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Pouille headlines quartet of French qualifiers at Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jun 27, 2024

Former World No. 10 Lucas Pouille was one of four Frenchmen who qualified for Wimbledon on Thursday.

The 30-year-old moved past #NextGenATP star Luca Van Assche 7-6(4), 7-5, 6-2 to reach the main draw. Pouille advanced to the third round at Wimbledon in 2019.

Hugo Gaston, Quentin Halys and Maxime Janvier also triumphed on the lawns in Roehampton to ensure it was a successful day for France. Gaston overcame Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 1-6, 7-5, 6-1, while Halys beat Beibit Zhukayev 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Janvier clawed past countryman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-7(10), 7-5, 7-6(4), 7-6(5).

Former quarter-finalist Cristian Garin defeated Timofey Skatov 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the main draw for the sixth time. Australian Alex Bolt, who was competing as an alternate, saved one match point en route to a 6-7(2), 2-6, 7-6(9), 7-5, 6-4 win against Leandro Riedi.

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Former No. 31 in the PIF ATP Rankings Lloyd Harris won an ATP Challenger Tour title in Surbiton earlier this month. The South African overcame Hugo Grenier 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5) to reach the main draw at Wimbledon.

Belgian Zizou Bergs, who advanced to the third round at Roland Garros this year, beat Denis Yevseyev 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, while 21-year-old Estonian Mark Lajal downed Australian James Duckworth 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to qualify for a major for the first time.

Italian Mattia Bellucci beat former World No. 7 David Goffin 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 and Czech Vit Kopriva eliminated two-time semi-finalist Richard Gasquet 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Swede Elias Ymer overcame Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-1, while Spaniard Alejandro Moro Canas advanced after Damir Dzumhur retired at 7-6(6), 6-4, 1-0.

Moldovan Radu Albot triumphed 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 against Daniel Elahi Galan, who reached the fourth round last season. Finland’s Otto Virtanen beat Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-1, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(4) to qualify for Wimbledon for the first time. Brazil’s Felipe Meligeni Alves defeated American Maxime Cressy 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4.

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Monfils reaches Mallorca SFs, Jubb saves MP to upset Shelton

  • Posted: Jun 27, 2024

Playing in his first grass tournament since Wimbledon in 2021, Gael Monfils has notched three wins to advance to the semi-finals at the Mallorca Championships presented by Waterdrop. On Thursday, the seventh-seeded Frenchman beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to reach his second semi-final of the 2024 season (Doha).

“Very tough. Roberto is a big warrior,” Monfils said after improving to 5-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head. “Even in the second set when he came back, I was up a break at 4-3, then he played really good, really solid. And then at the end, you could see the nerves were there. The crowd was behind both of us, so it was a big battle.”

Monfils is bidding to reach a tour-level final for the 20th consecutive year, a streak that would match Roger Federer’s record. He will face fourth seed Alejandro Tabilo, a 6-4, 6-4 winner against #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik, for a place in the title match.

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Each of the 37-year-old Monfils’ three Mallorca wins have come against veteran opponents in their 30s: Dominic Thiem (30), Roberto Carballes Baena (31) and Bautistas Agut (36). He has hit a combined 37 aces in those three matches, according to Infosys ATP Stats, matching his age. Against Bautista Agut, Monfils saved three of nine break points and won 77 per cent of his first-serve points.

Prior to this week, the Frenchman had not reached the quarter-final stage of a grass event since he progressed to the Antalya semi-finals in 2018.

Monfils’ next opponent, Tabilo, is through to his seventh tour-level semi-final and his fifth of 2024. He is the first Chilean man to reach a tour-level semi-final on grass since Jaime Fillol Sr. at Nottingham in 1977. Tabilo is also the only South American to make a grass quarter-final this year.

British qualifier Paul Jubb earned the biggest win of his career, upsetting World No. 14 Ben Shelton 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(8) after converting his seventh match point. The top-seeded American had a match point on serve at 8/7 in the third-set tie-break before Jubb tallied three consecutive points and secured his first Top 20 victory.

“It just kept getting better and better throughout the match. I was thriving out here tonight,” Jubb said. “Super, super happy. This is obviously huge for me. Last year was so tough, injured most of the year. I’ve been working very, very hard to get back to this point.”

In a clash of former NCAA singles champions, Jubb, who won the collegiate crown in 2019 while competing for the University of South Carolina, held 18 break chances, converting three of them, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Jubb had three match points on return at 6-5 in the decider, but quickly rebounded, eventually booking his place in his first tour-level semi-final. The 24-year-old entered the week 0-4 in ATP Tour main-draw matches. He is up 88 spots to No. 201 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Up next for Jubb is Austrian Sebastian Ofner, who defeated Alex Michelsen 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

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ATP approves in-competition wearables to enhance player performance & recovery

  • Posted: Jun 27, 2024

The ATP has announced the approval of in-competition wearable devices for players across the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour, starting from 15 July. The initiative ushers in a new era of innovative data-led performance analytics and injury prevention in tennis.

Wearable devices will generate cutting-edge insights for players from physical metrics such as heart rate and high-intensity load data, enhancing their analysis of matches and training sessions. ATP has approved both STATSports and Catapult devices and will centralise all data into ATP Tennis IQ – Wearables, an intuitive new dashboard for players.

The initiative introduces a new dimension to ATP Tennis IQ, an analytics platform launched in 2023 that democratises access to match data and insights for players, aiding preparation and recovery. It is the latest in a strategic push by ATP to enhance the sport through tech, data and innovation.

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Ross Hutchins, ATP Chief Sporting Officer, said: “The introduction of wearables on Tour is a big step forward in our push to optimise player performance and prevent injury. Ultimately, empowering players to get the very best out of their careers. We’re delighted to make cutting-edge data insights more accessible than ever and look forward to continuing our innovation in this space.”

All data collected will remain confidential, ensuring privacy for players and their support teams. Phase Two of the initiative, which will incorporate next generation insights derived from wearable data and player feedback, is scheduled for later this year.

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