Fourth seeds Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury continued their winning ways on Friday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, edging Marcus Daniell/Philipp Oswald 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 to reach the final.

Ram/Salisbury also moved closer to making their debut appearance as a team at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, held from 10-17 November at The O2 in London. Their semi-final win pushed them into sixth place in the ATP Doubles Race To London with 3,290 points. Ram/Salisbury will pick up an additional 200 points if they can take the title in Vienna.

The American/British pair look to improve their 1-3 record in ATP Tour doubles finals this year, having prevailed in Dubai and finished runner-up in Brisbane, Queen’s Club and Antwerp. They await the winner of top seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo and third seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut.

At the Swiss Indoors Basel, Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek upset second seeds Raven Klaasen/Michael Venus 7-6(8), 6-4 to move into the semi-finals. They saved set points at 5/6 and 7/8 in the first-set tie-break en route to advancing in one hour and 30 minutes.

Dodig/Polasek, who are in ninth place in the ATP Doubles Race To London, will face fourth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau on Saturday. Rojer/Tecau are in seventh place in the Race.

Reilly Opelka dealt a blow to Roberto Bautista Agut’s Nitto ATP Finals hopes on Friday, serving his way past the Spaniard 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 after one hour and 33 minutes to reach the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Entering the match, Opelka had lost three consecutive matches against Top 10 opposition. But the American crushed 31 aces to upset Bautista Agut, winning 91 per cent of his first-serve points (49/54) in the match and saving three of the five break points he faced.

Bautista Agut, the ninth-placed player in the ATP Race To London, was trying to keep pace with eighth-placed Matteo Berrettini, with both men hoping to earn a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals from 10-17 November. But since Berrettini reached the semi-finals in Vienna on Friday and Bautista Agut crashed out in Basel, the Italian’s lead for the final spot grows to 130 points, and that lead can increase depending on Berrettini’s performance the rest of the week at the Erste Bank Open.

Bautista Agut defeated Opelka 6-4, 7-5 in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting just two weeks ago at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. But in that match, the American won just 70 per cent of his first-serve points.

“I definitely served a lot better today. That court against Roberto, I played him in China, is not an easy one to play him on,” Opelka said. “That day the court was really fast and it was a little chilly out, so it felt pretty much impossible for me to beat him there. Similar today, honestly. If I didn’t make my first serve, [I] didn’t win the point. So he’s a nightmare.”

It seemed the steady Spaniard was biding his time for his opportunities with consistent play despite his opponent’s massive serving at this ATP 500 event. But Opelka, who was broken in his second service game of the match, consistently fell back on his booming first delivery when in trouble.

Entering the week, Opelka overcame a 0/40 deficit just once form 21 tries this season. But the 22-year-old flipped the script in a major way at 5-3 in the opener, when he served for a one-set lead. Opelka hit five consecutive aces from 0/40 to gain the advantage.

And although Bautista Agut dominated on second-serve return — winning 78 per cent of those points, including all seven in the second set — it was not enough. Opelka, who used every opportunity to attack with his forehand during rallies, blasted a forehand down the line to clinch the critical break at 4-3 in the third before serving out his victory. The reigning New York Open champion will face #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur, who battled past German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6(4), in the last four.

“[Bautista Agut] and De Minaur are two of the guys I always say I don’t want to be anywhere near in the draw,” Opelka said.

Each of the three previous times De Minaur won a quarter-final this season (3-3), he went on to win the title. The Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier takes a 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead into his semi-final against Opelka, with all three of those matches coming this year.

Like Opelka, Struff based his game off of his serve and powerful baseline game, striking 12 aces and winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points against the Aussie. But De Minaur played splendid defence throughout, putting up a wall that the German was unable to crack often enough. The 20-year-old broke twice in his one-hour, 43-minute victory.

“Whenever you play Reilly, you don’t know what’s going to happen either way. He’s an incredibly tough opponent. He’s one of the toughest opponents out there,” De Minaur said. “It’s going to be another fun match. We’re really good friends, so I’m really looking forward to just being alive [in the draw] another day and coming back tomorrow and being able to play again.”

Did You Know?
By reaching the semi-finals, Opelka could potentially receive a special exempt entry into the Rolex Paris Masters, and on Monday he will become the No. 2 American, passing good friend Taylor Fritz.

The field for the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals is set. A trio of first-time qualifiers – Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, Ugo Humbert of France and Sweden’s Mikael Ymer – qualified for the award-winning eight-man event. Additionally, 18-year-old Jannik Sinner of Italy completes the field as a wild card for the tournament, to be held 5-9 November at the Allianz Cloud in Milan.

The four players join Australian Alex de Minaur, Canadian Denis Shapovalov, American Frances Tiafoe and Norwegian Casper Ruud at the 21-and-under tournament, which features eight players from eight countries and three continents.

Greek qualifier Stefanos Tsitsipas will not compete because of his Nitto ATP Finals participation, at The O2 in London, from 10-17 November, and Canadian qualifier Felix Auger-Aliassime was forced to withdraw (left ankle) from the tournament, which will feature a series of rule changes and innovations for the third consecutive year.

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De Minaur climbed 177 spots in the ATP Rankings during his breakout season that ended in the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals title match. The 20-year-old raised his level this year, going unbeaten in ATP Tour title matches at the Sydney International, his hometown tournament in January, the BB&T Atlanta Open in July and the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships in September.

Shapovalov will be making a return trip to Milan after participating in the inaugural event in 2017. The Canadian reached three semi-finals, including his third at the ATP Masters 1000 level in Miami (l. to Federer), and celebrated his maiden ATP Tour title at last week’s Intrum Stockholm Open (d. Krajinovic).

Tiafoe will look to reach the semi-finals in Milan for the first time after falling short on debut last year. The American made his first major quarter-final in January at the Australian Open and his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in March at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Get To Know The Milan Qualifiers
De Minaur | Shapovalov | Tiafoe | Ruud | Kecmanovic | Humbert

Norway’s Casper Ruud will become the first player from the Nordic nation to compete in Milan. The 20-year-old, who is coached by his father and former World No. 39 Christian Ruud, reached his first ATP Tour final in April (l. to Garin) at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston and made the semi-finals at the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo (l. to Garin) in February and the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel in August.

Serbia’s #NextGenATP star Miomir Kecmanovic has climbed 77 spots in the ATP Rankings this year, from No. 131 to No. 54. The 20-year-old made his first ATP Tour final at the Turkish Airlines Open Antalya (l. to Sonego) in June and earned his first Top 10 win in August, at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati against 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev.

Ugo Humbert finished one spot away from qualifying in 2018, but the 21-year-old Frenchman will be competing in Milan next month. The left-hander made the fourth round of Wimbledon (l. to Djokovic) and three semi-finals, at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, the Hall of Fame Open in Newport and the European Open in Antwerp.

Sweden’s Ymer won back-to-back ATP Challenger Tour titles during the past month to thrust himself into Milan contention. The 21-year-old, who reached the second round of Roland Garros (l. to Zverev), is at a career-high No. 74 in the ATP Rankings and has won four Challenger titles this season.

Watch: Spotlight Series: Jannik Sinner

Sinner is on the cusp of becoming the youngest player inside the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, a status currently belonging to Auger-Aliassime. The 18-year-old Italian, who is 373 days younger than his Canadian counterpart, is No. 101 and surged forward 18 spots last week by beating World No. 13 Gael Monfils and making the European Open semi-finals (l. to Wawrinka). The teenager became the youngest ATP Tour semi-finalist in five years (Borna Coric, Basel 2014). Sinner was close to making Milan on his own merit as he is one spot away from qualifying in the ATP Race To Milan.

The third edition of the event in Milan will see the continuation of a number of innovations, including a best-of-five set format, shorter sets to 4 (tie-break at 3-All) and No-Ad scoring. Other innovations include Electronic Line Calling through Hawk-Eye Live, a 25-second Shot Clock, In-Match player coaching via head-sets, Video Review and more.

The tournament’s pioneering role in innovation was recognised at the 2018 Yahoo Sports Technology Awards in London, where ATP & ATP Media won the Most Innovative Governing Body or Rights Holder Award, as well as at the 2018 Leaders Sports Awards, where the tournament was recognised with the award for Best Innovation.

Last year, Mikael Ymer could only watch the Next Gen ATP Finals. But this year, he’ll join some of the world’s best 21-and-under players at the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 5-9 November at the Allianz Cloud in Milan.

The 21-year-old Swede is the final direct qualifier for the award-winning event. Here are five things to know about Ymer.

1. He is keenly aware of the sacrifices his family made
Ymer and his brother were born in Sweden to Ethiopian parents. And although they have the pleasure of travelling the world as professional tennis players, they are well aware of the sacrifices their parents made to give them the many opportunities they have had so far. Their parents left war-torn Ethiopia in the 1980s to start a new life in Sweden.

“When it gets tougher, I have that in the back of my head, that people have sacrificed a lot. My family has sacrificed more or less their lives for us to be able to do this. So I’m not only playing for me. Having that in the back of my mind always helps me,” Mikael said. “Sometimes I’m still going to fail, but it definitely helps me to make sure I do the work. It also motivates me.”

2. He loves running
Ymer’s father, Wondwosen, was a professional runner in the marathon and 10K distances. And the plan was for Ymer and his older brother, Elias Ymer, to become professional runners. “It definitely runs in the blood,” Mikael said.

Despite his budding tennis career, he was still running a lot up until two years ago. “Now I have to change a little bit, because of my body, how it’s reacting to it. But every chance I get, I try to run. I enjoy it. I think it’s very good, very good for the head and the body,” Mikael said.

3. Tennis is in the family
Elias, 23, is currently No. 130 in the ATP Rankings. Together, they won the 2016 Intrum Stockholm Open doubles title.

“It’s been unreal,” Mikael said at the time. “We clicked really well and played some great doubles. I’m really happy with this win and I’m excited for our future together in doubles.”

More About Ymer
Ymer Brothers Take Stockholm Doubles Title
Mikael’s Magical Month, Back-To-Back Challenger Titles
Ymer Cracks Top 100
Ymer Wins #NextGenATP Battle In Bastad

4. He enjoyed Grand Slam success in Paris
Ymer checked a couple of career-first boxes at Roland Garros this season. He qualified for his first major and won his first Grand Slam match (d. Rola) before falling to eventual quarter-finalist Alexander Zverev in the second round.

“I’m happy with how I fought. That was one of my main goals before, that I’m going to leave it all out there,” Ymer said of the Zverev match. “I wish I could replay the match, but there are still positive things to bring with me and that I look forward to working on.

“It’s a great first Grand Slam… Four wins here in Paris is not easy at all, of course I bring that with me. I got my first best-of-five match in a big arena, so next time I come out I can be a little more focussed on actually winning the match and not too much about the circumstances.”

5. He is playing the best tennis of his life right now
Ymer has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles in the past month to climb 31 spots in the ATP Rankings, from No. 105 to No. 74. Ymer won the ATP Challenger title in Orleans, beating former World No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals. The next week, the Swede took the title in Mouilleron le Captif, France.

“I think I played well from the beginning of the tournament,” Ymer said. “I had some tight matches because my opponents had a very good level in the first few stages. I had to get used to the surface, which is a little different here, with the [orange] colour. But once I took my bearings, I felt better and better.”

For the season, Ymer has won four Challenger crowns, best among the current #NextGenATP group.

2019 #NextGenATP Challenger Title Leaders

Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. They are the third duo to claim a spot at the 2019 season finale, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London, joining Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah and Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo in the elite eight-team field.

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The South African and Kiwi tandem have won two ATP 500-level titles this season at the Noventi Open in Halle (d. Kubot/Melo) and at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. (d. Rojer/Tecau). The pair also reached the finals of the ASB Classic in Auckland (l. to McLachlan/Struff) and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (l. to Cabal/Farah).

Last year at the season finale, which has been held at The O2 since 2009, Klaasen and Venus went 1-2 in round-robin play. Klaasen previously qualified with Rajeev Ram on two occasions (2016-17), highlighted by a run to the 2017 final (l. to Kontinen/Peers). Venus teamed up with good friend Ryan Harrison on his debut in 2017.

Klaasen and Venus clinched their spot Thursday night when Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald edged Nitto ATP Finals hopefuls Henri Kontinen and John Peers 7-6(2), 7-6(5) in the Erste Bank Open quarter-finals. Kontinen and Peers, who won the season finale in 2016-17, are looking to return to The O2 for a fourth straight year and are currently eighth in the ATP Doubles Race To London.

Ram/Salisbury Continue London Push In Vienna; Top Seeds Upset in Basel
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in their debut season as a team. And the American-British duo continued on that trajectory on Thursday, as the fourth seeds beat qualifiers Luke Bambridge and Ben McLachlan 7-5, 6-4 at the Erste Bank Open. Ram and Salisbury, who are in seventh place in the ATP Doubles Race To London, will next face unseeded duo Daniell and Oswald.

In the other Vienna semi-final, top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, who defeated Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov 6-0, 6-4, will play third seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who ousted Andres Molteni and Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-2.

There was an upset at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where qualifiers Santiago Gonzalez and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi eliminated top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 1-6, 6-2, 18-16, saving five match points. They will battle Americans Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka, who advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin. 

Fourth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, who are in sixth place in the Race, beat Brits Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski 7-6(7), 7-5.

Editor’s Note: Following this match, Stan Wawrinka announced that after hurting his lower back in the final game of his victory, he will be unable to compete in Friday’s quarter-finals. Roger Federer receives a walkover into the semi-finals.

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka survived a spirited effort from Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors Basel.

If there were any doubts as to how much this match meant to Wawrinka, the Swiss star’s massive roar after Tiafoe shanked a forehand volley to end the battle answered them. The 34-year-old needed two hours and 34 minutes to dispatch the American and advance to the last eight of his home ATP 500 event for the fifth time. 

Tiafoe, the 2018 Delray Beach champion showed his variety of skills in his first meeting against Wawrinka, utilising his speed and athleticism throughout, while also going after his forehand from the baseline when he was presented with opportunities. Tthe Swiss even complimented his younger adversary when at one point he launched a forehand winner that registered at more than 100 miles per hour.

But in the second and third sets it felt as if Wawrinka was moving closer to a decisive breakthrough. Tiafoe saved all five break points he faced in the second set, coming up with clutch serves and fearless play. But despite converting just 12 of his 14 break points in the match, Wawrinka seized the moment at 6-5. Tiafoe dangerously came in to Wawrinka’s backhand with a slice approach on match point, allowing the Swiss plenty of time to rip his trademark shot, giving the American no time to react.

Wawrinka’s best previous performances in Basel came in 2006 and 2011, when he advanced to the semi-finals. The seventh seed is also trying to keep his ATP Race To London hopes alive. Currently in 14th place, Wawrinka, who trails eighth-placed Matteo Berrettini by 660 points, is trying to make his fifth appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are set to reunite next week at the Rolex Paris Masters, where they will look to stop the run of in-form Russian Daniil Medvedev in the ninth and final ATP Masters 1000 title of the 2019 ATP season. The 23-year-old Medvedev has reached six straight finals, including three at Masters 1000-level. He finished up runner-up to Nadal in Montreal, before claiming back-to-back Masters 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Shanghai. 

Another Russian, Karen Khachanov, claimed his first Masters 1000 title last year in Paris by reeling off four straight Top 10 wins. He defeated John Isner, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem before upsetting Djokovic, a four-time Paris champion. Djokovic had earned his place in the final by prevailing against Federer in a semi-final thriller, named the Best Match of 2018 by ATPTour.com. “We had epic matches throughout our rivalry but this one definitely ranks as one of the best matches we played,” said the Serbian. 

Nadal, who recently wed longtime girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello, makes his return to main draw action for the first time since defeating Medvedev in the US Open final. He will be attempting to win a record-extending 36th Masters 1000 title and his first in Paris.

The ATP Race To London culminates at the Rolex Paris Masters, and Nitto ATP Finals defending champion Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini lead the charge to clinch the final two singles spots at The O2. Roberto Bautista Agut, David Goffin, Fabio Fognini and Gael Monfils will also look to press their claim with 1,000 ATP Race To London points up for grabs in Paris. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Paris tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 1986

Tournament Dates: 28 October – 3 November 2019

Tournament Director: Guy Forget

Draw Ceremony: Friday 25 October, at the Bridge Alexandre III (from 7:00pm, TBC)

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday at 10:00am, Sunday at 11:00am
* Main draw: Monday – Thursday at 11:00am and 7:30pm, Friday at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, Saturday at 11:45am
* Doubles final: Sunday, 3 November at 12:15pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 3 November not before 3:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: AccorHotels Arena
Main Court Seating: 15,000

Prize Money: € 5,207,405 (Total Financial Commitment: € 5,791,280)  

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Novak Djokovic (4)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan (4)
Oldest Champion: David Ferrer, 30, in 2012
Youngest Champion: Boris Becker, 18, in 1986
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 50 Tomas Berdych in 2005
Most Match Wins: Novak Djokovic (32)

2018 Finals
Singles: Karen Khachanov (RUS) d [2] Novak Djokovic (SRB) 75 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Rajeev Ram (USA) d Jean-Julie Rojer (NED) / Horia Tecau (ROU) 64 64  Read & Watch 

Social
Hashtag: #RolexParisMasters

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— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 21, 2019

Did You Know…The ‘Tree of Fanti’ trophy, sculpted by Italian artist Lucio Fanti, bears the name of the winners on the trunk. The two branches show how the two sides of the draw played out. “When I was asked to create a work to commemorate the centenary of Roland Garros, the tournament organisers sent me the draws and results from down the years,” says Fanti. “When I turned one of the pieces of paper 90 degrees and by starting the players off at the top, you ended up with the winner alone at the bottom. Overall, it looked like a tree, so all I had to do was imagine it in 3D.”

Dominic Thiem beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco for the first time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series to reach his third Erste Bank Open quarter-final on Thursday.

The top-seeded Austrian benefitted from more home support in his comeback 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against Verdasco, who had beaten Thiem all four times they had played, including earlier this year on clay in Rome. Thiem is through to his 11^th quarter-final of the season and 49^th since 2016, which is best on Tour.

Most Quarter-finals In Past Four Years

The World No. 5 was broken in his opening service game. But he won 97 per cent of his service points (36/37) in the second and third sets to win his 42^nd match of the season. The Nitto ATP Finals qualifier will next meet Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals.

Russian Andrey Rublev avenged his 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals title match defeat to South Korea’s Hyeon Chung 6-4, 6-2. Rublev saved the only break point he faced and will next meet Nitto ATP Finals hopeful Matteo Berrettini of Italy.

Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman also clinched a quarter-final spot, ousting American Sam Querrey 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(5) despite Querrey’s 23 aces. Schwartzman will face second seed Karen Khachanov. Aljaz Bedene beat Gilles Simon 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and will face Gael Monfils, who gained revenge against #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner with a 6-3, 7-6(8). 

Sinner beat Monfils last week en route to the European Open semi-finals, but Monfils hit 17 aces and won 83 per cent (40/48) of his first-serve points to advance. The Frenchman led 5/1 in the second-set tie-break but had to save a set point at 7/8 before clinching the quarter-final appearance.