Tennis News

#NextGenATP Musetti Reaches First ATP Tour Quarter-final In Sardinia

Lorenzo Musetti continued his recent strong form on Thursday, reaching his first ATP Tour quarter-final at the Forte Village Sardegna Open.

The Italian wild card powered his way past compatriot and qualifier Andrea Pellegrino 6-2, 6-1 in just 60 minutes, losing 12 service points and converting four of his five break points.

Since beating Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori en route to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia third round in Rome last month, Musetti has gone on to capture his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Forli, where he overcame four Top 100 players: Frances Tiafoe, Andreas Seppi, Lloyd Harris and Thiago Monteiro.

Having been No. 363 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on 20 January, Musetti is now up to a career-high No. 143. The 18-year-old will now prepare to face Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann in the Sardinia quarter-finals.

Hanfmann, who earned the biggest win of his career over then No. 9-ranked Gael Monfils in the Hamburg European Open first round on 22 September, booked a place in his second ATP Tour quarter-final with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over in-form third seed Casper Ruud of Norway.

The World No. 101, who reached the Generali Open final, saved all eight break points he faced against Ruud, who has put together a 17-6 clay-court match record this year, including his first ATP Tour title at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires (d. P. Sousa) and a final run at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open in Santiago (l. to Seyboth Wild).

Italian wild card Marco Cecchinato, who saved one match point in his first-round win over Gianluca Mager, worked hard to beat seventh seed Tommy Paul of the United States 7-6(1), 6-4 in 88 minutes. Cecchinato, who led 3-0 in the first set before Paul fought back, won 35 of his 39 first-service points.

He will next challenge fourth-seeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who knocked out Corentin Moutet of France 6-0, 6-3 in 80 minutes.

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Why Shapovalov & Youzhny Are Making A Winning Team

Denis Shapovalov lost five of his last six matches before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the suspension of the ATP Tour. But since returning in August, the Canadian has been on a tear, reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open as well as making the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals. There’s something that at the very least has contributed to his success.

Nearly five months ago, Shapovalov began working with a sports psychologist named Vadim. The lefty’s coach, Mikhail Youzhny, suggested doing so to help improve the mental side of his game.

“He really recommended him so for me it was really exciting to start,” Shapovalov said. “I felt like it was a big part of my game and overall something I can really improve on. I feel like he’s helped me just unbelievably. He’s really helped me get rid of all the anger and emotions I have in the matches and just let myself play freely and it lets me just play my game at all times.”

Shapovalov’s game is dynamic. At full flight, his big serve, forehand and one-handed backhand are dangerous for any opponent to deal with. The 21-year-old is capable of controlling points with unrelenting aggression. Youzhny, who began working with Shapovalov before last year’s US Open, saw there was room for improvement, and he was glad his charge was open to new ideas.

“When you work with a player like Denis, who wants to improve his game [and] who is ready to try some new things, this is a good thing,” Youzhny said. “You would like to work with this guy. This is why I’m feeling well and for me it’s really interesting.”

Shapovalov’s power and shotmaking skills have never been a secret. At 18, he defeated Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro en route to the Montreal semi-finals. But Youzhny has helped refine those skills to make Shapovalov a more complete, well-rounded player.

“I think he just made me a smarter player. I’ve always had the flashy shots: the big serve, the big forehand,” Shapovalov said. “But he’s definitely helped me implement my net game and returns and just making myself a trickier player to play against and making it harder for other opponents to play against me.”

That was the type of tennis Youzhny played on the ATP Tour. The Russian never had the weaponry Shapovalov does, but he always mixed things up and found ways to trouble even the best players in the world. The former World No. 8 has enjoyed working as a coach, two years after completing his career at the St. Petersburg Open, where Shapovalov is the second seed this week.

“I don’t have too much experience as a coach because being a tennis player is a little bit of a different career,” Youzhny said. “But for me it’s interesting to learn day by day. Also with Denis, I think he has a good future, but you need to improve and you need to work day by day.”

Shapovalov will try to continue doing just that when he plays Ilya Ivashka in the second round.

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Bublik/Opelka Save 3 M.P., Oust Khachanov/Rublev In St Petersburg

Alexander Bublik and Reilly Opelka saved three match points on Wednesday to rally past Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-3, 1-6, 11-9, reaching the semi-finals of the St. Petersburg Open.

The Kazakh-American team trailed 6/9 in the Match Tie-break, but their Russian opponents missed two consecutive returns in the net. With Rublev serving at 9/8, Bublik and Opelka nearly bumped into each other while going after a mid-court ball. Opelka ended up lightly pushing a backhand to Rublev, who struck a backhand of his own into the net.

Rublev missed a forehand on the next point and Opelka clinched the match with a big first serve. Bublik and Opelka are competing together for the first time.

In first-round doubles matches at the St. Petersburg Open, Ben McLachlan/Franko Skugor ousted reigning Australian Open finalists Max Purcell/Luke Saville 6-3, 6-2 and Adrian Mannarino/Fabrice Martin defeated Jonathan Erlich/Andrei Vasilevski 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 .

Kubot/Melo, Herbert/Mahut Advance In Cologne
The top two seeds in the bett1HULKS Indoors doubles draw reached the second round on Wednesday. Top seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo eliminated Felix Auger-Aliassime/Robert Lindstedt 7-5, 7-5 and second seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut defeated Divij Sharan/Jackson Withrow 6-3, 6-3.

Fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Ken Skupski were made to work hard in Cologne, battling past Frederik Nielsen and Tim Puetz 4-6, 6-1, 10-5. Fernando Verdasco, who beat former World No. 1 Andy Murray in singles on Tuesday, partnered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina past Daniel Masur and Rudolf Molleker 3-6, 6-1, 10-8.

Cabal/Farah Into Sardinia Semi-finals
Three of the top four doubles seeds at the Forte Village Sardegna Open advanced to the semi-finals on Wednesday. Second seeds John Peers/Michael Venus and third seeds Marcus Daniell/Philipp Oswald earned straight-sets victories in the quarter-finals.

Top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah beat Sander Arends and David Pel 6-4, 7-5 in the first round. Frances Tiafoe (who was partnering Tommy Paul) withdrew from doubles due to a right leg injury, sending Cabal and Farah into the semi-finals. Fourth seeds Simone Bolelli and Maximo Gonzalez won their first-round match 6-1, 6-4 against Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar.

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Wawrinka Weathers Donskoy Storm To Reach St. Petersburg QFs

Stan Wawrinka saved three match points in his first-round match at the St. Petersburg Open, and he was tested once again on Wednesday in the second round.

The 2016 finalist overcame a spirited effort from home favourite Evgeny Donskoy to earn a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory, advancing to the quarter-finals.

“It was a great match, tough opponent, but my level was better from the beginning [this match],” Wawrinka said in his on-court interview. “I’m happy to keep winning here. Great atmosphere, great people here tonight and happy to play in the quarter-finals.”

Donskoy only won 44 per cent of his service points in the first set. In the second set, however, he began swinging more freely to prevent the Swiss star from controlling all the rallies. Wawrinka even applauded one impressive Donskoy forehand. But the fifth seed did not allow his level to drop, powering through the third set to triumph after one hour and 42 minutes.

“I think in the second he started to play a bit more aggressively. He was dictating a little bit more the game. It was tough,” Wawrinka said. “I think the level in general was great from both sides. Happy to get through. I think I played a really solid match tonight, so it’s great, and I’m happy.”

Wawrinka will next play second seed Denis Shapovalov or Belarusian qualifier Ilya Ivashka.

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Novak Causes Upset In Cologne To Reach 1st ATP Tour QF

Dennis Novak reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final on Wednesday, upsetting fourth seed Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last eight at the bett1HULKS Indoors in Cologne.

“It’s just important to focus on myself, not looking on the other side of the court at what he’s doing,” Novak said on court after his win. “Sometimes it’s tough… I was focussing on myself and I think it was a solid match.”

Paire is one of the most talented players in the world and he can take over a match at any moment. The Frenchman rallied from a break down in the second set to get back on serve, but Novak remained focussed to advance in straight sets.

“The most important thing was I broke back straightaway,” Novak said. “I was a break up again and then serving with new balls.” 

Novak will next play 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic or 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Sixth seed Hubert Hurkacz also moved on Wednesday, defeating home favourite Mischa Zverev 6-4, 6-3 in 85 minutes. The Polish No. 1 saved seven of the eight break points he faced.

“Mischa is a great player. It’s not easy to play against him, especially because he has great volleys,” said Hurkacz, who will next challenge second seed Roberto Bautista Agut or former Top 10 player Gilles Simon. “He can come in on most of the balls, so it’s really tricky to play him. I’m happy with my victory today.”

Moldovan Radu Albot battled into his first quarter-final of the season with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 triumph against German qualifier Oscar Otte. Albot failed to serve out the match at the first time of asking, but closed out his victory in two hours and 30 minutes.

“All the matches are tough. Everybody’s playing good tennis,” Albot said. “I didn’t have so many wins this year, but hopefully more wins will come in the future.”

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Defending Champ Medvedev Uses 22 Aces To Rally In St. Petersburg

Defending St. Petersburg Open champion Daniil Medvedev got a scare in his first-round match on Wednesday, but the Russian rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory against former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet.

The top seed crushed 22 aces en route to his one-hour, 37-minute victory, levelling his ATP Head2Head series with Gasquet at 1-1. Medvedev will next play big-serving American Reilly Opelka, who eliminated Croatian qualifier Nino Serdarusic earlier in the day.

Medvedev was on his way to a fourth consecutive loss when he dumped a backhand into the net to end the first set. Three of the Russian’s ATP Tour titles have come on indoor hard courts, but he struggled to find rhythm in the opening set, especially with his trusty backhand.

But the World No. 6 settled down against the French veteran, breaking Gasquet’s serve four times in the final two sets to advance. Medvedev won 27 of his 30 first-serve points in the second and third sets, while also showing the shotmaking skills that have made him one of the toughest players to beat.

Opelka, his next opponent, fired 26 aces and won 91 per cent of his first-serve points (49/54) to get the better of Serdarusic 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in one hour and 34 minutes.

The American has now struck 328 aces in 17 tour-level matches this season. Medvedev has won their two previous meetings, but they both went to final-set tie-breaks.

Did You Know?
Six Russians are into the Round of 16 at an ATP Tour event for the first time since 2009. The six who advanced are Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Aslan Karatsev, Evgeny Donskoy and Roman Safiullin.

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A Day At His Museum: Rafa Drops Off 20th Grand Slam Trophy

Rafael Nadal paid a visit to the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar on Wednesday to drop off his latest Grand Slam trophy.

The Spanish superstar headed to the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience, which boasts the highlights of his sporting career, to place his 13th Roland Garros crown — for a record-equalling 20th major singles title — in his trophy cabinet.

“I’m now here in Mallorca, in Manacor and of course I’m very happy and satisfied with what I have achieved,” said Nadal, who beat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in the Roland Garros final on Sunday.

“It’s no less true that it’s a bittersweet feeling, because we have been through some very complicated months in various senses and the most important thing is health. The second is the economic situation, which is causing many families to go through a hard time. We have to trust that [things] will improve, trust that the vaccine will come as soon as possible and that we can all go back to living in a more pleasant world and be happier.

“I also wanted to thank you for all the messages of support over the past few weeks. To me, although we have been a little more distanced than normal, as we have not been able to have direct contact, receiving so many messages of support on social media and directly to my mobile has helped me, without a doubt. Thank you so much for the support. Finally, I would like to tell you that I am leaving the trophy here in the museum at the Academy, in Manacor, for all of you that would like to see it.”

The Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience not only includes the trophies Nadal has won during his illustrious career, but the shirts and trainers he has worn during each of the Grand Slam finals he has contested. There are also mementos donated by some of the biggest figures in the history of world sport, such as Michael Jordan, Fernando Alonso, Pau Gasol, Roger Federer, Mireia Belmonte, Usain Bolt, Serena Williams and Cristiano Ronaldo.

A significant part of the profits from the Museum go towards Rafa Nadal Foundation projects.

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Shapovalov Opens Quest To Emulate Coach Youzhny In St. Petersburg

Second seed Denis Shapovalov began his St. Petersburg Open quest to emulate his coach, 2004 champion Mikhail Youzhny, on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old Canadian recorded his 15th match win of the year with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Serbian lucky loser Viktor Troicki in 63 minutes. Shapovalov secured two breaks of serve in each set, hit 10 aces and lost just four of his first-service points (24/28).

“[It’s] always great to get the first win, especially against a player like Viktor,” said Shapovalov. “We’ve had a lot of battles before and they’ve been really long matches, so I’m really happy to get a straight-sets win today.

“Indoor tennis is just natural for me. It’s what I grew up playing on. For sure, it’s difficult to have those transitions really quickly from clay court to hard court, but we’re having to get used tot these situations now and trying to adapt quickly. So I’m really happy with the way I’ve been able to transition.”

Last month, the World No. 12 reached his first Grand Slam championship quarter-final at the US Open (l. to Carreno Busta). He also became the first player to reach both singles and doubles (w/Rohan Bopanna) quarter-finals in New York since Youzhny in 2006.

Shapovalov will next face Belarusian qualifier Ilya Ivashka, who beat Adrian Mannarino on Tuesday. Shapovalov defeated World No. 141 Ivashka 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 at the 2018 Shenzhen Open.

“I really feel like it’s my second home over here, and every time I come here the fans just love me and the atmosphere is amazing,” said Shapovalov. “Of course, the city is so beautiful, so it’s always an honour to come here.”

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Elsewhere, Reilly Opelka fired 26 aces and won 91 per cent of his first-service points (49/54) to get the better of Croatian qualifier Nino Serdarusic 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in one hour and 34 minutes.

The American, who has now struck 328 aces in 17 tour-level matches this season, awaits the winner of the evening clash between top-seeded Russian and defending champion Daniil Medvedev and Richard Gasquet of France.

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Vesely, Djere Upset Seeds In Sardinia

Three seeds — Dusan Lajovic, Lorenzo Sonego and Pablo Andujar — all lost on Wednesday at the Forte Village Sardegna Open.

Laslo Djere survived a late comeback to beat fellow Serbian and second seed Lajovic 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 43 minutes for a quarter-final clash against Jiri Vesely, who overcame fifth-seeded Italian Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in two hours and 15 minutes.

Elsewhere, Federico Delbonis recorded his first win over sixth-seeded Spaniard Andujar, 10 years on from their first match at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Genova.

Andujar, who’d previously won six straight matches over the Argentine – three at tour-level and three at Challengers – came within two points of victory at 5/4 in the second-set tie-break, but Delbonis fought back to win 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 in two hours and 45 minutes.

Delbonis will now challenge Serbian lucky loser Danilo Petrovic, who completed his first ATP Tour match win over Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain 6-1, 6-4 in 87 minutes.

In first-round action, German Yannick Hanfmann swept past Salvatore Caruso of Italy 6-0, 6-4, while France’s Corentin Moutet knocked out Frances Tiafoe of the United States 7-6(0), 6-4.

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Verdasco Ousts Murray In Cologne

Fernando Verdasco lost 13 of his first 14 clashes against Andy Murray. But on Tuesday evening in Cologne, the Spaniard earned his third consecutive victory against the former World No. 1.

The seven-time ATP Tour titlist overpowered Murray 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round of the bett1HULKS Indoors. The 36-year-old will meet top seed and recent US Open finalist Alexander Zverev in the second round.

“This is a very important victory for me for many reasons,” Verdasco said on court after his win. “Playing against a player like Andy, we have been playing together for all our careers. We’ve had really tough battles over the years. It’s always a challenge and a motivation to play against someone like him. I’m very happy for that.”

This is Verdasco’s first win since the Australian Open, where he reached the third round (l. to A. Zverev). The World No. 62 used his big forehand to control play on the slow Cologne hard court, pushing Murray back and forcing him to defend.

Murray battled hard, earning two break points as Verdasco served for the first set and four break points as the lefty served for the match. The former World No. 7 was too solid on the evening, and he will now have a chance to earn his third ATP Head2Head victory against Zverev (Zverev leads their series 3-2).

“I will try my best. I will enjoy it and hopefully I will be able to play good and make a good performance,” Verdasco said. “It’s going to be a good match.”

^{Photo Credit: bett1HULKS Indoors}
Eighth seed Marin Cilic had to work hard in the first round of the bett1HULKS Indoors on Tuesday, battling past American lucky loser Marcos Giron 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and 30 minutes.

The former World No. 3 hit nine aces, but he faced 18 break points. Cilic saved 15 of those chances in his Cologne triumph.

“He’s a very tough competitor. I’d never played him and he played really well today,” Cilic said on court after his win. “I had to really fight hard, especially in the third set. This surface is a bit slower than usual, so you have to work for every point and he’s a great runner at the back of the court. It was definitely a tough, tough match.” 

Cilic will next play 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who ousted #NextGenATP Finn Emil Ruusuvuori, a qualifier, 7-5, 6-4.

Former World No. 6 Gilles Simon cruised past Marton Fucsovics, who made the fourth round at Roland Garros, 6-0, 6-3. The Frenchman triumphed after 75 minutes in a match that didn’t feature any aces or double faults. Simon will next challenge second seed Roberto Bautista Agut.

Qualifiers who emerged victorious Tuesday were Lloyd Harris, who played impressively to eliminate 2018 Antwerp titlist Kyle Edmund 7-5, 7-6(1), and Henri Laaksonen, who defeated wild card Daniel Altmaier 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).

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