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Evans & Murray save 2 more match points, keep dream Olympics run alive

  • Posted: Jul 30, 2024

Daniel Evans and Andy Murray earned another dramatic Paris Olympics victory Tuesday to extend the Scot’s career an additional day.

Two days after saving five consecutive match points in the opening round, Great Britain’s Evans and Murray fended off two match points to defeat Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-3, 6-7(8), 11-9.

The fans’ favourites tallied four consecutive points from 7/9 in the Match Tie-break, leaping for joy after closing the two-hour, five-minute thriller, during which Evans and Murray had two match points in the second-set tie-break.

They will next look to continue their dream run in a quarter-final match against third-seeded Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul or Dutchmen Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer.

Murray, a 46-time tour-level titlist who ascended to World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, withdrew from singles, meaning the Paris Olympics doubles event will mark the 37-year-old’s final outing of his storied career.

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Alcaraz/Nadal light up Paris Olympics, reach QFs

  • Posted: Jul 30, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal are still alive at the Paris Olympics! The Spaniards fought hard and produced trademark moments of magic on Tuesday to earn a thrilling 6-4, 6-7(2), 10-2 win against Dutchmen Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof and reach the quarter-finals.

Nadal was in relaxed mood ahead of the clash, with the 38-year-old cuddling his son in the warmup area before the match. The 92-time tour-level titlist then took to court alongside a pumped-up Alcaraz, with the pair receiving raucous cheers from all corners of the stadium.

Dressed in Spanish red shirts and white shorts, Alcaraz and Nadal applied early pressure and gained the decisive break of a high-quality first set when Alcaraz blasted a bullet forehand crosscourt to break Koolhof’s serve. Both let out a roar, bounced to their chairs and took in the support from the crowd, with Spanish flags spread around Court Suzanne Lenglen.

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Alcaraz and Nadal fist-pumped their way through the match, while the crowd regularly leapt to their feet to cheer Nadal’s banana-curling forehand winners and Alcaraz’s lightning-fast hands at the net. In hot Parisian conditions, the Spaniards caught fire in the Match Tie-break. Under pressure, Nadal lifted his level and imposed himself on Griekspoor and Koolhof, striking with intensity on return and finding acute angles to help drive him and Alcaraz to victory.

Nadal is a two-time gold medalist (2008 Beijing singles, 2016 Rio doubles w/ Marc Lopez) and played the role of mentor throughout the clash in Paris. He offered frequent words of encouragement to the 21-year-old Alcaraz, who improved throughout and showed why he is a four-time major champion with a number of explosive winners off the forehand wing and effective moves to the net.

After they sealed victory in two hours and 24 minutes, fans chanted ‘Rafa!” and Spanish captain David Ferrer raised his arms to the sky in delight. Nadal’s sole focus is on the doubles after he lost in the singles to Novak Djokovic on Monday and he let out a roar and a beaming smile after clinching the win with Alcaraz. Alcaraz, who defeated Griekspoor in the singles on Monday, is making his Olympic debut and was ecstatic after the pair earned its second win of the week.

Alcaraz and Nadal, who saved all three break points they faced, embraced after the win and then signed balls for the fans courtside.

The Spaniards will next play Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in the quarter-finals. The fourth seeds beat Brazilians Thiago Monteiro and Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 7-6(3).

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Zverev advances at Paris Olympics; Fritz, Felix earn wins

  • Posted: Jul 30, 2024

Reigning Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev continued his quest at this year’s Paris Olympics on Tuesday when he moved past Czech Tomas Machac 6-3, 7-5 to reach the third round.

In hot conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier, the German won 88 per cent (14/16) of his first-serve points in the first set and then rallied from a break down in the second set to advance after one hour and 35 minutes.

Zverev, who struck 24 winners, won the gold medal in singles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, beating Novak Djokovic en route. The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will next face Alexei Popyrin after the Australian beat Swiss Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5.

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In other action, American Taylor Fritz moved past Briton Jack Draper 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-2 to reach the third round. The seventh seed, who fired 16 aces and saved all nine break points he faced, is making his Olympics debut.

Fritz will next face Lorenzo Musetti after the Italian beat Argentine Mariano Navone 7-6(2), 6-3. Musetti arrived in Paris in good form, having advanced to his first major semi-final at Wimbledon and the title match at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Umag.

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime wasted little time advancing, defeating German Maximilian Marterer 6-0, 6-1 in 64 minutes. Auger-Aliassime will next face Daniil Medvedev or Austrian Sebastian Ofner.

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Ruusuvuori saves 2 MPs to deny Coric in Washington

  • Posted: Jul 29, 2024

Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori had to dig deep to secure his first hard-court win since February on the opening day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open Monday, saving two match points in the second set before claiming a near-three-hour marathon win over Borna Coric in steamy conditions in Washington, D.C.

The 25-year-old, No. 71 in the PIF ATP Rankings, saved two match points in the second-set tie-break and continued on to claim a 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 6-4 victory in two hours and 58 minutes to capture his first hard-court win since reaching the Doha quarter-finals in February.

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Coric dropped 21 aces according to Infosys ATP Stats but conceded the lone break of the match in the fifth game of the third set. Ruusuvuori fended off all five break points he faced to level his Lexus ATP Head2Head with the Croatian at 1-1

A finalist in Hong Kong in the opening week of the season, Ruusuvuori improved to 16-12 on the season and next plays fast-rising Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who is making his first appearance since his stunning run from qualifying to the Wimbledon fourth round.

 

 

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