Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

New Team Mektic/Pavic Close In On Antalya Crown

  • Posted: Jan 11, 2021

New team Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic continued their strong start to the season by blasting their way into the Antalya Open doubles final on Monday. The top seeds beat Italians Salvatore Caruso and Andrea Vavassori 6-1, 6-1 to set up a championship match against second seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek, who overcame third-seeded Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin 6-3, 6-1.

Mektic and Pavic both competed in the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals, but with different partners. Mektic won the season finale alongside Wesley Koolhof, and Pavic and Bruno Soares finished as the year-end No. 1 doubles team. The 32-year-old Mektic has an 8-8 record in tour-level finals, while Pavic is 17-22 overall.

Dodig and Polasek have a 2-2 record 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).

Source link

Bublik Upsets Berrettini; Chardy Saves 2 M.P. In Antalya

  • Posted: Jan 11, 2021

Alexander Bublik recorded one of the biggest victories of his career on Monday to reach the Antalya Open semi-finals. The eighth-seeded Kazakhstani held his nerve to beat top seed and World No. 10 Matteo Berrettini 7-6(6), 6-4 in one hour and 31 minutes.

Bublik, who recovered from 3-5 down in the first set and a 1/3 deficit in the tie-break, struck 12 aces and saved five of six break points. Italian Berrettini was broken in the fifth game of the second set.

“Getting to a semi-final in the first week of the season, and beating a couple of top players — Matteo is a Top 10 player. It’s a great start,” said Bublik, who will next play Jeremy Chardy of France.

Chardy saved two match points in the deciding set tie-break to beat fifth-seeded German Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(8) in two hours and 36 minutes.

Chardy, who had led 4-1 in the deciding set, was forced to save match points at 5/6 and 7/8 in the tie-break. He is now tied 3-3 with Struff in their ATP Head2Head series.

“It was a difficult match and I was a little bit tired too from yesterday,” said Chardy, who beat Fabio Fognini in three tie-break sets on Sunday. “He (Jan-Lennard) had two match points at the end, so it was difficult. But I am happy to be in the semi-finals.”

Chardy will contest his first ATP Tour semi-final on Tuesday since January 2019 at Brisbane (l. to Nishikori).

Source link

Goffin, With New Coach, Sweeps Into Antalya Semi-finals

  • Posted: Jan 11, 2021

David Goffin continued his excellent start to 2021 on Monday with a place in the Antalya Open semi-finals. The second-seeded Belgian, who is bidding to capture the fifth ATP Tour title of his career, played with great confidence to beat Stefano Travaglia of Italy 6-3, 6-2 in 63 minutes.

“I got off to a good start in both sets and felt that I was aggressive on my forehand and solid on return,” Goffin told ATPTour.com. “I am happy to be in the semi-finals, as I served well and felt physically better.”

Working with new coach Germain Gigounon, Goffin is hoping to regain the kind of form that helped him to 59 tour-level wins in 2017 and a career-high No. 7 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Goffin explained, “We’ve worked on small details. My technique is okay, but it’s been about motivation and going back to basics. I feel I have a solid game, but I’ve worked on moving better, taking the ball earlier and work on my serve.

“I need to get back to what I used to do. The past few months of last season, I had good and bad matches. I need consistency and Germain is a good friend, so I’m happy with my start this year.”

Goffin, who saved five match points against Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the first round, is through to his first ATP Tour semi-final since February 2020 at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier (l. to Pospisil). He will next challenge fourth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur.

De Minaur broke twice in each set to overcome sixth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia 6-2, 6-4 in 75 minutes. The 21-year-old Australian will now attempt to advance to his eighth ATP Tour final.

View Antalya Singles Draw

Source link

Tiafoe Outlasts Fratangelo For Delray Beach QF Spot

  • Posted: Jan 11, 2021

Eighth-seeded Frances Tiafoe booked his first quarter-final spot of the year at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com on Sunday with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over the tricky Bjorn Fratangelo.

The 22-year-old American came into the match after scoring a comfortable straight sets win in his opener against Donald Young. But he trailed Fratangelo 1-3 in their ATP Head2Head series, though they hadn’t met since 2016.

Tiafoe had to find a way through after a sluggish start against his countryman, who is ranked No. 274 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He struggled to connect on the first serve in the opening set, and was broken first as Fratangelo took a 4-2 lead.

The eighth seed stayed solid and dialed up the aggression to take back control of the set, breaking straight back before reeling off the last four games to close it out 6-4. But he couldn’t keep up the level in the second set, and Frantangelo pounced on the lone break opportunity at 4-2 to take the match into a deciding set.

“I told myself to swing at the ball,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “I was pretty tentative in the first two sets. Even though I won the first set, I was behind the baseline a lot and he was running a lot of balls down. But then I freed up a little bit, and then it worked out.”

Tiafoe roared back to life early on as he took a 2-0 lead after highlight-reel worthy, court-covering rallies to earn the first break. With the momentum on his side, Tiafoe found another level to win four of the next five games and seal his spot in the quarter-finals.

[WATCH LIVE 1]

He will take on Cameron Norrie in the next round, after the British player upset third-seeded Adrian Mannarino in straight sets, 6-2 7-5. Norrie got off to a quick start with a double break to take the first set, but he was tested as the Frenchman began his comeback.

Mannarino led 3-0 in the second set, and was closing in on pushing for a third before Norrie halted his momentum, levelling at 3-3. The Brit emerged victorious after reeling off the last three games to book his quarter-final berth.

“That second set was a battle. There were some really long rallies, a lot of running. It was good to scrape through that,” Norrie said. “I think I feel more comfortable as the week’s gone on. I’m pleased with where my game’s at.”

Earlier in the day, Ecuadorian qualifier Roberto Quiroz toppled 2015 champion Ivo Karlovic, 6-2, 6-4 to reach his first ATP Tour quarter-final. The lefty won his fourth match of the year after breaking the booming Karlovic serve three times en route to victory. He will face fourth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz in the last eight.

Source link

Tsitsipas: 'Never Shampoo, Only Conditioner'

  • Posted: Jan 11, 2021

Defeating Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros is famously one of the toughest tasks in all of tennis, and there are only two players who have ever achieved the feat. But according to Stefanos Tsitsipas, there’s an easy solution to prevent the 13-time champion from lifting the trophy in Paris yet again.

Tsitsipas, who is kicking off his 2021 season at the ATP Cup suiting up for Greece, took a break from his pre-season preparation on Sunday to host a Q&A session with fans.

“I have an answer to everything,” Tsitsipas posted on Twitter, inviting fans to send him questions. But there was a catch: “No more vanilla questions please. Keep them interesting.”

Tsitsipas stayed true to form and made sure to keep the answers interesting, too. When asked if there was anything he’d like to ban permanently, the Greek player replied:

Former World No. 1 Nadal has won 13 of his 20 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros, amassing 100 match wins over 16 years of dominance. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, owns nine wins at Roland Garros, including last year’s run to the semi-final.

Check out more highlights from World No. 6’s unfiltered Q&A session – including his pre-match ritual and a childhood snap from the Tsitsipas photo album – below.

As players descend on Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, they’ll have to follow health and safety precautions that include a two-week quarantine period. Tsitsipas revealed who he will be partnering with for training during that time, and the name is no surprise to fans of the Greek player:

The Nitto ATP Finals champion also explained how he copes with stressful on-court situations: by putting everything into perspective.

Greek gods are a vital part of Tsitsipas’ pre-match routine:

Take notes on this hair advice from the owner of one of the ATP Tour’s signature manes.

We’ve noticed you, Stefanos…

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Source link

#NextGenATP Alcaraz Completes Comeback In Doha

  • Posted: Jan 10, 2021

Carlos Alcaraz moved closer to his Grand Slam main draw debut on Sunday, as he rallied from a set down to reach the second round of the Australian Open qualifying draw.

The #NextGenATP Spaniard won 75 per cent of his first-serve points (42/56) to beat Filip Horansky of Slovakia 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in Doha, which is staging the qualifying event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alcaraz recovered well from the disappointment of failing to convert four set points at 5-4 in the first set to advance in two hours and 23 minutes.

The 17-year-old, who is the youngest player inside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, is aiming to build on 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.

The 21st seed will face Evgeny Karlovskiy of Russia for a place in the final qualifying round. Karlovskiy also recovered from a set down to defeat Argentina’s Facundo Mena 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours to book a meeting with Alcaraz.

Botic Van de Zandschulp upset #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the second round. The Dutchman, who reached two Challenger finals in 2020 (0-2), broke serve on four occasions to eliminate the 13th seed in just under two hours.

Van de Zandschulp will face Joao Menezes in his next match. The Brazilian saved three match points in a second-set tie-break to defeat Andrea Collarini of Argentina 1-6, 7-6(8), 6-3.

Fifth seed Taro Daniel came from a set down to beat Roberto Cid Subervi of the Dominican Republic 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. The Japanese will face Germany’s Maximilian Marterer for a spot in the final qualifying round. The German earned his first win of the event with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win against Marco Trungelliti of Argentina.

China’s Zhang Zhizhen overcame ninth seed Evgeny Donskoy 7-5, 6-3 to confirm a second-round clash against Mikael Torpegaard of Denmark. Torpegaard cruised past Germany’s Mats Moraing 6-1, 6-0 in 46 minutes.

#NextGenATP Czech Tomas Machac earned a 6-3, 6-1 win against Joao Domingues of Portugal to move within two victories of his Australian Open main draw debut. The 20-year-old will next face Brazil’s Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves, who beat 30th seed Martin Klizan 6-1, 6-4.

Carlos Taberner will face Dustin Brown in the second qualifying round in Doha. The Spaniard beat Roberto Marcora of Italy 6-2, 7-5, while Brown overcame Japan’s Hiroki Moriya 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.

Viktor Troicki’s bid to compete in the Australian Open main draw for a 12th time started with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 comeback win against 23rd seed Jurij Rodionov of Austria. The Serbian, who has reached the third round in Melbourne on four occasions, will meet Ulises Blanch in the second round. The American moved past Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia 6-4, 6-1 in 76 minutes.

Source link

Dodig/Polasek Save 2 M.P. In Antalya

  • Posted: Jan 10, 2021

Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek saved two match points on Sunday to earn their place in the Antalya Open semi-finals.

The second seeds trailed 7/9 in a Match Tie-break, but claimed four consecutive points to overcome Harri Heliovaara and Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-4, 11-9. Dodig and Polasek are attempting to capture their third ATP Tour crown as a team.

The Croatian-Slovakian tandem will face third seeds Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin in the semi-finals. The Frenchmen saved all seven break points they faced to beat Alexander Bublik and Andrey Golubev 6-1, 6-1.

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic cruised past Nikoloz Basilashvili and Andre Begemann 6-0, 6-1 to reach the semi-finals in 43 minutes. Mektic and Pavic, who survived a Match Tie-break in the first round, are making their team debut in Antalya.

The top seeds will meet Salvatore Caruso and Andrea Vavassori for a place in the championship match. The Italians charged through to the last four with a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Luca Margaroli and Florin Mergea.

Source link

Berrettini Moves Into Antalya Quarter-finals

  • Posted: Jan 10, 2021

Matteo Berrettini booked his place in the Antalya Open quarter-finals on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Dimitar Kuzmanov.

The top seed dropped just two points behind his first serve (26/28) and broke serve on five occasions to reach the last eight in 68 minutes. Berrettini is yet to drop a set in Antalya this week.

The World No. 10 is chasing his first ATP Tour trophy on hard courts. Berrettini’s three previous tour-level title runs came at clay (2) and grass (1) events.

The 24-year-old, who qualified for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, will meet Alexander Bublik for a semi-final spot at the ATP 250. Bublik saved seven of eight break points to overcome Tristan Lamasine of France 6-2, 6-4.

Jeremy Chardy needed two hours and 53 minutes to book his place in the quarter-finals. The 33-year-old held his nerve in three tie-break sets to eliminate third seed Fabio Fognini 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 7-6(5).

Chardy, who served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, was forced to break serve at 5-6 in the decider to reach a final-set tie-break. The Frenchman converted his first match point to earn his second win in six ATP Head2Head meetings against Fognini and book a quarter-final clash against Jan-Lennard Struff.

Source link