Who has been the hottest player on the ATP Challenger Tour during the restart? There is only one answer.

Aslan Karatsev was a dominant force since the tour kicked off, returning with a vengeance in the Czech Republic. Hungry and motivated following the five-month COVID-19 hiatus, the 27-year-old Karatsev is in the midst of the best stretch of his career.

How good has Karatsev been? The Russian won 15 of 16 matches on Czech soil, with his lone defeat coming to former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in the Prague I final. It was his first match against a Top 20 player in seven years and only gave him more confidence going forward.

Karatsev battled for nearly two hours against the Swiss star and he would proceed to lift back-to-back trophies in Prague II and Ostrava in the subsequent weeks. In fact, he reeled off 13 sets in a row in that span, notching convincing final victories over Tallon Griekspoor (Prague II) and Oscar Otte (Ostrava). He soared more than 100 spots to a career-high No. 140 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“It’s always great to win the title and these were a few big Challengers,” said Karatsev. “The two weeks in Prague and the week in Ostrava were fantastic for me. I beat two really good guys and I lost to Wawrinka in the first final. I’m happy to make these [FedEx ATP Rankings] points so quickly.”

Karatsev with the Ostrava trophy

Five years removed from his lone previous title on the ATP Challenger Tour, Karatsev surprised himself with his ruthless run. But most importantly, he showed that he’s capable of much more than even he believed.

An integral part of the Russian’s team was missing throughout the three-week stretch. Alberto Lopez, Karatsev’s coach of almost two years, was supposed to travel with his pupil to these initial tournaments, but had to cancel his plans due to restrictions surrounding the pandemic.

Lopez, who previously guided Garbine Muguruza to WTA No. 1, was unable to get a visa from their training base in Belarus. He was forced to stay behind, leaving Karatsev on his own in Prague and Ostrava. Coach or no coach, the Russian showed what he’s capable of.

Karatsev’s Restart

“My coach couldn’t be here with me, but we put in a lot of work during the pandemic. It’s been tough for everyone. I was staying at home for a while and then I went to the U.S. to practise and play exhibition matches. That was good preparation. I spoke to my coach and we decided to just keep it simple. It worked and we did a great job.”

“I didn’t expect it,” Karatsev told Florian Heer of Tennis TourTalk. “I don’t know the secret but I focused on my game… I would say that my game has become more consistent, not having too many ups and downs. I also had to cope with a knee injury three years ago but now everything is fine. I just go from match to match.”

Karatsev leads the Challenger circuit in match wins this year, owning a 24-5 record. His successful season started well before the tour’s restart, having also reached the final in Bangkok in January. That’s a total of four final appearances from seven tournaments entered in 2020.

After opening the year just inside the Top 300 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, Karatsev is projected to rise to a career-high Top 120 position on Monday. He will next compete at Roland Garros qualifying, beginning 21 September. The 27-year-old, who seeks his first Grand Slam main draw in what will be his ninth attempt, is appearing in qualifying for the first time since the 2016 US Open.

Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev have put their focus on each match in front of them this fortnight, but are very aware this is the first US Open semi-final lineup since 2003 to not include anyone in the Big Three. Both men arrive in peak form for their semi-final match on Friday and are hungry to move one step closer to a maiden Grand Slam title.

”There is no Roger, Rafa or Novak, but there is Daniil, Sascha and Pablo. They are three amazing players,” Thiem said. “Every single one of us deserves his first major title.”

Dominic Thiem (2) vs. Daniil Medvedev (3) – Thiem leads 2-1

Read Player Features
Medvedev’s Serve: The Russian’s Secret Weapon 
Massu: ‘The Priority Is Still Competing And, Hopefully, Winning

Thiem leads 2-1 in his ATP Head2Head rivalry with Medvedev, but the Russian won their most recent showdown last year in Montreal. Medvedev only lost four games and won 16 of the first 17 points in the second set of that quarter-final clash.

“I would say that he comes very close to the Big Three in terms of how he can play his top level for… four, five, six hours. That’s going to be really difficult,” Thiem said. “But I’m looking forward to that one. I think it’s going to be a big stage. It’s going to be a great semi-final.”

After a shocking opening-round defeat two weeks ago at the Western & Southern Open, Thiem needed time to regain his confidence. He advanced through his first three rounds at the US Open with spurts of patchy form. But once he reached the second week, his game kicked into high gear. Thiem only dropped 15 games combined against Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur, sending a clear message that he wants to be the last man standing on Sunday.

Thiem will need to utilise heavy topspin, particularly on the backhand wing, in order to get on top of rallies against Medvedev. The Russian’s flatter groundstrokes are more difficult to execute when he’s forced to hit balls above his shoulder. But even for a player of Thiem’s class, finding the sweet spot of precision and power required to win points against Medvedev won’t be an easy task.

Medvedev has also displayed dominant form this fortnight. The 24-year-old hasn’t dropped a set and has only been broken three times in 68 service games (96%). Although not known as a big server, his placement has been impeccable and set him up to control the rallies against his opponents.

He’s also been equally imposing when returning. Medvedev has converted 25 of 48 break points (52%) and won 25 of 66 return games (38%).

US Open 2020: Medvedev & Thiem By The Numbers

But the 24-year-old knows how forceful Thiem can be in return games and baseline exchanges. He was overwhelmed by the Austrian in the 2019 Barcelona final, winning just five points in the second set and only one of the last 13 games. Although the fast hard courts of New York are more favourable to Medvedev’s game, he knows it will be a long night if he’s not at this best.

“Dominic is a tough opponent to play… I got to feel it last year in the final of Barcelona,” Medvedev said. “On hard courts, I think it’s a little bit easier. When I say ‘easier’, he just made the final of the Australian Open. For me, it will be easier to play him on hard courts than clay courts.

“He tries to [run] around with a forehand and just go for it. I think there is not much you can do than just try to face it and see what you can do with it.”

Medvedev will look to get on top of rallies early, using his flat groundstrokes to keep the ball low and prevent Thiem from hitting in his preferred strike zone. The third seed has also shown an increased willingness to finish points at net. Keeping points short when possible will force Thiem out of lengthy rallies he thrives on and preserve energy for what is sure to be a grueling match.

Second seed Diego Schwartzman drew on all his experience to overcome local wild card Sebastian Ofner 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in two hours and 16 minutes on Thursday at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel.

“It was difficult for both of us, too many mistakes in the first set,” said Schwartzman, who next plays Laslo Djere. “But I got lucky at the end and I’ve very happy to be in the next round. I’m trying to get my confidence back after a difficult US swing.”

Schwartzman, appearing at the ATP 250 tournament for the first time since 2015, appeared to be in control when he broke in the first game of the second set, but he lost the next four games. The World No. 13 came within a point of taking a 4-1 lead in the decider, before a tense finish. He hit a double fault on his first match point, but closed out his 11th victory of the year.

Qualifier Djere got off to a fast start in both sets — a 2-0 lead in the first and 4-0 in the second — against wild card Jannik Sinner en route to a 6-4, 6-4 victory. “I played here once and I generally play well at altitude,” said Djere, in an on-court interview. “Yesterday was tough 0-4 down against Albert [Ramos-Vinolas], and I recovered today to play well from the beginning. It was definitely an advantage in the first round to be a qualifier, having played matches.”

Marc-Andrea Huesler charged through to his first ATP Tour quarter-final, eliminating top seed Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-2 in 56 minutes. The Swiss qualifier saved all three break points he faced against 2017 semi-finalist Fognini, who was competing for the first time since having arthroscopic surgery on both ankles in May.

Huesler will meet Spain’s Feliciano Lopez for a semi-final spot. The 38-year-old fired 21 aces and won 92 per cent of first-serve points (61/66) to outlast seventh seed Guido Pella 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(3).

Seeds Dusan Lajovic, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Hubert Hurkacz were also beaten in the second round on Thursday.

The exodus started when Yannick Hanfmann overcame third seed Lajovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Maximilian Marterer overcame fifth seed Hurkacz 6-1, 6-4, with the second set featuring five straight service breaks. Then, Federico Delbonis took out fourth seed Basilashvili 7-5, 6-3, which included a run of five straight games in the second set.

Elsewhere, Miomir Kecmanovic extended his perfect record to 4-0 against Jordan Thompson with a 6-2, 6-2 win. The pair had already met in 2020 at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha and at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

The ATP has announced the addition of four new ATP 250 events to the 2020 provisional schedule, as tennis continues its return following suspension of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The updated schedule introduces two new back-to-back ATP 250 events in Cologne (Germany, Indoor Hard) and new ATP 250 events in Sardinia (Italy, Clay), and Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan, Indoor Hard) issued as single-year licenses for 2020. The granting of licenses follows applications by tournament promoters and host localities able to satisfy strict health & safety, international travel, and ATP event requirements.

“Adding new events to the Tour calendar is a positive step given the many challenges our sport has faced this year,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “Our goal was to create additional earning opportunities for players and entertainment for our fans, and to do so in a safe and practical way. We are delighted to have tennis back on court again and these new events will help us finish the year strongly, as we build towards the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.”

The provisional calendar remains subject to change and continued assessments will be made relating to health & safety, international travel policies, and governmental approval of sporting events.

View 2020 ATP Tour Provisional Calendar (PDF)