Tennis News

Alcaraz, 17, Qualifies For Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz will take his place in the Australian Open main draw next month after successfully qualifying on Wednesday in Doha.

The 17-year-old Spaniard got off to strong starts in both sets to beat second-seeded Bolivian Hugo Dellien 6-2, 6-3. Alcaraz won 73 per cent of his first-service points to become the first player born in 2003 to qualify for a Grand Slam championship.

The #NextGenATP Spaniard is the youngest player inside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and has built upon an impressive finish to the 2020 season. Across his final six ATP Challenger Tour events in 2020, Alcaraz compiled a 20-3 record and won three trophies from four finals.

Sergiy Stakhovsky, 35, also came through the qualifying competition, which has been held this year in Doha due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ukrainian worked his way past Dane Sweeny of Australia 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, converting four of 13 break points for a place in the main draw for the first time since 2016.

Serbia’s Viktor Troicki, 34, also clinched his main draw spot after a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 11 seed Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, but 36-year-old Dustin Brown lost out to American Maxime Cressy, who qualifies for the Australian Open for the first time, after hitting 14 aces in a 7-6(5), 6-4 win.

Former World No. 17 Bernard Tomic became the only Australian man to qualify for the main draw after he edged past his compatriot, John-Patrick Smith, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(7). The 28-year-old, who has qualified for the first time, reached the fourth round of the main draw in 2012, 2015 and 2016.

Sweden’s Elias Ymer will compete in the main draw for the first time since 2018 after he knocked out Taro Daniel of Japan 6-1, 6-2 in the final qualifying round. Portugal’s Frederico Ferreira Silva will make his Grand Slam championship debut after he beat top seed Gregoire Barrere of France 6-3, 6-4.

Belgium’s Kimmer Coppejans swept past seventh seed Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-2, 6-0 and American Michael Mmoh defeated Arthur Rinderknech of France 6-3, 7-6(3). France’s Quentin Halys got the better of Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4.

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Australian Open: Francesca Jones qualifies for first Grand Slam tournament

Francesca Jones qualifies for a Grand Slam for the first time with an easy victory over Lu Jiajing in Australian Open qualifying.

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De Minaur Clinches Antalya Crown

Alex de Minaur captured the fourth ATP Tour singles title of his career on Wednesday at the Antalya Open. The fourth-seeded Australian was leading eight seed Alexander Bublik 2-0 in the first set, when the Kazakhstani retired after seven minutes of the final.

“I knew I’d put in a great pre-season, I felt good and ready to compete,” said De Minaur. “I gave myself the best possible chance to go deep in this tournament.

“I have got matches at the start of the year. I am very happy with my level. I got some quality wins and now I’m looking forward to returning to Australia, where I hope to have a good Aussie summer in front of a home crowd.”

Bublik attempted to play after extensive physio, but had twisted his right ankle on Tuesday in his semi-final victory over Jeremy Chardy of France.

The World No. 49 told ATPTour.com, “I twisted my ankle yesterday and finished with an adrenaline rush for the best win of my life. I was so lucky to win. I tried to play. I was in the physio room for three hours yesterday and I tried to get ready for the match today. It’s hard for me in my third ATP Tour final, and I’ve never gotten the win.”

De Minaur, 21, adds to the three ATP Tour hard-court titles he won in 2019 at the Sydney International (d. Seppi), the Truist Atlanta Open (d. Fritz) and at the Zhuhai Championships (d. Mannarino). It was his first final since October 2020 at the European Open in Antwerp (l. to Humbert).

This week, De Minaur beat Malek Jaziri of Tunisia in the first round, Bulgarian qualifier Adrian Andreev in the second round, sixth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in the quarter-finals and second-seeded Belgian David Goffin in the semi-finals at the Limak Arcadia Sport Resort in Antalya.

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Hurkacz Hails Swiatek Success: ‘It’s Really Nice To Be Polish’

Polish No. 1 Hubert Hurkacz is taking inspiration from his country’s biggest tennis champion, Iga Swiatek, as he heads into Wednesday’s final at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

Fourth-seeded Hurkacz has not dropped a set all week, and his success continued against qualifier Christian Harrison with a tight 7-6(4), 6-4 victory to reach his first ATP Tour final since 2019.

Although the match took place in a small town in South Florida, Hurkacz looked right at home. The stands – were dotted with red and white flags as a small but vocal contingent of Polish fans braved the damp conditions to support him in his Delray Beach debut. The tournament has offered limited attendance at the 2021 edition (under 25 per cent capacity) to adhere to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

“It’s amazing that I can represent Poland and also that the Polish people are coming and supporting us playing,” Hurkacz said. “Whether that’s [here in Delray Beach] or in Sydney, Australia for the ATP Cup. So it’s really nice to be Polish.”

After the match, Hurkacz also recognised fellow Polish tennis player Swiatek as “a huge inspiration” after the 19-year-old ended their country’s long wait for a Grand Slam singles champion last year at Roland Garros.

“What she did at the French Open was unbelievable and a huge inspiration,” he said. “It’s amazing what she has done, winning a Grand Slam not being seeded and playing the way she played. So that’s really inspiring for all of Poland what she did achieve.”

Hurkacz will also hope to emulate Swiatek’s world-beating performance as he chases his second ATP Tour trophy; the WTA World No. 17 didn’t lose a set during her run in Paris, a feat Hurkacz is one match away from repeating at the ATP 250 event.

“I congratulated her, but we didn’t meet in person after her success,” Hurkacz admitted. “But for sure I’m going to talk to her at the Australian Open.”

As he gears up to take on Sebastian Korda for a shot at the Delray Beach trophy, Hurkacz hopes his strong performance will set him up for success in Melbourne. Ranked No. 35 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Hurkacz is closing in on a seeded spot at the year’s first Grand Slam.

“For sure that can help me in the first rounds, because you know you’re not going to face Rafa [Nadal] and Novak [Djokovic],” he explained. “Hopefully in the future I can be a bit of a higher seed, because then you’re facing the top guys in the third round.

“But obviously this is a step forward. I want to be playing better and better.” 

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#NextGenATP Korda Races Into First Final At Delray Beach

#NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda booked his spot in this first ATP Tour final with a commanding victory over Cameron Norrie at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old saw two match points come and go late in the second set as Norrie dug his heels in, but the American stayed calm to close it out two games later to win 6-3, 7-5 after an hour and 22 minutes.

“I’m fired up right now, I couldn’t be happier,” Korda said in his on-court interview.

Coming into his first clash against the Brit, World No. 119 Korda looked as comfortable as a veteran as he kept pace with a player ranked 45 spots higher. The American revealed his team’s unique way of preparing for the lefty’s tricky game.

“I warmed up with my coach, he hits the flattest ball possible, so that worked out today,” Korda said. “[Norrie] has a super tricky game. His backhand cross is world class, and his forehand once he gets it rolling cross it’s hard to defend. I’m super happy with the way I stayed aggressive and played the whole match.”

It was Korda who claimed the opening break at 3-1, and set the tone for the match as he stayed calm when Norrie grabbed the break straight back. The American raised his level and stayed on the run to chase down everything Norrie sent his way, finally claiming the decisive service break at 5-3 to close out the opening set.

Korda earned another early break at 3-2, but struggled in the second set as he served for his first spot in an ATP Tour final. A tentative game at 5-4 gave Norrie the foothold he needed to save two match points and level the score. But as in the first set, Korda didn’t panic, and crossed the finish line two games later.

“At 5-4, two match points… he played one good point but then I threw in a double fault,” Korda acknowledged. “But other than that, I played a really good match and I’m super happy with it.”

Korda will take on fourth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz for the first time in the Delray Beach final. The Polish player defeated qualifier Christian Harrison 7-6(4), 6-4 earlier in the day to advance to his second ATP Tour final.

A hug from dad ?@SebiKorda #DBOpen pic.twitter.com/FXzoZpIvii

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 13, 2021

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Del Potro Honours Late Father With Emotional Letter

Daniel del Potro, the father of Juan Martin del Potro, passed away on Monday at the age of 63. A veterinarian by profession, he had undergone a heart operation in mid-December and his health had been fragile from that moment on.

Del Potro senior always kept a low profile and accompanied his son from an early age as he competed in all sorts of national tournaments across Argentina during his junior days, until Juan Martin began to take his own first steps on the ATP Tour. 

Usually very reserved, the former World No. 3 gave him an emotional sendoff on Tuesday with a letter shared on social media. “You’ve left us here with a broken heart, but we know that you are resting in peace like you deserve,” Juan Martin wrote. “Now you have joined your other angel, and I ask that you please watch over my mom, my sister and me from above.

“You are our true and only champion. Thank you for raising me with values, with honesty, with sacrifice and for doing the impossible for me to be able to achieve my dream of being a tennis player. I don’t know how I’ll live without your presence, but I’ll definitely apply everything that you taught me to never give up. I love you pa!!” he wrote.

Condolences have been poured in for Del Potro from friends, fans and around the tennis world.

 

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A post shared by Juan Martin del Potro (@delpotrojuan)

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Hurkacz Halts Harrison To Reach Delray Beach Final

Fourth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz ended qualifier Christian Harrison’s fairytale run with a straight sets victory on Tuesday to take the first spot in the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com final.

The 23-year-old from Poland has not lost a set all week, showing the quality that took him to the Winston-Salem Open title back in 2019. Hurkacz edged past 7-6(4), 6-4 in an hour 34 minutes against Harrison, the American ranked No. 789 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after undergoing eight surgeries throughout a snake-bitten career.

“Very happy to win this match today,” Hurkacz said in his on-court interview. “I mean, Christian played pretty amazing throughout the whole tournament. He qualified here and had his best results on the ATP Tour. Especially after all he came through, all the surgeries, it’s really great for him. He played a really amazing match.”

Harrison was playing his eighth match in Delray Beach after fighting past the qualifying rounds and reaching the semi-finals in both singles and doubles. Coming into the match against Hurkacz, the American had spent nearly 11 hours on court this week, compared to two and a half for his opponent. But he showed no signs of fatigue as he kept pace with the Polish player in a serve-dominated opening set.

There was just one break point on offer across the first 12 games: on Harrison’s serve in the second game of the contest. Hurkacz and Harrison marched steadily into tie-break, where the Polish player finally broke through after winning a few inch-perfect baseline battles.

“I didn’t have many opportunities in the first set,” Hurkacz said. “Then it came to a tiebreaker, and he started really well but then I won these really long rallies. That helped me and helped me get some momentum, so that was really crucial for the second set.”

Even as the damp conditions paused play momentarily, Hurkacz returned just as focused as he took advantage of a dip in Harrison’s serve to claim the first break of the match for a 4-3 lead. Harrison raised his level to respond with a break straight back, but the 26-year-old couldn’t maintain it as Hurkacz broke to love before taking the match 7-6(4), 6-4 to seal his spot in the final.

He awaits the winner of Cameron Norrie and Sebastian Korda, who are both looking to claim their first ATP Tour title in Delray Beach.

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Brown, Stakhovsky & Troicki On Brink Of Australian Open Qualification

Three ATP Tour veterans — Dustin Brown, Sergiy Stakhovsky and Viktor Troicki — all stand one victory away from qualifying for the Australian Open. The qualifying competition is being held in Doha due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brown, 36, who is bidding to compete in the main draw for the first time in three years, struck eight aces and won 80 per cent of his first-service points to beat No. 22 seed Carlos Taberner 6-3, 7-5 on Tuesday. He will next play Maxime Cressy, who fired 21 aces to overcome Yannick Maden 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Stakhovsky, 36, who last played in the main draw in 2016, recovered from 1-5 down in the first set to beat Jason Kubler 7-6(4), 6-4 and now plays another Australian, Dane Sweeny, in the final qualifying round on Wednesday.

Troicki, a month shy of his 35th birthday, knocked out Ulises Blanch 7-5, 6-3. The Serbian, who reached the third round of the Australian Open in 2011 and 2015-17, will next face No. 11 seed Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, who defeated Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, former World No. 17 Bernard Tomic saved one match point at 4-5, 30/40 in the deciding set to edge past Tristan Schoolkate in a final 10-point tie-break, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(3). He will next challenge his fellow Australian, John-Patrick Smith, who beat Tallon Griekspoor 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Former World No. 23 Damir Dzumhur, who competed in the main draw third round in 2014 and 2018, defeated Julian Lenz 6-2, 6-2 and the seventh seed now meets Kimmer Coppejans.

Fifth seed Taro Daniel was a 6-3, 6-4 victor over Maximilian Marterer and now plays Elias Ymer, who defeated No. 27 seed Marc-Andrea Huesler 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. Robin Haase also overcame Gian Marco Moroni 6-4, 7-5 and now plays Quentin Halys in the final qualifying round.

Carlos Alcaraz bounced back from a slow start in both sets to beat Evgeny Karlovskiy 7-6(1), 7-6(4). He will next face second seed Hugo Dellien, who beat Andrew Harris 6-4, 7-6(6). Michael Mmoh saved two match points at 4-5 in the third set to scrape past Zhe Li 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(7) and he now prepares to face Arthur Rinderknech.

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Mektic/Pavic Complete Debut Week With Antalya Trophy

One week into the 2021 ATP Tour season and new team Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have captured their first team trophy.

The top-seeded Croatian team completed a dream week at the Antalya Open on Tuesday by beating second seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek 6-2, 6-4 in the doubles final, which lasted 67 minutes.

“It’s a great start and couldn’t be any better, especially because it’s our first tournament together,” Mektic told ATPTour.com.

Pavic told ATPTour.com, “It’s always great to start the year like this as we’ve never played together before. It’s good to get a lot of matches and the goal, for me, is always to reach the [Nitto] ATP Finals, which was in London and now in Torino. It’s a good way to start.”

Mektic and Pavic threatened throughout the first set, breaking serve in the third and seventh games. The new team were unable to convert a deciding Deuce point at 1-1 in the second set, but decisively broke for a 3-2 advantage and didn’t look back.

Mektic, who partnered Wesley Koolhof to the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals crown, is now 9-8 in tour-level finals, while 27-year-old Pavic picks up his 18th trophy (18-22 record in finals).

Croatian Dodig and Slovakian Polasek are now 2-3 as a team in ATP Tour finals, having captured two crowns in 2019 at the Western & Southern Open and the China Open. Dodig and Pavic finished runner-up in September last year at the Hamburg European Open (l. to Peers/Venus).

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Bublik Bounces Back In Antalya, Now Plays De Minaur For Title

Alexander Bublik dominated on serve early on, but was ultimately forced to work hard on Tuesday for a place in the Antalya Open final.

The eighth-seeded Kazakhstani eventually beat Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in two hours and five minutes for a place in his third ATP Tour title match (also 2019 Newport and Chengdu).

After the match, Bublik admitted: “I got injured in the middle of the match and considered pulling out, but I said myself, ‘Okay, I will give it a try.’ I then served unbelievably, the best since Chengdu 2019. I served almost every serve full power and I was lucky to win the match.”

Bublik will next face fourth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur for the first time. De Minaur overcame second seed David Goffin of Belgium earlier in the day.

Bublik led by a set and 4-2 before Chardy fought back to lead 5-4 in the second set. Chardy then held on to save two break points at 5-5 then produced a strong performance in the tie-break, which ended when Bublik struck his seventh double fault.

In the deciding set, 23-year-old Bublik saved six break points — two in the first game and four at 3-3 — before he broke Chardy for a 5-3 advantage.

Bublik recorded the second biggest win of his career on Monday by beating World No. 10 Matteo Berrettini in the Antalya quarter-finals. Chardy, 33, had been bidding to reach the fourth ATP Tour final of his career (2009 Johannesburg, 2009 Stuttgart and 2018 ‘s-Hertogenbosch).

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