Roberto Bautista Agut’s hopes of a first title at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament were almost ended in the first round on Monday, but the Spaniard survived a second-set tie-break before racing to a 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 victory against Marton Fucsovics.

The World No. 12 recorded his ninth victory in 10 matches this season after two hours and 17 inutes, converting five of eight break points to secure the three-set victory. Bautista Agut is appearing in Rotterdam for the first time since 2016, when he advanced to the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 event for the first time.

Bautista Agut has started the 2020 ATP Tour season in fine form, winning all 12 sets he contested at the inaugural ATP Cup. At the Australian Open, the 31-year-old fell in five sets to 2018 runner-up Marin Cilic in the third round.

Bautista Agut will face countryman Pablo Carreno Busta for a spot in the third round. The 28-year-old needed two hours and 45 minutes to move past Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4.

Bautista Agut leads Carreno Busta 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series. Each of the pair’s three previous encounters went to decisive final set.

No. 72 Jiri Vesely, +35
The Czech rises back into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time since 13 May 2019 with his second ATP Tour title at the Tata Open Maharashtra (d. Gerasimov). Vesely became only the eighth player since 2013 to save match points in two matches en route to an ATP Tour crown. The former World No. 35 saved two match points to beat Ilya Ivashka in a final-set tie-break in the quarter-finals and survived four match points in another deciding-set tie-break against Ricardas Berankis in the semi-finals.

No. 26 Cristian Garin (Career High), +5
The Chilean rose five spots to break into the Top 30 for the first time at a career-high No. 26 after he captured his second ATP Tour crown at the Cordoba Open (d. Schwartzman). He lifted his first trophy in January 2015 at the ASB Classic (d. Mannarino).

View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings

Other Notable Movers
No. 39 Filip Krajinovic, +5
No. 58 Pablo Andujar, +5
No. 65 Ricardas Berankis, +8
No. 71 Egor Gerasimov (Career High), +19
No. 83 James Duckworth, +13
No. 93 Andrej Martin (Career High), +7

The year was 2007. The RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas was embarking on its second decade on the ATP Challenger Tour, as the tournament steadily continued to grow roots in the Texas metropolis.

At the time, the circuit was growing and developing at a rapid rate. An influx of new tournaments provided fresh opportunities for players, while giving fans in non-traditional tennis locales the chance to catch world-class action in a more intimate setting.

That year, something unique was happening at T Bar M Racquet Club. The age of social media was in its infancy and so was the concept of live streaming. People were beginning to be connected across the globe with the press of a button and the folks in Dallas had taken notice.

You can call them innovators and pioneers, but the tournament staff merely wanted to extend the fan experience outside the cozy confines of T Bar. Armed with just a camera and a long pole, the first-ever ATP Challenger Tour live stream in North America was born. It wasn’t a high definition feed, but it didn’t matter. The ability to connect a Challenger event to the rest of the world was an incredible concept.

While live streaming had already been established in Europe, it was revolutionary for a tournament across the pond. And having identified the great potential of a live streaming service, they took it one step further in 2008. With current tournament emcee Craig Karseno and former club instructor turned professional coach Craig O’Shannessy serving as commentators, they launched a full-scale operation.

Club member Marc Lemke was the brains behind it all, creating his own company called Front Row Tennis and establishing the entire operation from scratch. A former executive at IBM, he spent six months learning the business and the technology behind live streaming. Identifying it as a potentially lucrative investment,  Lemke purchased the equipment which included six cameras, broadcast gear, sound mixers and green screens for off-court player interviews. The rest was history.

Watch: The Birth Of Live Streaming In Dallas

A total of 350,000 people accessed the stream in its first year, consuming not only the live action, but instant replays with highlights, interviews, as well as commercials from local businesses. Lemke would manage the production for four years in total, with a pair of viral moments providing a surge of publicity. In 2008, a match point foot fault led to a memorable tirade and in 2011, Michael Yani made SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on ESPN with a diving winner.

“Marc took a leap of faith, investing his own time and money,” Karseno told ATPChallengerTour.com. “He took six months off from work, figured out the technology and hired a crew. At first, it was just a long pole with a hook that went on the top of the fence and points down. The following year, Marc established his company and saw an opportunity to make it a permanent fixture.”

“I remember Judy Murray contacted the tournament and thanked us for giving her the chance to see her son Jamie Murray play a tournament on the other side of the world,” said tournament founder Bob Raedisch. “She was so excited. At the time, unless you qualified for a Slam, you weren’t getting exposure or getting interviewed. It morphed into something bigger than what the tournament ever imagined.”

In Dallas, while they are constantly seeking ways to set themselves apart, there is one thing that has never changed in 22 years: the tournament’s culture.  

Photo: Tessa Kolodny

On the Challenger circuit, every tournament has their own method of establishing a unique sporting culture within the community, while striving to attract potential sponsors. At T Bar, they have been laying the foundation through years of hard work and dedication to create the perfect tennis experience.

A modest tennis facility in North Dallas, T Bar has been home to the Challenger 100 event for more than two decades. If you walk through the main entrance during the tournament, you won’t find any flashing lights, dramatic player entrances and boisterous entertainment. The event has always stayed true to its roots and that is reflected in the passion and core values of its founders and current staff.

‘Southern hospitality’ describes the warm and welcoming attitude of people in the Southern United States. At T Bar, they take that philosophy to the next level. The tournament’s culture is predicated on a family-first mentality. That extends to the players battling between the lines, the fans streaming through the gates and the staff working tirelessly to make the event run as smooth as possible. If you’re there, you’re family.

“There is a strong appetite for tennis in the Dallas area,” said Karseno. “In terms of the club membership and the community’s demographic, this has been the place to be on a Saturday night. Women are getting dolled up and people are getting babysitters for their kids ahead of a night out. It’s a party and it still is a big social event in the city. People will mingle in our pavilion, enjoying locally catered food and drinks, before taking their seats for a night of tennis.

“And from what players tell us, it’s all about the way we take care of them. It’s a relationship that we build. I don’t just interview a guy [for our social media] and then never talk to them the rest of the year. I always tell the champions that I hope we never see them back here again. You always want them to graduate to the next level. But when they’re here, we put them in housing in the mansions of our club members and they give them their cars for the week. It’s all about the relationships you build over time.”

The tournament has also become a social event for stars of other sports. A big tennis fan, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki and his wife Jessica have visited the tournament nearly every year. This week, he was joined by former New York Knicks player Kurt Thomas, current Dallas Cowboys football star Michael Gallup and former Dallas Stars ice hockey goalie Marty Turco. In fact, Thomas and Gallup visited the tournament on multiple occasions throughout the week, staying for hours on end.

“It’s cool to see stars of other sports coming to watch us play,” said 2020 finalist Denis Kudla. “That doesn’t happen often. I never knew they were tennis fans.”

Welcome back to @TennisChampsDTX, Dirk Nowitzki!@dallasmavs legend @swish41 visits with fellow ?? @DominikKoepfer during Thursday’s night session in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/tqFx2aWejV

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 7, 2020

In addition to the players and the fans, local businesses have also taken notice. Many sponsors have been with the tournament since its inception in 1998. When Andy Teller agreed to make RBC the title sponsor, the goal was to not only organize meet-and-greets, pro-ams and clinics for his clients, but to engage with the local community and make it an integral part of the tournament’s culture. They aim to turn the non-club members into tennis fans that will continue coming back year after year.

Mackenzie McDonald, who reached the final in both 2018 and 2019, stays with the Teller family every year.

“I’ve always played pretty well here,” said the 24-year-old American. “The courts suit my game and the staff are very accommodating. They treat me like family and it just allows me to play my best tennis.”

Giving back to the community is just as important for the tournament and its sponsors, raising more than $1.25 million for charity over the years. The tournament has held its annual Pink Day for the past 12 years, supporting the Susan G. Komen foundation and the fight against breast cancer.

Photos: Tessa Kolodny

A tennis celebrity is invited to host the event, with more than 250 people – all dressed in pink – attending every year. In the past they had the likes of Stan Smith, Brad Gilbert and Patrick McEnroe managing the festivities, with Judy Murray taking the reins this year. It includes a speech by the host, a clinic on stadium court, meet-and-greet and catered lunch, in addition to tickets to watch the tennis.

Silent auctions are also held by local charities throughout the week, including the Dallas Tennis Association. The DTA helps underprivileged youth by providing donated racquets, shoes, balls and tennis clothing. The tournament also hosts a visit to a different children’s hospital each year, as well as a latino clinic and a hearing impaired clinic with ATP pros and club pros.

Dallas has a storied history of professional tennis, with another ATP Challenger Tour event running in nearby Irving from 2012-18. Prior to that, the World Championship Tennis Finals was held for nearly 20 years in the 1970s and 80s, featuring some of the top players in the world. That was staged at the Moody Coliseum and Reunion Arena.

“Back in the day, this area did not have pro tennis,” added Raedisch. “And there are so many high-end clubs here. There’s a lot of money here and many tennis players, with some top guys coming from the Dallas area. Dick Stockton was Top 10 in the world and he was a pro here at T Bar.”

Dallas in 2005

Now, the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas has become a critical stop on the ATP Challenger Tour. The week before the spring U.S. swing on the ATP Tour gets underway in New York, top players have flocked to the tournament over the years. In 2018, Kei Nishikori lifted the trophy in his comeback from a wrist injury, while Nick Kyrgios and John Isner both participated in the doubles in 2019. The tournament was also the site of Kyle Edmund’s title in 2016 and a runner-up finish by a 19-year-old Taylor Fritz the following year.

This week, Jurij Rodionov became the first #NextGenATP  champion of the 2020 season, winning six matches in seven days to lift his second Challenger trophy. He defeated Kudla in a thrilling final.

Once again this coming week there will be three ATP Tour events on three continents, led by the first ATP 500 tournament of the season in Rotterdam, home of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev leads the field there in hopes of capturing his first title of the season.

In the Western Hemisphere, John Isner is the top seed at the New York Open. The big-server will try to become the second straight American to win that ATP 250, while Diego Schwartzman is the No. 1 seed at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

Draws: Rotterdam | New York | Buenos Aires

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ROTTERDAM
1) Top 20 Stars: There is a stacked field in Rotterdam, with 10 of the Top 20 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings action, including four members of the Top 10.

2) Medvedev Magic: Medvedev reached an ATP Tour-leading nine finals in 2019. The Russian will try to make his first of the season in Rotterdam. He has made at least the quarter-finals in each of his two appearances at this event, losing to Gael Monfils in the semi-finals last year.

3) Gael Goes For Glory Again: Monfils earned one of the biggest titles of his career here last season, navigating a tough draw that included David Goffin, Medvedev and Stan Wawrinka. The Frenchman, who also made the 2016 final in Rotterdam, is the third seed.

4) Tsitsipas-Hubi Headline Incredible Openers: There are plenty of exciting first-round matches at this ATP 500, including a clash between second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Hubert Hurkacz. Fifth seed Fabio Fognini plays Karen Khachanov, eighth seed Denis Shapovalov faces Grigor Dimitrov, and seventh Andrey Rublev will battle fellow big-hitter Nikoloz Basilashvili.

5) Doubles Stars Galore: Seventeen of the 32 players in the Rotterdam doubles draw have competed in doubles in the Nitto ATP Finals. Top seeds Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies, second seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut and fourth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau were three of the eight teams that played in the season finale at The O2 last year.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN NEW YORK
1) Isner Leads The Way: Isner is the No. 1 American, and he is also the top seed in this tournament’s third New York edition. Its previous location was Memphis. Isner advanced to the semi-finals last year, losing to eventual champion Reilly Opelka.

2) Reilly’s Return: Opelka made his breakthrough at the New York Open, reaching his first ATP Tour final and lifting his first tour-level trophy. The American won back-to-back final-set tie-breaks against Isner and Brayden Schnur to claim victory on Long Island. He went on to enjoy the best season of his young career, climbing as high as World No. 31 last October.

3) Former World No. 3s: Second seed Milos Raonic and 2018 New York Open champion Kevin Anderson are the two former World No. 3s in the field. Both men have reached at least one Grand Slam final. Raonic is a three-time champion at this event, winning it from 2011-13 when it was held in Memphis.

4) 2019 Milan Competitors In NY: Two players who competed in the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals, Ugo Humbert and Miomir Kecmanovic, are seeded fourth and sixth, respectively. Both men are making their tournament debuts in New York.

5) Aussie Momentum: American Tennys Sandgren fell short against Roger Federer in five sets in the Australian Open quarter-finals, and he will look to maintain his momentum in New York, where play is contested on black hard courts. Sandgren has played at this event in each of the two editions held on Long Island.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BUENOS AIRES
1) Argentines Leading The Way: Like in Cordoba, Schwartzman and Guido Pella are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively. Schwartzman made the Buenos Aires final last year, upsetting Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals. An Argentine will try to lift the trophy for the first time since 2008, when David Nalbandian did it.

2) Lajovic In Action: Serbian Dusan Lajovic, who made a clay-court ATP Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo last year, is the third seed. He reached the quarter-finals in Buenos Aires in 2016, and will be chasing his second ATP Tour title.

3) Coric’s Charge: Borna Coric, the 23-year-old who has climbed as high as World No. 12, is making his tournament debut. The Croat owns a higher winning percentage — 56.5 per cent — on clay than on any other service.

4) Cecchinato The Champ: Italian Marco Cecchinato beat Schwartzman in last year’s final to claim his third ATP Tour title. Although he is unseeded this year, Cecchinato did not lose a set in Buenos Aires last year.

5) Granollers/Zeballos Top Seeds: Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos are the top seeds in the doubles draw. The Spanish-Argentine duo won its first title together at last year’s ATP Masters 1000 Canada event in Montreal.

Tennys Sandgren played one of the most memorable matches of the 2020 ATP Tour season thus far against Roger Federer in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

ATPTour.com spoke to his coach, former World No. 60 Michael Russell, about what was going through his mind during the match, how he approached his messaging to Sandgren afterwards, how he wants his charge to move forward, and more. Russell coaches both Sandgren and fellow American Mackenzie McDonald.

What was going through your mind during the match?
During three-out-of-five-set matches, there are a lot of swings. So I’m always very even-keeled anyways during a match. I don’t like to show too much emotion, never any negative emotion. But I want the player to be able to look over and see the calmness, but also the confidence as well.

I will show them some fist pumps and some verbal encouragement, but obviously your heart is racing at certain times in the match. You get more excited and you try to urge him on and keep that confidence in him, the patience, the confidence and the tranquility. There’s no panic at any moment.

Tennys had seven match points and it didn’t seem like he played those points poorly. Roger seemed to play as well as he did the whole match in those situations. How did you see it?
I’ll be candid. He played the match points conservatively, which is understandable in that situation. You feel like, ‘Okay, I don’t want to go for too much’ because you feel like, ‘I don’t know how many opportunities I’m going to have.’

So a little bit of it is kind of saying, ‘Okay, I’m going to play these balls to Roger. Roger might make an error.’ You can see that a little bit in there. He played a couple points aggressively, a little bit unlucky with that point where he came in, had the volley, went cross-court and not down the line, he knows that. Roger hit an amazing stick save.

He only had one match point on his serve, didn’t hit the spot that he wanted to on the serve and unfortunately lost the point. He could have played a little more aggressively of course in hindsight. But it’s easy in hindsight to look at that. He didn’t really make an error unless he was a little off balance. And kudos to Roger, he stepped up and basically put on freaking robot mode where he wasn’t going to miss a ball on those points.

What did you say to Tennys when you got in the locker room?
Obviously, he was extremely disappointed being so close to beating such a good player in Federer in that stage, in a quarter-final. He not only wanted to beat Roger and be in the semi-finals, but he was really looking forward to the test of playing Djokovic. Sandgren is extremely fit and he wanted that physical test also of playing Novak. But there are so many positives to take away from the tournament.

Coming in he was even a little physically banged up. So to get through four matches — one five-setter against Berrettini, a Top 10 player, a really tough four-setter with a lot of drama against Fognini. he had to play Querrey, who’s a dangerous opponent, took him out in the fourth round of Wimbledon the year before — I was really proud of how well he competed and mentally engaged himself and just reminded him of that after the match. I reminded him how much opportunity, how much inspiration, how many positives he can really take away from this and really build on it in the rest of 2020. 

When you were talking to him afterwards, were you sort of reminding him that he was right there against Roger Federer?
It’s reminding him that he is a player that can be Top 25 in the world, Top 20, and not getting complacent in that mindset or mentality where, ‘I’m playing Roger, I had that opportunity, it’s lost.’ It’s more about, ‘Okay, I’ve been having great Grand Slam runs, I’ve done well at some 250s, I can do this. I can be a more consistent top-level player. This is just gratification showing how good I am, so let’s build on this. So yes, I’m disappointed. Yes, I was in a great situation. But at the same time, I put myself in this situation in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam.

This was not match points against Roger at a smaller tournament. This is a Grand Slam quarter-final. I’ve won a lot of matches, put a lot of hard yards in to get to this point. I can do this again, I can continue to do this. And now I’ve created an aura and energy that people know how fit I am. Let’s use this and build upon it.’

He’s had success at ATP 250s before, winning last year in Auckland, but Tennys has also had some patches where he hasn’t played as well. How much of this is about translating the level he’s shown on the big stages throughout the calendar to produce consistent results?
It’s taking that competitiveness, fierce mentality and focus from the Grand Slams into the ATP 250s, the ATP 500s, the ATP Masters 1000s and being able to do that consistently and sustaining that throughout the year, and that’s what makes somebody Top 20. 

People may not know that he got hurt in Zhuhai last September, and missed almost the entire rest of the season. So after dealing with that, how nice was it to see Tennys start his season like he did?
It was unfortunate. He basically played on a stress fracture even a little bit probably at the US Open and he made the third round. Played on it against Andy Murray in Zhuhai, played a great match, but then basically had to take the rest of the fall off.

He was healthy for the pre-season, which was really important, because he pushed really hard in that pre-season and that paid dividends right away in Australia. He was extremely fit, which he is, and that helped him really mentally battle through that adversity and those tough times.

You were always well-known for your fitness, so is it nice to see the aura Tennys created in that regard in Australia?
I think it creates a definite advantage on court. Players are talking about it, they know this guy is extremely fit, plays physical tennis. So in a three-out-of-five-set match, it’s going to be a battle. I have to be willing to suffer and a lot of players, they might not be willing to put that type of suffering in while Tennys is definitely willing to do that and that’s giving him a lot of confidence. It’s also creating a lot of chatter in the locker room because people know that.

A lot of casual fans may now think of Tennys as the guy who was so close to beating Roger. So what will it take for him to take the next step, continue improving his FedEx ATP Ranking and shed that label?
It’s not getting so caught up in the noise around with media or players. It’s always keeping that focus and tunnel vision that you have on court, also on the practice court, even in your daily life.

He’s strict with his nutrition and his fitness. It’s always making sure you have that goal in sight. You’re always keeping that motivation and striving to keep progressing on court, off court. And I think, ultimately, that will help him be more consistent throughout the year. That’s what we’re striving for.

In terms of Tennys’ game, he’s comfortable on defence, he serves well, he has an all-around game with which he can do a lot of different things, but sometimes he falls back to that base of playing defence. Is taking that next step from good to great playing aggressively in the big moments?
Definitely. You look at guys that are winning Slams or going deep, they’re willing to step up in those pressure moments. I’m not saying you just have to hit balls and run them down, but they’re playing attacking tennis at those pressure moments, whether that’s hitting a big groundstroke, whether that’s coming in, whether that’s taking time away, whether that’s attacking a second serve. So it’s getting comfortable in those situations through confidence and experience.

Tennys Sandgren suffered a heart-breaking defeat in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, letting slip seven match points against 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. The American was just one point away from reaching his first major semi-final.

But instead of walking off the court a winner,, Sandgren returned to the locker room and stared at the carpet, stunned.

“I’m just holding on like on a raft in the middle of the ocean,” Sandgren said, describing his thoughts at the time. “I don’t take losses particularly well in general, that one being extremely difficult. It’s still a loss and I’m still familiar with the downward emotional spike from a tough loss like that.

“It was just holding on to the important stuff and realising that it’s just one match. Yeah, it would have been sweet to win and it would have been awesome to make my first semi and all those good things, but it’s still a great tournament. Hopefully I’ll have another look and if not, oh well, too bad. I tried my best. There’s not much else you could do other than that and hope it works out for you.”

After all, there was a time when such opportunities seemed far away. Sandgren did not win his first tour-level match until the 2017 Citi Open, just after his 26th birthday. For years, he toiled on the ATP Challenger Tour, trying to build up his game and improve his FedEx ATP Ranking.

“It’s a tough gig. It’s a tough road. There are a lot of really good players,” Sandgren said. “You’ve got to put in your time to get better and improve. Unless you have those big results early, you’ve got to work and try to keep getting better as a player and keep improving and figuring out where you can make gains. That’s kind of how I spent four, five years on [the ATP Challenger] Tour.”

Sandgren did not crack the Top 100 until 12 June 2017. Since then he has reached his maiden ATP Tour final (2018 Houston), won his first title (2019 Auckland), and made two Grand Slam quarter-finals (2018, ‘20 Australian Open). But the American does not forget the long road he travelled to get there, and how difficult that grind was.

So why did he keep pushing forward?

“Partly stupidity. Not really sure what else to do. I felt like I’d already invested so much of my time into tennis in 20 something years that I’m probably as good at this as I’m for sure ever going to be at anything else, so I might as well stick it out, keep training hard, keep working and give it my best shot and just see what happens,” Sandgren said. “It’s either work hard or give up. Those are the two options. The option wasn’t to take it easy. There was nothing to rest on, so just kind of kept getting after it, kept working hard just to see if I could improve and see how good I could get.”

That mindset put him in position to play on Rod Laver Arena against an all-time great in Federer. But not only did he get to compete in that moment, he was on the brink of a major upset.

“If somebody would have told me that I would have had seven match points on Roger in the quarters of Australia while I was playing Challengers and I didn’t win, I would have been so gosh darn upset with myself,” Sandgren said, cracking a laugh. “Quarters of Australia, yes, but the seven match points thing, I don’t know if that would have helped me that much at the time.

“I find it pretty incredible what can happen if you keep working hard and over the course of time and who knows how long it will take in whatever it is that you’re doing, but if you treat it as a day-to-day thing, you really have no idea how far you can go in anything. Four, five, six years is a long time. It’s a lot of time and a lot of things can change and [you can] become, I don’t want to say anything that you want to be, but close to it.”

Sandgren had never practised with Federer before they played in Melbourne. He’d watched the Swiss star countless times, but actually being on court with him in a competitive setting conjured surprising thoughts.

“It was funny, I was thinking during the match, a really good buddy of mine, who is the assistant coach at Vanderbilt, Ryan Lipman… he’s got a pretty similar game: one-handed backhand, slice, likes to come forward, likes to serve and volley. We played in juniors, he’s from Nashville as well, and we played I don’t know how many times, 50, 100 times in practice, tournament matches, things like that,” Sandgren said. “So while we were playing, it’s obviously different and Roger is just on a different planet, but some of the point structures and how we’d go back and forth, it felt oddly familiar to me and I was thinking that during the match. I thought about my buddy and I was like, “I feel like I’ve played some of these points before,’ the short slice, dragging me in, things like that were things that I’d seen a bunch from my friend. We battled a lot together, so it was kind of surreal in that way.”

When Sandgren returned home to Tennessee after his loss, he went to dinner with Lipman in Nashville and told him that story.

“He was cracking up and I was like, ‘I was actually going to mention that if I had won the match in the presser, but I did not, so I wasn’t able to’,” Sandgren said. “He was kicking himself.”

Now, the World No. 56 needs to move on. His loss against Federer will remain in his memory forever, and it may still sting, but Sandgren competes this week on the other side of the globe at the New York Open, where he’ll play countryman Steve Johnson on Monday evening.

“Every week is different. Every week is a new week, so you’ve got to treat it like the count is back to zero and you’re just back on the grind,” Sandgren said. “Australia was great, it was a fantastic two weeks for me, but this is a new week and guys are fresh and hungry. If I’m not one of those guys that is also hungry to be out here and to compete and do well, then it’s not going to go well for me. So I need to keep that humble mentality and keep working hard.”

Cristian Garin didn’t always play his best tennis this week at the Cordoba Open, but the Chilean always discovered a way to be better than his opponent.

The 23-year-old right-hander won his third ATP Tour title on Sunday, coming back from a set down for the third consecutive match to beat top seed Diego Schwartzman 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 in central Argentina. After a slow start, Garin overpowered the home favourite, stepping into the court to put the Argentine on defence and leave him gasping for air.

The home crowd tried to will their man to his first title on home soil, but Garin played fearlessly in the second and third sets, hitting lines and never backing down against the 27-year-old Buenos Aires native.

Garin improved to 3-1 in ATP Tour finals, all of which have come in the past 12 months. The Chilean was off to a dismal start in 2020 before Cordoba, going 0-3 at the ATP Cup and falling in the second round of the Australian Open (l. to Raonic).

But Garin ended 2019 as one of the premier clay-court players on the ATP Tour and has started 2020 the exact same way.

Schwartzman had played only one final on home soil before Sunday, falling in the 2019 Argentina Open title match in Buenos Aires (l. to Cecchinato). But he enjoyed a nerves-free start, breaking three times in the opener, including in the third game when Garin double faulted for the break.

The Chilean struggled to steady himself in the baseline affair amidst the pro-Schwartzman crowd. The Argentine was doing as he pleased with his forehand and engaging Garin in lengthy forehand-to-forehand rallies.

In the second set, however, Garin calmed his level, breaking up their baseline routine with a backhand up the line to earn two break points at 2-3 on Schwartzman’s serve. Two points later, Schwartzman netted a routine backhand, and Garin had his break.

Schwartzman broke back at 3-5, but Garin stepped into the court more often to return the favour and take the second set.

In the deciding set, it was all Garin as the Chilean routinely stepped in front of the baseline and bludgeoned forehands and backhands that Schwartzman could only try to get back in play. Garin showed off his aggressiveness once more on match point, smashing a forehand return winner.

He will receive 250 ATP Rankings points and $91,625 in prize money. Schwartzman, who fell to 3-5 in ATP Tour finals, will take home $50,710 in prize money and 150 ATP Rankings points.

Third seeds Marcelo Demoliner/Matwe Middelkoop won their second ATP Tour doubles title as a team on Sunday at the Cordoba Open.

The Brazilian/Dutchman pairing saved both break points faced and beat home favourites and fourth seeds Leonardo Mayer/Andres Molteni 6-3, 7-6(4).

Demoliner/Middelkoop broke in the sixth game of the opener. They saw three more break points in the second set, but the Argentines saved them all.

In the tie-break, however, Demoliner/Middelkoop broke through for their second ATP Tour team title (2019 Moscow). They started playing together only last September at the St. Petersburg Open.

Demoliner/Middelkoop will receive 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $30,900 in prize money. Mayer/Molteni were playing their fourth ATP Tour event as a team and in their first tour-level final. Molteni won the doubles title last year (with Jebavy).

The Argentines will receive 150 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $15,840 in prize money.

Winning your maiden ATP Challenger Tour title is always a significant achievement. Whether it’s a teenager breaking through or an established veteran finally putting it all together, it is a massive moment for any player in their careers.

Words cannot describe the feeling of ecstasy and elation that comes with a first piece of silverware. And it’s not just the players that enjoy their moment in the spotlight. The impact can often extend to the country they represent, especially if that nation is first emerging on the tennis scene.

For Mohamed Safwat and his native Egypt, that moment finally arrived on Sunday. Safwat became just the second Egyptian to win a Challenger title and first since 1996, when Tamer El Sawy went back-to-back in The Bronx, New York. The long 24-year drought came to a close as Safwat fired a service winner out wide to clinch the title in Launceston, Australia.

“I can’t really describe how I feel,” Safwat told Egyptian sports journalist Reem Abulleil. “It’s something I’ve been chasing for a long time. I’ve been working hard towards it. Multiple times in the past I got very close to it but I couldn’t take it. This time, I never expected to win it in Launceston, never ever.

“I feel good and I think it’ll give me a push and confidence for the rest of the year. For me it’s good that all this is happening at the start of the year because that will give me a push for the rest of the year. I played four tournaments already and a lot happened for me.”

Read Reem’s full interview with Mohamed

Safwat defeated Alex Bolt 7-6(5), 6-1 to prevail on the hard courts of the Launceston International, capping an impressive week down under. He dropped just one set all tournament, having rallied from a set down to beat Kimmer Coppejans in the semis.

“I think this will give me a boost and confidence to play the bigger tournaments against tougher opponents.”

What a moment for Mohamed Safwat! Ten years after making his #ATPChallenger debut, the ?? has his maiden title. Champion in Launceston. pic.twitter.com/SRqP8W1XAG

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 9, 2020

Safwat has been flying the flag for Egypt for the past decade, as the only player from his country in the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. Fellow North African nations of Tunisia and Morocco have both featured Challenger champions in that span. For a nation without a rich tennis history, a moment like this can provide a significant boon and inspire a new generation of Egyptian players.

“I took a different path than the generation before me,” Safwat added. “I committed to what I do, I didn’t give up on my dreams, I had a rough time throughout the years, ups and downs, and frustration and sadness but thankfully I was always surrounded by the right people.

“What I’m doing now will be good for kids back home and should motivate them that they can do it, with the right knowledge and the right people around you, you really can achieve it.”

The impact for Safwat personally cannot be understated. Nearly 10 years after making his Challenger debut, he finally lifted a trophy for the first time. A total of 133 tournaments came and went without tasting victory. Until now. And it comes just a few weeks after qualifying for a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open. He did not drop a set in three matches to reach the main draw.

Mohamed Safwat makes Egyptian tennis history!

The 29-year-old becomes just the second ?? champion ever, claiming his maiden title in Launceston. First winner from Egypt since Tamer El Sawy in 1996. pic.twitter.com/g2m95ZPt4L

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 9, 2020

After suffering three previous final defeats, a composed Safwat needed just 72 minutes to triumph on Sunday. Runner-up in Kenitra, Morocco in 2016; Anning, China in 2018 and Helsinki, Finland in 2019, it was just a matter of time before the 29-year-old entered the winners’ circle.

“A lot of things are changing and this one feels very special. I probably can’t express how I feel and I can’t find the correct words to describe all this. This for me is a special thing. And because it comes with a career-high ranking, I’ll be 130 in the world.”

Currently sitting at a career-high of No. 157 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Safwat is projected to rise to No. 130.