Can Bublik Hit, Precisely, A 210kph Serve?

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Bublik Fights Off Slow Start For Felix Win In Hamburg

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Hamburg Open: Dan Evans loses to Stefanos Tsitsipas before French Open

Britain’s Dan Evans is unable to earn a clay-court win before next week’s French Open after losing to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in Hamburg.

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Tsitsipas Makes Strong Start In Hamburg

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From Iasi To Paris: A Moment Carlos Taberner Will Never Forget

On Tuesday, Carlos Taberner stood on Court 10 at Roland Garros, celebrating a long-awaited return to the Grand Slam stage. It was the culmination of months of hard work and focus for the 23-year-old, who advanced from the first round of qualifying with a convincing straight-set win over Stefano Napolitano.

Taberner’s successful start on the terre battue of Paris was launched more than 2,000 km away, in the Romanian city of Iasi. The Spaniard arrived for the clay-court slam with a surge of momentum at his back, following the breakthrough victory of his young career. Just two days ago, Taberner lifted his maiden ATP Challenger Tour trophy at the Concord Iasi Open. And the crazy thing is, he did not even know if he’d make the trip in the first place.

Taberner and his coach were unsure of whether they would have enough time to travel to Roland Garros, if he went deep in Iasi. They eventually made the decision to compete at the Challenger 100 event and it turned out to be the best move of his career.

Appearing in his 55th tournament on the circuit, the Valencia native finally put it all together. Taberner was the comeback kid all week long at the Concord Iasi Open. On Thursday, he rallied from a break down in the deciding set to defeat Kacper Zuk. In Friday’s quarter-finals, he stormed back from 1-6 down to oust countryman Adrian Menendez-Maceiras. On Saturday, Taberner overcame a set and a break deficit to defeat another Spaniard, Jaume Munar. And it all culminated in a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over France’s Mathias Bourgue in the championship.

Considering he was three years removed from his two previous Challenger final appearances, in Sibiu and Banja Luka in 2017, this win was extra special. He soared 41 spots to a career-high No. 148 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on Monday.

Looking back on Taberner’s early-season results on the ATP Tour, this comes as no surprise. Competing in the Latin American ‘Golden Swing’, he qualified in both Cordoba and Santiago and earned his first Top 50 win over Fernando Verdasco. Now, Taberner has his sights set on even greater heights as he returns to the scene of his lone Grand Slam main draw appearance. Two years ago, he pushed Stefanos Tsitsipas to four sets in his major debut at Roland Garros.

He will hope to replicate that run with another successful qualifying campaign this week. Taberner faces Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer on Wednesday, with either Nikola Milojevic or Yannick Maden potentially awaiting with a spot in the main draw on the line.

Taberner spoke to ATPTour.com following his victory in Iasi…

Carlos, how special is this first Challenger title?
It feels pretty amazing. I am very happy with the level I was able to display last week. The only thing that entered my mind was winning each match. Nothing else. Given the situation with the pandemic, I wanted to get the most from myself as possible. I am very happy to have arrived at the last match and on top of that, to lift the trophy.

How did you celebrate?
There wasn’t much time. After the match, I went straight to the airport in Iasi with my coach and we flew to Bucharest to spend the night. On Monday, we took a flight to Paris to arrive at Roland Garros and practice in the afternoon. On Tuesday, I had my first match, so there were few celebrations. But, I’m feeling great and I’m really looking forward to this tournament.

How do you explain this successful run?
In Iasi, it was a really good week for me because I managed every moment very well. I had a very good level of tennis and above all, I fought for every point as if it were the last. I was very proud of that.

Last week, your countryman Bernabe Zapata Miralles also had his maiden moment, as did Carlos Alcaraz the week before. How motivating was that for you?
We have all been winning tournaments in these weeks. Berni [Zapata] is doing a great job and playing at a high level. He showed that in these past few weeks and, in my case, I have also had some good results. We have to continue working in our own paths with great energy every day and with the goal of making even more progress.

Why were you doubting whether to come to Iasi? What’s the story behind that?
The week before, when we were preparing for the tournament, my coach and I did not know if we could play in Iasi and Roland Garros qualifying. We spoke with the ATP and they confirmed that it was, in fact, possible. So we went from doubting if we could play in Romania to winning the title. We came with great enthusiasm and energy and it couldn’t have been better.

What is your upcoming schedule?
After Roland Garros I am entered in various Challenger tournaments. We’re also looking at different options with ATP Tour qualifying for the upcoming events.

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Laver Cup: Where Team Europe Meets Team World

Named after two-time Calendar Grand Slam winner Rod Laver, the Laver Cup pits Team Europe against Team World across three days of competition.

The fourth edition of the exciting team tournament was due to be held this week at TD Garden in Boston but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has been rescheduled for 24-26 September 2021.

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

A Thrilling Format
Each team consists of six players, with the top three available players from each region, according to the FedEx ATP Rankings, joining three Team Captain picks. Team Europe and Team World are led by Sweden’s Bjorn Borg and the United States’ John McEnroe, respectively.

The competition takes place across three days, with each day consisting of three singles matches and one doubles encounter. Each match win is worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on Sunday. The first team to 13 points wins the Laver Cup. In the event of a 12-12 tie at the end of the final day, the tournament will be decided by a one-set deciding doubles clash.

Federer, Nadal Lead Team Europe To Victory
At the inaugural Laver Cup in Prague, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal guided Team Europe to a 15-9 win. On Day Two of the event, both Federer and Nadal won singles matches before returning to the court to compete as a doubles team for the first time.

The pair made a seamless transition from rivals to teammates in the Czech capital, overcoming Sam Querrey and Jack Sock 6-4, 1-6, 10-5. The victory earned Team Europe a commanding 9-3 advantage heading into the final day of action.

“I am very happy with how we played,” said Federer. “It was so much fun. The preparation with Rafa, going through the motions, talking tactics, talking about which side to play on, all these things are very special. I am very happy that the one match we did play so far we did win.”

Just 24 hours later, Federer entered the final match of the event against Nick Kyrgios with Team Europe leading 12-9. After rallying from a set down, Federer recovered from a 5/8 deficit in the Match Tie-break to claim victory. The Swiss saved a match point at 8/9 and earned the trophy for Team Europe when Kyrgios fired a cross-court forehand into the net. After 172 points, Federer and Kyrgios ended the contest with 86 points each.

“The boys played fantastic all weekend, but we knew it could change very quickly on Sunday,” said Federer. “The Team World boys have been great, in the doubles especially, and we knew it was going to be tough. I was looking at getting ready for a doubles at the very end. I’m very pleased and relieved that we did win the singles and got it done.”

Zverev Earns Victory For Team Europe In Chicago
Matched only by Federer, Alexander Zverev earned five points for Team Europe at the 2018 Laver Cup in Chicago. The German finished the event with a 2-0 singles record, highlighted by his tournament-winning victory against Kevin Anderson on the final day.

Zverev entered his clash against Anderson with Team Europe leading Team World 10-8, but the South African made the quicker start as he attempted to push the contest to a winner-takes-all singles match between Novak Djokovic and Kyrgios. Zverev held his nerve in important moments to turn the match in his favour and clinched the trophy when Anderson fired long with a backhand return in the Match Tie-break.

“It was such a close match all around, not only this one but all weekend, a few points here and there and it could have been different,” said Zverev. “I’m just happy to get the win and we defended the title, that’s the most important thing.”

A European Hat-trick In Geneva
For the first time in tournament history, a winner-takes-all match was needed at the 2019 Laver Cup in Geneva. After two matches on the final day, Team World led Team Europe 11-7 with two singles matches to play. If the visiting team won either match, they would become Laver Cup champions.

Backed by a passionate home crowd, Federer kept Team Europe’s hopes of a third straight title alive with a straight-sets victory against John Isner. That win forced the event to a decisive singles contest between Zverev and Milos Raonic.

For the second straight year, Zverev handled the pressure well to complete a memorable comeback for Team Europe. Zverev and Raonic split the opening two sets, which meant the outcome of the tournament rested on a Match Tie-break.

After receiving words of inspiration from Federer and Nadal in the locker room, Zverev rose to the challenge to claim the trophy under intense pressure. The German earned the title on his first match point with a cross-court passing shot winner.

“It was an unbelievable weekend. Those guys [Federer and Nadal] were screaming at me in the locker room before the Match Tie-break, saying this is how I could turn my season around. Without all of these guys on the bench, I couldn’t have done it,” said Zverev. “This is very special, especially playing in front of those guys and having them trust me to play the last match.”

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Humbert Stuns Medvedev In Hamburg

Ugo Humbert built on a promising run at last week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Tuesday, upsetting top seed Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-3 at the Hamburg European Open.

The 22-year-old converted three of five break points to record his first Top 10 win. Last week, Humbert defeated Kevin Anderson and Fabio Fognini in straight sets to claim the first Masters 1000 victories of his career. The Frenchman’s run was ended in three sets by eventual semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov.

“I know I can play very nice on clay,” said Humbert. “Daniil is a very nice player. I am very happy with my first Top 10 win and for sure, it was one of my biggest wins today.”

This is the latest milestone moment in a breakthrough season for Humbert, who owns a 14-8 record in 2020. After finishing the 2019 ATP Tour season at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, Humbert captured his maiden ATP Tour trophy at the ASB Classic in January. The left-hander entered his first ATP Head2Head meeting against Medvedev with an 0-2 record against Top 10 players, but played without fear in crucial moments to overcome the World No. 5 after one hour and 22 minutes.

“I am very happy about my level today,” said Humbert. “I was ready to play this kind of match. I was very excited to play in front of you, [the crowd].”

Humbert will face Jiri Vesely for a spot in the quarter-finals. The Pune champion defeated Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-2 on Monday. Humbert and Vesely have not previously met at tour-level.

Medvedev was competing on clay for the first time since Roland Garros last year. The Russian entered the ATP 500 in form, having reached the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals and the US Open semi-finals in New York.

Fabio Fognini recovered from a set down to overcome home favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-1, 7-5. The 2013 champion claimed his first victory since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on both ankles in May to improve to 17-7 at the ATP 500 event. Fognini will meet Rome semi-finalist Casper Ruud or Benoit Paire for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Karen Khachanov rallied from 0-3 down in the final set to beat Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5. The Russian converted five of nine break points against Struff, who served for the match at 5-4, to record his second win in three ATP Head2Head contests against the German. Each of the pair’s three meetings have required a final set.

The eighth seed will next play 2019 Monte Carlo finalist Dusan Lajovic, who beat Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-1. Lajovic broke the Frenchman’s serve five times in his one-hour, 37-minute victory.

Koolhof/Mektic Save Match Point Against Ram/Salisbury
Wesley Koolhof/Nikola Mektic and Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury are two of the most in-form doubles teams on the ATP Tour and they showed why with a tight battle in Hamburg Tuesday. Koolhof/Mektic, the recent US Open finalists, saved one match point to prevail against the reigning Australian Open champions 6-4, 6-7(0), 12-10. They will next play home favourites Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, the reigning Roland Garros titlists.

Also advancing were Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic, who eliminated lucky losers Marvin Moeller and Milan Welte 6-3, 3-6, 10-6. Their next opponents are qualifiers Radu Albot and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. In the other doubles match of the day, Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau advanced when Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah retired at 6-6 due to a Cabal right hip injury.

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Nadal, Djokovic, Thiem Return To Roland Garros; When Is The Draw & More

Rafael Nadal returns to Roland Garros with a chance to equal Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles. Nadal is a 12-time champion at the clay-court major and boasts a 93-2 tournament record, starting with his title run on his 2005 debut as a teenager.  

Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem will lead the challengers, and enter Paris riding winning streaks. World No. 1 Djokovic, who won Roland Garros in 2016 with victory over Andy Murray in the final, claimed a record-breaking 36th ATP Masters 1000 crown on Monday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Schwartzman). The Serbian took his Grand Slam title haul to 17 with his triumph earlier this year at the Australian Open.

Thiem will look to go one better at Roland Garros, after finishing runner-up to Nadal the past two years. The Austrian celebrated his first Grand Slam title earlier this month when he came from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev in the US Open final.

The 2020 Roland Garros field is also set to feature Top 10 players Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Zverev, Matteo Berrettini, Gael Monfils and Denis Shapovalov. 

Here’s all you need to know about Roland Garros: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more.  

Established: 1891

Tournament Dates: 27 September – 11 October 2020

Tournament Director: Guy Forget

Draw Ceremony: Thursday, 24 September at 6:00pm

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Monday, 21 September – Friday, 25 September
* Main draw: Daily play begins at 11:00am from Sunday, 27 September
* Doubles final: Saturday, 10 October
* Singles final: Sunday, 11 October at 3:00pm

How To Watch
View TV Schedule

Venue: Stade Roland Garros

Prize Money: €18,209,040 (2020 Prize Money Distribution)

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Rafael Nadal (12)
Most Titles, Doubles: Max Mirnyi, Daniel Nestor (4)
Oldest Champion: Andres Gimeno, 34, in 1972
Youngest Champion: Michael Chang, 17, in 1989
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1979): No. 66 Gustavo Kuerten in 1997
Most Match Wins: Rafael Nadal (93)

2019 Finals
Singles: [1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) d [4] Dominic Thiem 63 57 61 61   Read & Watch
Doubles: Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies d Jeremy Chardy / Fabrice Martin 62 76(3)  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #RolandGarros
Facebook: @RolandGarros
Twitter: @rolandgarros
Instagram: @rolandgarros

Did You Know… Roland Garros was the first Grand Slam tournament to join the “Open” era in 1968, and since then many tennis greats have graced the famous clay courts, including Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, Gustavo Kuerten, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. In 1983, Yannick Noah became the first, and so far only, Frenchman to win the singles title. 

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Bublik Comforts Ballgirl After Ace Mishap

Accidentally hitting a ballgirl is never good. How Alexander Bublik reacted to doing so on Tuesday showed a touch of class.

The Kazakh turned a tough situation into the nicest moment of the match after hitting his 17th ace on match point in his 6-2, 7-6(5) first-round victory against Albert Ramos-Vinolas at the Hamburg European Open. The 23-year-old rushed to the other side of the court to check on the ballgirl. Upon learning she was not seriously hurt, Bublik spoke to her for a moment and offered a match ball and a fist bump as a token of gratitude for her efforts.

Bublik will continue his run in Germany on Wednesday when he plays #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. This will be their second ATP Head2Head meeting. Felix won their first battle at last year’s Rolex Shanghai Masters.

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French Open 2020: Bianca Andreescu withdraws to prepare for busy 2021

The 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdraws from the French Open in order to continue her recovery from injury.

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