said, ‘You know what, I can also become good. If my brother is there, then I can be like my brother’. And that’s when I actually started taking tennis more seriously.”

Tennis was a family affair for the Arevalo’s. They belonged to a beach club in their hometown of Sonsonate, which had two hard tennis courts.

“I was always [playing] against the wall. I was always with my racquet and one tennis ball and playing on the wall. And then my dad, after a long day, he would play with me,” Arevalo said. “It was crazy, because most of the people would go to the beach club to spend time at the beach. [They would] go to the beach and just be in front of the beach, jump in the water, come back, jump in the water again when they get hot, whatever. But we were spending basically the whole Saturday or Sunday at the tennis court, which was on the opposite side of the beach.”

Marcelo was inspired by his brother, who is four years older than him. Rafael would travel to different countries to represent El Salvador as a junior.

“Being the younger brother, I was like, ‘Wow, my brother is representing the country, playing in Guatemala or in Honduras, or Nicaragua, or Costa Rica’. So I kind of got into that world also because of him,” Arevalo said. “I wanted, as a younger brother, to be like my older brother, and he was my idol back in the day. I would say he was the reason that I got into the sport.”

Shortly after Rafael played Federer at the Beijing Olympics, Marcelo, then 18, moved to the capital of El Salvador and began homeschooling so he could train four or five hours per day. He reached a career-high No. 8 in the juniors.

“At the end of the day, you’re still a kid, and then you kind of do whatever your parents or your family push you to or guide you [to do],” Arevalo said. “And I was lucky enough that my family was always supportive and let me follow my dreams.”

After playing some ITF World Tennis Tour events as a teen, Arevalo played college tennis at the University of Tulsa, where he was named Conference USA Player of the Year as a sophomore.

The Salvadoran embarked on a professional career in singles, winning three ATP Challenger Tour titles and reaching No. 139 in the PIF ATP Rankings. But his greatest success has come as a doubles standout.

Arevalo went more than three years without a trophy after winning his first ATP Tour title in 2018 with Miguel Reyes-Varela in Los Cabos. But since partnering Jean-Julien Rojer in 2022, he has become one of the very best doubles players in the world.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2022/11/15/11/17/arevalo-rojer-turin-2022-tuesday.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Marcelo Arevalo/Jean-Julien Rojer” />

The former college tennis player won seven titles with the Dutchman across two seasons (2022-23) and qualified for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals. That season, the pair won Roland Garros, making Arevalo the first Central American Grand Slam champion.

“I feel it’s still not normal and I think that’s something that I would love to keep that way, because I feel like whenever I win something, it doesn’t matter if it’s something big or small,” Arevalo said. “I still feel the same joy from years ago when I won my first ATP 250 back in 2018. In that moment, it was probably the biggest achievement of my career. But nowadays, for example, after I won Hong Kong at the beginning of the year, I felt that same happiness, the same joy, and that’s something that I really like about myself, because I try to enjoy the moment.

“It doesn’t matter if you are on the top or on the bottom, a win is a win, I always think that way. And of course, you’ve got to be grateful when you win big things, big titles like Grand Slams or ATP Masters 1000s. But you always have to also accept, or be aware, that those titles might not come that often.”

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/06/08/18/10/arevalo-pavic-roland-garros-2024-final.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Marcelo Arevalo, Mate Pavic” />

Arevalo has not had to worry about that this year. The Salvadoran has formed a fruitful partnership with Croatian Mate Pavic. They triumphed at Roland Garros and are second in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, well on their way to Nitto ATP Finals qualification.

The 33-year-old has come a long way in the 16 years since he watched his brother play Federer on television.

“It’s amazing. I feel like it’s a whole family dream, a whole family achievement. I think everyone [put in] effort for me to be where I am right now, in terms of dedicating time, investing money,” Arevalo said. “I remember my parents instead of going for vacation would not go because they needed to pay for our tennis travels, send us to tournaments or sometimes for a week to an academy, to try to play with better kids. So it was a whole family effort.

“At the end of the day, maybe I’m the one representing my family in this whole dream, but I see it as a whole family effort, a dream come true.”

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Coric sets clash with defending champion Baez in Winston-Salem

Will this be the year Borna Coric emerges victorious at the Winston-Salem Open? The former No. 12 player in the PIF ATP Rankings made a good start towards that goal on Sunday.

Coric defeated Sumit Nagal 6-4, 6-2 in 70 minutes to reach the second round of the ATP 250 event. The Croatian is now 8-3 at the tournament, including a semi-final showing last year.

“I like the fast conditions, and obviously, also during the day, it’s actually much quicker than when I play at night,” Coric said in his on-court interview. “But I like the city as well. It’s obviously very calm and before I go to New York, I need some calm, so that’s very good.”

After breaking to open the second set, Coric lost his serve in the next game. But the three-time ATP Tour titlist remained undeterred, claiming 89 per cent of his first-serve points and breaking Nagal’s serve four times to move on.

“I knew obviously I didn’t need to panic, because it was still one-all, and I just stayed calm,” Coric said. “I was feeling very good on the court today, so I knew I just needed to be patient and my time would come.”

Coric will next face top seed Sebastian Baez, who lifted the Winston-Salem trophy last year.

[ATP APP]

In the match of the day, Zizou Bergs clawed past big-serving American wild card Reilly Opelka 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(1) in two hours and 20 minutes. The Belgian withstood 14 Opelka aces and saved three of the four break points he faced.

“It’s great. I came early because I lost early in Cincinnati, so I had some time to explore a little bit,” Bergs said. The second-round opponent for sixth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry later added: “I just got my first match with a nice atmosphere. So it was good, night session is always special and nice to get [a win].”

In the top section of the draw, Frenchman Arthur Cazaux overcame Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-6(3). In a match that was interrupted by heavy rain, Cazaux rallied from a 0-3 deficit in the second set to triumph in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting and set a clash with 16th seed Rinky Hijikata.

Australian Aleksandar Vukic hit 11 aces and converted four of his 15 break points to rally past Briton Daniel Evans 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Vukic did not face a break point after the first set according to Infosys ATP Stats and he will next challenge fourth seed Adrian Mannarino.

Hungarian Marton Fucsovics also won a three-setter, battling past Japan’s Taro Daniel 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. He will take on #NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen, who is still in Cincinnati to compete in the ATP Masters 1000 event’s doubles final at 1 p.m. Monday alongside Mackenzie McDonald, who is scheduled to play singles later in the evening in Winston-Salem against Corentin Moutet.

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Sinner battles past Zverev to reach Cincinnati final

Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev on Sunday in a thrilling Cincinnati Open semi-final in which the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings showed both his skill and heart.

Despite limping at times and favouring his hip, which has plagued him recently, the Italian produced stunning shotmaking to oust the 2021 Cincinnati champion 7-6(9), 5-7, 7-6(4) in three hours and seven minutes. The top seed will play 15th seed Holger Rune or home favourite Frances Tiafoe in Monday evening’s championship match.

“Sometimes you have to play a bit with the gut feeling. And I think this today was, my strength,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “[There were] some up and downs, which can happen, especially when you play [for] more than three hours. It was a good match, I think for both of us. He served very, very well, so I can be very proud.”

JANNIK SINNER SURVIVES 🔥@janniksin is into his first #CincyTennis final after defeating Zverev in a 3-set thriller!@CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/KnlPx7Wmhx

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 19, 2024

When Sinner was unable to find a way to close out the match in straight sets and the Italian showed signs of increasing discomfort in his hip, it seemed the consistent Zverev was well-positioned to move within a victory of his second title at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

But instead the World No. 1 produced blistering play to narrow the deficit in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the German to 2-4. He had lost his past four matches against Zverev.

“It means a lot to me. It’s a very different moment, what I’m going through, so I’m very happy about this result,” Sinner said. “The physical aspect, of course, I have to improve, because if I want to win Grand Slams or a bigger title, I have to be, for sure, more in shape. But I just tried to stay there mentally, which I’m very proud [of], and let’s see what’s coming tomorrow.”

After Sinner crushed a forehand return winner up the line on the full stretch to take a 6/3 lead in the final-set tie-break, all Zverev could do was bend over in disbelief. His 23-year-old opponent had taken the match from him at the most critical moment.

Sinner had not advanced past the Round of 16 before this edition. Now he is one victory from claiming a Tour-leading fifth title of the season. 

Zverev had his fair share of opportunities. The 27-year-old served for the first set, but played a sloppy service game to allow his opponent back into it. After rain suspended play, Sinner was then able to save two set points before taking the opener.

An afternoon match suspended by rain turned into an evening match on centre court. Sinner won 64 per cent of his second-serve points compared to 53 per cent for Zverev, which proved key.

“[It was] a tough match, an exciting match. [The] atmosphere has been amazing throughout the whole match,” Sinner said. “Many, many different conditions. We started off with [it] sunny, then after came the rain. Now [it] was night session, so we had a lot of tension for both of us. I’m very happy about this performance, and obviously very happy to be in the final.”

Had Zverev won the title, he would have climbed to No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The German still leads the ATP Tour in wins this season with 52 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

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Spectacular sci-fi with Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford

After a disturbing discovery, replicant hunter K looks for the one person who could help

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#NextGenATP Fonseca & Van Assche, Gasquet, Schwartzman in US Open qualifying draw

Joao Fonseca and Luca Van Assche are among the #NextGenATP stars who will compete in US Open qualifying, which begins Monday in New York.

Fonseca, who won the boys’ singles title at Flushing Meadows one year ago, will try to qualify for his first main draw at a major. The Brazilian, who turns 18 on Wednesday, played qualifying at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at Wimbledon, where he lost in the first round in a final-set tie-break.

The teen will take on ninth seed Lukas Klein in the first round in New York. Fonseca will take confidence from claiming his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Lexington just three weeks ago.

Van Assche, a 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF semi-finalist, will open his campaign against former Top 20 star Pablo Cuevas. 

View Qualifying Draw

There are four former major semi-finalists in qualifying. Diego Schwartzman begins his tournament against Andrea Pellegrino, Richard Gasquet faces Denis Kudla, Aslan Karatsev plays Enzo Couacaud and Lucas Pouille will try to advance past Jaime Faria. Schwartzman and Gasquet could clash in the final round of qualifying.

Hamad Medjedovic, the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion, will try to qualify for his second major main draw of the season (Roland Garros). The Serbian plays Oriol Roca Batalla in the first round.

Other players to watch include top seed Thiago Agustin Tirante, second seed Yannick Hanfmann, Wimbledon standout Jacob Fearnley and in-form Italian Mattia Bellucci. Among the #NextGenATP stars in action will be Vilius Guavas, Henrique Rocha, Coleman Wong, Ethan Quinn, Nishesh Basavareddy, Bruno Kuzuhara and Dino Prizmic.

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How to watch the 2024 US Open

Millions of tennis fans around the world will tune in for the final Grand Slam action of the 2024 season at the US Open, with the main draw to be held from 26 August to 8 September.

The hard-court event, which takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, will feature the ATP Tour’s top stars including the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner, defending champion Novak Djokovic, and Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Select Broadcasters Of The 2024 US Open
United States: ESPN
United Kingdom: Sky Sports
Spain: Telefonica/Movistar
Italy: SuperTennis
Austria/Germany/Switzerland: Sport Deutschland TV
Europe (47 other countries/territories): Eurosport

Click here for a full list of international broadcasters of the 2024 US Open.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Which ATP Tour star notched perfect marks in our Cincinnati champions’ quiz?

The Cincinnati Open this year celebrated its 125th anniversary. That means there were plenty of past champions for our latest ‘Test The Tour’ contestants to choose from as they tried to name a men’s singles champion from each of the past six decades at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov and Felix Auger-Aliassime all sat down to try and seal a pop quiz win in Cincy. While titlists from the 2000s onwards proved naturally proved easier for the participating stars to recall, there was some real uncertainty when it came to earlier eras: “He never won?”, “Oh, wait”, and “I need a call!” were some of the initial reactions from the players.

Despite those difficulties, one ATP star rose to the top with a flawless performance in the Cincinnati quiz. Check out the video below to find out who.

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Sabalenka beats Swiatek to reach Cincinnati final

Aryna Sabalenka defeats top seed Iga Swiatek in straight sets to reach her first Cincinnati Open final.

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US Open 2024: Draws, Dates, History & All You Need To Know

The US Open is one of the four Grand Slams and is set to host the best players in the world for two weeks of the 2024 season. Among those in action will be four-time winner Novak Djokovic, 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner, who sits at the peak of the PIF ATP Rankings.

Here’s what you need to know about the fourth Grand Slam of the year:

When is the US Open?
The US Open will run for two weeks, from 26 August to 8 September. The hard-court tournament first began in Newport in 1881, but has since moved to New York. Flushing Meadows is now the iconic site of the tournament and one of the most famous grounds in world tennis. The tournament director is Stacey Allaster.

Who is playing at the US Open?
Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner are the top contenders for the title this year. Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz are also set to compete.

When is the draw for the US Open?

The US Open draw for the men’s singles will be made on Thursday, 22 August at 12 p.m. The draw for the men’s doubles will be made on Sunday, 25 August at 12 p.m.

What is the schedule for the US Open?

Qualifying: Monday, 19 August – Thursday, 22 August at 11 a.m.
Main Draw: Monday, 26 August – Sunday, 8 September at 11 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Singles Final: Sunday, 8 September at 2 p.m.
Doubles and Mixed Doubles start Wednesday, 28 August
Doubles Final: Saturday, 7 September
Mixed Doubles Final: Thursday, 5 September 

What is the prize money and points for the US Open?

SINGLES
Winner: $3,600,000 / 2000 points
Finalist: $1,8000,000 / 1200 points
Semi-finalist: $1,000,000/ 720 points
Quarter-finalist: $530,000 / 360 points
Round of 16: $325,000 / 180 points
Round of 32: $215,000 / 90 points
Round of 64: $140,000 / 45 points
Round of 128: $100,000/ 10 points
Qualifying: — / 25 points
Qualifying 3: $52,000 / 16 points
Qualifying 2: $38,000 / 8 points
Qualifying 1: $25,000 / 0 points

DOUBLES ($ per pair)

Winner: $750,000 / 2000 points
Finalist: $375,000 / 1200 points
Semi-finalist: $190,000/ 720 points
Quarter-finalist: $110,000 / 360 points
Round of 16: $63,000 / 180 points
Round of 32: $40,000 / 90 points
Round of 64: $25,000 / 0 points

MIXED DOUBLES ($ per pair)

Winner: $200,000
Finalist: $100,000
Semi-finalist: $50,000
Quarter-finalist: $27,500
Round of 16: $16,500
Round of 32: $10,000

How can I watch the US Open?
TV Schedule

How can I follow the US Open?

Instagram: usopen
Facebook: US Open Tennis Championships
Twitter: @usopen
YouTube: US Open Tennis Championships
Hashtag: #USOpen

Who won last year’s edition of the US Open?
Djokovic contested last year’s singles final with Medvedev. The Serbian came out on top, defeating Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 to attain his fourth US Open title. In the doubles, home favourite Rajeev Ram and his partner Joe Salisbury overcame Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to claim a third consecutive US Open title.

Who holds the US Open record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Jimmy Connors (5), Roger Federer (5), Pete Sampras (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Mike Bryan (6)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 35, in 1970
Youngest Champion: Pete Sampras, 19, in 1990
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Jimmy Connors in 1974, 1976, 1978, No. 1 John McEnroe in 1981, 1984, No. 1 Ivan Lendl in 1986-87, No. 1 Pete Sampras in 1996, No. 1 Roger Federer in 2004-07, No. 1 Rafael Nadal in 2010, 2017, No. 1 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)

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

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