Tennis News

Vesely Takes His Chances, Beats Sandgren In Nur-Sultan

Czech Jiri Vesely worked hard to break down fifth-seeded American Tennys Sandgren’s game on Tuesday for a place in the Astana Open second round.

Vesely saved all five break points he faced and hit nine aces in a 6-4, 7-6(7) victory over one hour and 40 minutes. He saved one set point at 6/7 in the second set tie-break with a big serve. Sandgren won 36 of 43 first-service points overall and hit 13 aces.

“It was a very tough match, as Tennys has had very good results on hard courts,” said Vesely, in an on-court interview. “He was a tough opponent for the first round, but I’ve been feeling good. I just focused on my serve and waited for my chance. The surface is pretty fast, so it’s difficult to return and I waited for one or two chances in the tie-break. I was a little bit lucky at the end.”

The World No. 66 next plays Belarusian Egor Gerasimov, the player he beat 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-3 in the Tata Open Maharashtra final on 9 February. Gerasimov knocked out Lloyd Harris of South Africa 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) in just over two hours in the Nur-Sultan first round.

Elsewhere, Japan’s Yuichi Sugita saved seven of 10 break points to beat fellow qualifier Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes. He now challenges third-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, who broke into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings on 24 August, recorded his fourth tour-level win of the year over Kazakhstani wild card Timofey Skatov 6-2, 6-0 in one hour and now faces eighth seed Jordan Thompson of Australia.

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Greatness Revisited: Djokovic Reflects On Hero Sampras

The following is an excerpt from Steve Flink’s new book ‘Pete Sampras Greatness Revisited’, which will be officially released on 1 September. Flink reflects on Pete’s sparkling career and his extraordinary domination of the 1990s, writing extensively about the American’s 14 major titles and his record six year-end finishes at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The author interviewed Sampras for many hours, but also spoke with more than 20 other notable individuals in the game including Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Goran Ivanisevic, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Patrick Rafter and Novak Djokovic. He interviewed coaches Paul Annacone, Tom Gullikson and Robert Lansdorp. This portrait of Sampras reaffirms why he was one of the central figures in the history of tennis and what set him apart as a champion, who, in many ways, was larger than the game he played.

In this excerpt, Flink writes about Sampras’ first Wimbledon title in 1993 and the impression it left on Novak Djokovic, who watched on television at home.

The 1993 Wimbledon final between Pete Sampras and Jim Courier took place on a stiflingly hot day. Sampras — much like Novak Djokovic in later years — was uncomfortable in the extreme heat. He could play through it with his own will and stout heart, but it was a tougher task. The heat complicated his challenge against Courier, a fighter through and through with astounding physicality.

Watching the match from his home nation in Serbia was a six-year-old Djokovic, a kid with a large imagination and even a sense of destiny about his future in the sport.

Djokovic recalled when he spoke to me for my book ‘Pete Sampras — Greatness Revisited’, “I was six and watching Pete play this Wimbledon final. The first video image of professional tennis I had was Pete winning this final over Courier in 93’. I was so amazed with his skills and his composure and the whole setting of watching him play on the most sacred court of the sport. I just fell in love with everything. When you are that young, you believe in everything. You live through your dreams and your dreams are your reality. You have that moment of, let’s say, a revelation when you just know that one day it is going to be you holding that trophy.”

Elaborating on that theme, Djokovic said, “I really felt that day watching Pete that it was kind of a higher power instilled in me. I just kind of received that information from above. It is just one of those things that you can’t explain. You just feel it and know it deep inside. But for me, Pete was the guy. I was actually doing my impersonations from very early stages of my tennis career and by the time I was seven, a year after the Wimbledon final Pete played against Courier, I started impersonating the top players and taking the best shots from each one of the top guys. But with Pete, even though our tennis styles were quite different, I still looked at him as my idol. And what impressed me the most about watching him that day in the Wimbledon 93’ final — and later on — was his ability to stay present and stay calm at the most decisive moments, to be mentally tough when it matters the most. That is what separates him as one of the greatest tennis players ever to hold a racquet.”

Djokovic came away from observing Sampras beat Courier in that Wimbledon final of 1993 with a lasting admiration for his hero. He explained, “I was his big fan. I remember when my Dad and I would watch tennis, he would cheer for Agassi and Courier even though he liked Pete more at the time. That was because of me and my feelings. He was purposefully cheering for Agassi and Courier so he could provoke me and trigger me. In those days especially, I was such an avid fan of Pete and I kept following his results. When I got the chance to hit a few balls with him at Indian Wells in 2010 it was amazing when I saw him coming my way because I felt a flashback of my entire childhood and all those moments of supporting him and looking up to him. Here was my idol coming up to me, shaking my hand and acknowledging me.”

With the young Djokovic sitting in front of a television screen watching, Sampras and Courier went out onto the Centre Court on the balmy afternoon of July 4, 1993 and both men were ready for the appointment. It was a high-quality contest as Sampras won the most important tournament in all of tennis for the first time, prevailing 7-6(3), 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-3. He had at long last collected a second major title, moving past his anxiety to reward himself handsomely with a hard-earned triumph that would put him into a different sphere of the sport from that point forward.

Pete Sampras Greatness Revisited can be ordered on Amazon.

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Rublev Rolls, Shapovalov Stunned In Vienna

It was a mixed day for Nitto ATP Finals contenders at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Monday, as Andrey Rublev cruised through to the second round and Denis Shapovalov exited the tournament with a straight-sets loss.

In the opening match of the evening session, Rublev added a 35th win to his 2020 total with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Norbert Gombos. The Russian, who owns a 35-7 record in 2020, struck 11 aces and converted three of four break points to advance to the second round in one hour. #NextGenATP Austrian Jurij Rodionov eliminated eighth seed Shapovalov 6-4, 7-5 in the final match of the day.

Rublev is chasing his third ATP 500 crown and fifth overall title of the year. The World No. 8 has already picked up trophies at the 500-level in Hamburg and St. Petersburg this season.

”I was really lucky to start [well] from the beginning, it gave me more confidence,” said Rublev in an on-court interview. “Each game, I was playing better and better. At the end of the match, I finished with a good level.”

Hitting all the high notes ?@AndreyRublev97 races past Norbert Gombos 6-3 6-2 for his 35th win of 2020. #erstebankopen pic.twitter.com/ycf0922CHq

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 26, 2020

Rublev is in pole position to claim one of two remaining qualification spots at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. The fifth seed will need to reach the semi-finals in Vienna to add to his FedEx ATP Battle For London total this week. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev have already qualified for the elite eight-man event, which will be held at The O2 from 15-22 November.

”I have no expectations at all [in Vienna]. Just to give my best in every match and we will see what happens,” said Rublev. “I did already a really great season, so [there is] nothing to lose.”

Shapovalov’s hopes of joining Rublev in the second round and boosting his chances of qualifying for London were ended by Rodionov, who converted three of four break points and won 12 of 17 net points to mark a memorable debut appearance in Vienna.

Rodionov has captured two ATP Challenger Tour trophies this year (Dallas, Morelos) and recently claimed his first tour-level win at Roland Garros. The 6’3” left-hander dropped just two points behind his second serve in the second set (10/12) to stay ahead in the score and the pressure told when Shapovalov served to stay in the match at 5-6. The Canadian, currently in 12th position in the FedEx ATP Battle For London, committed four errors — including two doubles faults — to exit the tournament.

Kevin Anderson saved three consecutive match points to claim his 10th tournament victory in Vienna (10-4). The 2018 champion trailed 3/6 in the final-set tie-break, but reeled off five straight points to overcome Dennis Novak in two hours and 44 minutes.

Anderson will meet World No. 15 Pablo Carreno Busta in the second round. The US Open semi-finalist was leading Gael Monfils 6-1, 2-0, when the Frenchman was forced to retire due to a neck injury.

Borna Coric extended his unbeaten ATP Head2Head record against Taylor Fritz to 4-0 on Monday. The 23-year-old saved all three break points he faced to earn a 6-4, 6-4 win and improved to 15-10 this year. Coric will face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or Filip Krajinovic in the second round.

On Tuesday, three former Grand Slam champions are in action. Top seed Novak Djokovic plays fellow Serbian Filip Krajinovic second match on centre court, followed by second seed and reigning US Open champion Dominic Thiem, who tackles 23-year-old Ukrainian Vitaliy Sachko. Three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka meets Chilean Cristian Garin in the final match of the day.

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Pavic/Soares Up And Running In Vienna

Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares began their title bid at the Erste Bank Open on Monday with a 7-6(7), 6-3 victory against Karol Drzewiecki and Szymon Walkow.

Competing for the first time together since their runner-up finish at Roland Garros, the top seeds won 77 per cent of service points (49/64) to reach the quarter-finals in 81 minutes. Pavic and Soares could face the team which beat them in the Roland Garros championship match — Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies — in their next match. The Germans open their campaign against European Open champions John Peers and Michael Venus.

Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury needed a Match Tie-break to defeat Grigor Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 3-6, 10-6. The Australian Open titlists will meet Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski in the quarter-finals.

The Brits, who are currently in eighth place in the FedEx ATP Battle For London, boosted their chances of Nitto ATP Finals qualification with a 7-5, 6-7(1), 10-5 win against home favourites Dominic Thiem and Dennis Novak.

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From Court To Course: Nadal Shines In Balearic Golf Championship

For years, Rafael Nadal has taken on the challenge of carrying his Roland Garros success to grass events on the ATP Tour. After his 13th title run at Roland Garros earlier this month, the Spaniard kept the tradition alive with an interesting twist in 2020.

Competing alongside a mix of professionals and fellow amateurs, the 20-time Grand Slam champion stepped onto the turf and switched his tennis racquets for golf clubs at the Balaeric Golf Championship. Nadal, who owns a 0.3 handicap, finished the 60-player event in joint sixth position on Monday, 10 shots behind tournament winner Sebastian Garcia Grout in the final standings.

Across three rounds, Nadal carded scores of 74, 74 and 77 to end the event nine over par. The results of the tournament will count towards the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

After showcasing impressive form on the golf course, Nadal will now turn his attention back to tennis for his ATP Tour return at next week’s Rolex Paris Masters. The 34-year-old will aim to capture his first title at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament and equal Novak Djokovic’s record haul of 36 titles at the level.

The Spaniard will be joined in the draw by US Open champion Dominic Thiem, reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and World No. 6 Daniil Medvedev.

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Astana Open: Cameron Norrie spurns match point out in first-round exit

Britain’s Cameron Norrie misses out on a match point and loses to Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Astana Open.

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Tiafoe Gains Moutet Revenge In Nur-Sultan

Frances Tiafoe made a strong start to his Astana Open campaign on Monday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Corentin Moutet in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

Just two weeks after his loss to Moutet at the Forte Village Sardegna Open, Tiafoe struck 24 winners to advance in 82 minutes. The 22-year-old dominated rallies of under five shots (44-25) and attacked Moutet’s forehand in key moments to earn his place in the second round.

“I played really well tonight,” said Tiafoe in an on-court interview. “I was really intense from the beginning… I am just happy I came and took care of business.”

Tiafoe will meet second seed Miomir Kecmanovic for a place in the quarter-finals. The American defeated Kecmanovic in his only previous tour-level ATP Head2Head clash against the Serbian at last year’s Miami Open presented by Itau.

“[Miomir] is one of my better friends on Tour,” said Tiafoe. “He is a year younger than me and we have had a couple of good matches before. He has been playing really good. He is around his career high right now and I am climbing back. Obviously, we wouldn’t usually play in the second round of an ATP 250, but it is the way it is right now. It is going to be a really good match.”

Tiafoe’s countryman Tommy Paul also advanced with a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory against Stefano Travaglia of Italy. The seventh seed saved six of eight break points to improve to 13-11 this year after one hour and 35 minutes. Paul will meet Radu Albot of Moldova for a spot in the quarter-finals. Albot rallied from a set down to defeat Dmitry Popko of Kazakhstan 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Fernando Verdasco extended his unbeaten ATP Head2Head record against James Duckworth to 3-0 with a 6-4, 7-6(5) win in Nur-Sultan. The Spaniard will face fourth seed John Millman in the second round.

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Basel: Where Former Ball Kid Federer Has Won 10 Titles

Established in 1970, the Swiss Indoors Basel is one of three Swiss ATP Tour events alongside the Gonet Geneva Open and the Swiss Open Gstaad.

The ATP 500 would have been played this week if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the tournament.

Honour Roll
Half of the 26 players to occupy the World No. 1 position in the FedEx ATP Rankings have competed in a Swiss Indoors Basel championship match. Hometown favourite Roger Federer leads the way with a tournament record 10 titles, while former top-ranked stars Ivan Lendl (1980-’81), Stefan Edberg (1985-’86, ’88) and Jim Courier (1989, ’95) won the event on multiple occasions.

Bjorn Borg (1977), John McEnroe (1990), Boris Becker (1992), Pete Sampras (1996) and Novak Djokovic (2009) also claimed single victories at the ATP 500. Another four former World No. 1 players — Ilie Nastase (1975), Mats Wilander (1982), Andre Agassi (1998) and Rafael Nadal (2015) — have finished as runner-up in Basel.

In doubles, five players share the titles record with four tournament victories. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan own the team record with four team trophies (2002, ’04, ’07, ’10), while Tomas Smid (1983-’84, ’87-’88), Daniel Nestor (2003, ’06, ’09, ’12) and Nenad Zimonjic (2009, ’11-’12, ’14) have also won the trophy on four occasions with multiple partners.

From Ball Kid To 10-Time Champion
For two years, Federer was a ball kid at his home event. The Swiss rode his bike to the tournament site and got the chance to share the court with the biggest stars in the game. Following the 1993 championship match, champion Michael Stich awarded Federer with a medal for his service to the event, a ball kid tradition that runs to this day.

“I loved being a ball boy here,” Federer told Tennis TV. “I was able to see the best players in the world firsthand and see how they would prepare, how they would sweat, how they dealt with the pressure. They’re good moments for me.”

Five years after meeting Stich as a ball kid, Federer made his main draw debut against Andre Agassi in the 1998 first round. It took the Swiss eight years before he claimed his first Basel trophy. The 2000 and 2001 runner-up captured the Basel crown for the first time in 2006 with a straight-sets triumph against Fernando Gonzalez.

That tournament appearance marked the beginning of a dominant era for Federer at St. Jakobshalle Basel. Federer has reached the Basel final in every appearance he has made at the tournament since his first title run. Between 2006 and 2019, the 20-time Grand Slam champion made 13 tournament appearances, winning 10 titles from 13 finals with a 61-3 record.

Federer’s Pizza Parties
Alongside the annual practice of presenting ball kids with medals to honour their work in Basel, Federer began his own tradition at the ATP 500 in 2006: post-final pizza parties. Since his first title run, the Basel native has hosted a pizza party with ball kids in every year he has reached the championship match. Fortunately for ball kids, Federer has made the final in every year he has competed at the event since he began the tradition.

Novak Ends Roger’s Run
Federer entered the 2009 championship match chasing his fourth title and 20th consecutive win at his home event. But he was stopped by one of the brightest emerging talents on the ATP Tour: 22-year-old tournament debutant Novak Djokovic.

The pair was meeting for the fifth time in 2009 (tied at 2-2) and it was Djokovic who found a way to earn his third ATP Head2Head victory of the year against his rival in a three-set battle.

“It is an even bigger achievement than just a win, winning against him in his own city and his own country,” said Djokovic. “I understand that there was a huge amount of pressure on him to win today… I think we played a great match and I am really satisfied with this week.”

Djokovic returned the following year and booked another final meeting with Federer. On that occasion, the Swiss emerged victorious in three sets to move clear of Edberg and become the first player to win four Basel trophies.

Del Potro Goes Back-To-Back In Basel
Since 2006, Federer has lost just three of his 64 matches in Basel. Juan Martin del Potro inflicted two of those defeats in back-to-back championship matches. The Argentine contested consecutive three-set finals against Federer in 2012 and 2013 and held his nerve late in deciding sets to claim multiple trophies.

“The fans were cheering for him a lot, but they also respected me. They made a fantastic atmosphere,” said Del Potro after the 2013 final. “I think we played the best match of the tournament today.”

Federer gained his revenge four years later in the 2017 final, rallying from a set down to deny the former World No. 3 a third title. The pair has met on four occasions at the tournament, with both players earning two victories.

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Alcaraz Back In Action: 17-Year-Old Targets Spanish Trifecta In Marbella

If Carlos Alcaraz is to win a third straight ATP Challenger Tour title and further etch his name in the record books, the 17-year-old will certainly have earned it.

The Spaniard faces a gauntlet of clay-court stars at this week’s tournament in Marbella, including top seed Federico Coria and countryman Pedro Martinez. Coria and Martinez are two of four Top 100 players competing at the AnyTech365 Marbella Tennis Open, along with Gianluca Mager and Roberto Carballes Baena. Coria, Martinez and Carballes Baena all reached the third round at Roland Garros earlier this month.

Alcaraz has taken the Challenger circuit by storm in recent weeks, adding two more titles to his growing haul. At the age of 17 years and five months, he became the youngest player in history to lift trophies in back-to-back weeks, dominating in Barcelona and Alicante. Sitting at a career-high No. 136 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, the Murcia native is not only targeting a sweep of his home Challengers, but is hoping to move even closer to that coveted Top 100 breakthrough.

His first task is an encounter with Italy’s Lorenzo Giustino on Tuesday. Last month, Giustino qualified at Roland Garros, where he overcame Corentin Moutet 18-16 in the fifth set for his first Grand Slam victory. Also in the top half of the draw is former World No. 5 Tommy Robredo and sixth seed Jaume Munar, who lifted the trophy in Lisbon a week ago. Alcaraz could potentially face Munar in the second round, with Carballes Baena looming in the quarter-finals and Coria in the semis.

The Club de Tenis Puente Romano hosts the third edition of the AnyTech365 Marbella Tennis Open

Alcaraz, who leads the ATP Challenger Tour with 20 match wins since the COVID-19 restart on 17 August, carries a 10-match win streak into Marbella. Another title would see him join Richard Gasquet as the only players to lift four or more trophies before their 18th birthday.

Meanwhile, Martinez and Mager lead the charge in the bottom half of the draw. Despite falling to Alcaraz in the Alicante final a week ago, Martinez is one of the hottest players in this week’s field. The Spaniard cracked the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings after qualifying for his first ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome and surging to the third round in Paris.

Also residing in the bottom half is the other 17-year-old in the field: Holger Rune. The Danish teen is a former junior No. 1 and 2019 Roland Garros boys’ champion.

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From Clay To Carpet: Huesler Captures Second Straight Title

It’s one of the unique aspects of life on the ATP Challenger Tour. Twice a year, a once-extinct surface comes to life. In 2008, carpet courts made their last appearance on the ATP Tour, but the indoor synthetic material is still alive on the Challenger circuit. Every October, Germany hosts a pair of tournaments on the surface in the cities of Ismaning and Eckental.

Carpet is typically one of the fastest types of courts, featuring a low bounce. That makes what Marc-Andrea Huesler achieved even more special, as the Swiss claimed back-to-back titles on the slow outdoor clay of Sibiu, Romania and slick indoor carpet courts of Ismaning. He lifted the trophy at the Wolffkran Open in Ismaning on Sunday, rallying from a set and a break down to defeat Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 7-5.

“I grew up in Switzerland and we’re used to playing on carpet in the winter,” said Huesler. “It’s actually something that suits me, at least with some aspects of my game like my serve. With my backhand I wish I had a little more time, but overall I like the surface.”

Moving from one surface to another is never easy, but lifting trophies on clay and carpet in consecutive tournaments is quite impressive. Since returning from the tour’s COVID-19 hiatus, Huesler has been a Swiss sensation, securing a combined 17 wins from 20 matches on the Challenger circuit and ATP Tour. After streaking to his first tour-level semi-final at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel a month ago, the 24-year-old carried the momentum to Sibiu, where he lifted his second ATP Challenger Tour trophy. And then, competing in his first non-clay event in exactly one year, he would proceed to capture his third Challenger crown in Ismaning.

After earning three-set wins over Dustin Brown and Brayden Schnur, he defeated #NextGenATP star Sebastian Korda and fourth seed Antoine Hoang to reach the championship. There, Huesler fired 19 aces to edge Van de Zandschulp after two hours and 18 minutes.

“I was struggling early, but I tried to stay in the match with my serve,” Huesler added. “In the end, it could have gone either way and it was just a few points either way that decided it. That’s tennis. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do and you just have to stay focused. I was a break down in the second and then a break up in the third before he came back. It was up and down like this for the whole match. I’m happy I could get it done and hope this will continue.”

Huesler is the first player to win on multiple surfaces in 2020. In addition, his victory marks the second straight year in which a player has won titles on different surfaces in consecutive tournaments. In June 2019, Norbert Gombos achieved the feat on the clay of Bratislava and hard courts of Winnipeg.

Considering that Huesler had sat out the start of the 2020 season with a foot injury, missing action for a total of nine months, his dominant run of form is even more impressive. In August, the Zurich native was sitting outside the Top 300 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. After winning in Ismaning, he is up to a career-high No. 154.

“Coming back from injury, it wasn’t easy at all. I started playing tennis again in March and since there were no tournaments, I had some time to recuperate. It just shows me that when you practise a lot and work hard, it pays off in the end.

“I won two Challengers and made the semis of an ATP event, so I’m definitely playing the best tennis of my career so far. That surely helped me with my mindset, knowing that you can do it, rather than thinking you can do it. Winning twice in a row, once on clay and once on carpet, gives me lots and lots of confidence. Still, there are lots of things to improve on.”

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