Alexandar Lazarov walked into Ken Rosewall Arena Friday evening without a tour-level or ATP Challenger Tour doubles victory. Even though he had former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov on his side of the court for their deciding doubles match against Great Britain, the 22-year-old wasn’t the most confident.

“My first thoughts about the match were just to go out there and not shame myself, not to put him in a bad spot under the spotlight. That was my intention,” Lazarov said. “I didn’t think we could win.”

Not only did the Bulgarians win to spring a big upset on the first day of the ATP Cup, but Lazarov played a key role in his win with Dimitrov against Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury. As the deciding match went into a Match Tie-break, Lazarov showed no fear of rushing the net against two very accomplished and experienced net players. He clinched the match with an inside-in forehand winner that whizzed past Murray.

“I was trying to be as composed as possible because I knew that if I gave them many chances, they were going to take them. I was just focussed on hitting the shot no matter what happens or who stays on the other side,” Lazarov said. “I just wanted to hit a good volley and if they make the point, they make it. Those guys are top level and Jamie has even won Grand Slams. I’ve been watching these guys on TV, and just to play them is amazing, let alone beat them. I’ll take that as an accomplishment of all the hard work I’ve put in. It’s paying off.”

To add another element to the equation for Lazarov was the time of the match. It started after midnight and ended at 2:46am, with the rest of the Bulgarian team storming the court from the Team Zone.

“It was crazy. At a certain point I didn’t even know what time it was anymore,” Lazarov said. “But I’m grateful for all the people that stayed so late because it’s not easy to be on the court all day and watch and support. It was amazing, really.”

After leaving Ken Rosewall Arena, the Bulgarians celebrated by dancing around together as they listened to music. Understandably, there were plenty of people who rushed to message Lazarov notes of congratulations on his efforts.

“I lost count, to be honest,” Lazarov said of the number of texts he got. “I unfortunately am not able to respond to all of them, but I’ll try to get back to the people somehow.”

What people who watched the thrilling upset might not realise is that Dimitrov and Lazarov had never competed together. Lazarov was thankful to have a player with Dimitrov’s experience on his side to help him through the pressure moments.

“It’s unbelievable… Just to be able to learn from such a player, it’s amazing,” Lazarov said. “He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever seen on Tour and it’s very easy to see and to know what you have to work on.”

This was the biggest stage Lazarov has competed on, and not only did he take advantage of it, but he did so for all of Bulgaria.

“I’m still trying [to take it in]. It’s been unbelievable feedback from all the people in my country and it’s just amazing to see how good we get along and we just have fun. It’s amazing,” Lazarov said. “The job is not done, we still have a few more matches. So we’ll try to do our best and hopefully tomorrow we’re going to perform well again and get another win.”

This story could have easily been one of a near upset that fell short. But Dimitrov and Lazarov played daring tennis from down 7/9 in the Match Tie-break to earn their Cinderella moment, and put the rest of the ATP Cup teams on notice.

“I think we showed that the match is not over until the ref says it’s over because at 7/9, most of the time people say they did good and they don’t really try,” Lazarov said. “But we did until the end and sometimes you make it, sometimes you don’t. But the moral of the story is to just never give up and play until the last point. That’s all I want people to remember, because it wouldn’t be possible if we weren’t fighting until the end.”

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal opened his 2020 ATP Tour season with a win to help Team Spain clinch its opening tie against Team Georgia on Saturday night at the inaugural ATP Cup.

Tennis fans turned out in force, waving Spanish flags for Nadal’s first appearance in Perth at the RAC Arena. But the 33-year-old Mallorcan didn’t have things all his own way against Nikoloz Basilashvili, but came through 6-3, 7-5 victory in one hour and 50 minutes.

“It has been positive victory, of course, for me and for the team — 3-0, a good start to the competition,” said Nadal.

“I had the match under control, 5-2 against a good player like Nikoloz. It has been a positive start. Obviously, he played some good games. I made a couple of mistakes, then the match became more difficult. That is it.”

The 24-team event is being played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from 3-12 January, with the Final Eight beginning on Thursday in Sydney.

While Nadal was broken in the first game, the Spaniard soon settled and was barely troubled thereafter, until Basilashvili stepped inside the baseline at 2-5 in the second set, to rip two groundstroke winners.

The Georgian, who reached a career-high No. 16 in the FedEx ATP Rankings last year, carried the momentum to recover to 5-5, with Nadal hitting a forehand long when serving for the set for a second time. Basilashvili, now playing on the baseline, was soon dragged wide in rallies as Nadal adopted a new plan.

Ultimately, Nadal refocused and Basilashvili dropped his serve with a backhand error. The World No. 1 soon wrapped up the 68-minute set for his fourth straight win over the 27-year-old Georgian.

“I think I was okay physically at the end of the first set, and then I got cramps a bit at the start of the second set,” said Basilashvili. “In general, I think it was a good match. I really enjoyed it and the court is really nice atmosphere here. Today, I can say many positive things, but obviously playing with Rafa is physically very demanding. I had to put in 100 per cent, and some moments in the beginning of second set I start cramping, but then somehow I recovered a little bit.”

When asked whether he was disappointed not to hold serve at 5-5 in the second set, having come back from 2-5 down, Basilashvili admitted, “I couldn’t really make first serves in general in the whole match, but especially in that moment. I was kind of disappointed. I wanted to win this game a lot, but I could not really push. I could not go 100 per cent on the serve, because I also had elbow surgery last year.”

Nadal clinched year-end No. 1 for the fifth time last year, winning 58 of his 65 matches and lifting four tour-level titles, including a 12th Roland Garros (d. Thiem), a fourth US Open (d. Medvedev) and ATP Masters 1000 crowns at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (d. Djokovic) and the Coupe Rogers in Montreal (d. Medvedev).

In the first singles match, Roberto Bautista Agut powered his way to victory. The World No. 9 swept past Aleksandre Metreveli of Team Georgia 6-0, 6-0 over 72 minutes in the first singles match of the Group B clash.

“It was a great match and a great start to the tournament,” said Bautista Agut. “I did not have information about him, but I did ask some players who knew him before and had some ideas. I did not see him play. I focused on my game and I knew it was important to start with a break. I wanted to get the advantage. It was good to make the break in the second game. Every match counts and I was to playing full on until the very end.”

Metreveli battled hard throughout, particularly in his first service game that lasted 16 minutes and 22 points, only for Bautista Agut to turn the screw and earn the first break. The 31-year-old ran through the first set in 41 minutes, converting his third set point — and also breaking Metreveli’s serve for a third time — with a crosscourt forehand winner. Metreveli, the No. 2-ranked Georgian, gained his first break point in the first game of the second set, but Bautista Agut fired down a powerful serve and went on to take a 2-0 lead.

Last year, Bautista Agut broke into the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings on 19 August, compiled a 42-22 match record and lifted one ATP Tour title at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha (d. Berdych).

Team Spain completed a 3-0 victory when Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez, a replacement for Nadal, combined to beat Team Georgia’s Aleksandre Bakshi and George Tsivadze 6-3, 6-4 in the doubles match. Carreno Busta and Lopez, who are 7-1 as a team, won the 2016 China Open title in Beijing.

“It is amazing to start 3-0,” said Team Spain captain Francisco Roig. “Roberto played great match. I think even if it looks easy match, the result was much difficult than what it was… He made very few mistakes.

“Then Rafa had the chance against a very tough opponent like Basilashvili, who always kills the ball. I think after five, six games, he was in control of the game. Then, as [Nadal] said, he had the match in his hands. Pity he missed a volley, [it] could have been 6-3, 6-2. At the end, well, it would have been better to win easy, but also, when you have these situations, it gives you a little bit more experience, experience on these days.”

Your turn, Novak Djokovic.

Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic beat South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 on Saturday night in Brisbane, giving Djokovic the opportunity to clinch their ATP Cup tie against Kevin Anderson.

Lajovic was broken twice in the opening set but steadied himself in the second set of his first match of the season, increasingly passing the 6’6″ Harris and troubling him at net. Lajovic thrived off the Serbian support inside Pat Rafter Arena and broke twice in the final set.

Harris finished 2019 at a career-best year-end FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 99 and will take plenty from his three-set tangle with Lajovic, last year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalist (l. to Fognini), as South Africa progresses at the inaugural 24-team event, which is being held in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.

Djokovic, the World No. 2, leads his ATP Head2Head series against Anderson 8-2, including three of four times they played in 2018. The 33-year-old Anderson was limited to only five tournaments in 2019 because of injuries (right elbow, right knee) and underwent season-ending knee surgery in September. He last played in July in the third round of Wimbledon.

Djokovic, meanwhile, earned 50-plus wins and finished inside the Top 3 for the 12th time in the past 13 seasons (2007-16, 2018-19).

The round robin stage of the ATP Cup enters a crucial period on Day 3, as 12 countries contest their second ties.

Here are the 10 things that matter most ahead of Day 3 at the ATP Cup.

1) Final Eight Qualification: Following Team Canada and Team Australia’s Day 1 victories, both countries are in contention to qualify for the Final Eight on Day 3. If Canada defeats Australia and Greece defeats Germany, Canada will win Group F and book its place in Sydney. If Australia defeats Canada and Germany defeats Greece, the home side will top Group F and confirm its spot in Sydney.

2) Maintaining Momentum: Team Russia and Team Belgium claimed 3-0 victories in their opening ties on Friday. Both nations will be hoping to boost their hopes of Final Eight qualification with further success in Sydney.

3) Quick Recoveries: After falling in tie-deciding final-set tie-breaks in their first ATP Cup ties, Team United States and Team Great Britain will both be aiming to reverse their fortunes and pick up a first tie victory.

4) More Aces: When these 12 countries competed on the opening day of action, they landed 216 aces across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. With the ATP Cup pledging to donate $100 for every ace hit at this event to the Australian Red Cross bushfire disaster relief and recovery efforts, the Day 1 ace count raised $21,600. Will that amount be beaten on Day 3?

5) Australia v Canada: Day 1 could not have gone much better for Team Australia and Team Canada. Both countries triumphed 3-0 in their first ties and will now meet for the chance to take control of Group F. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nick Kyrgios will begin the tie, before Denis Shapovalov and Alex de Minaur meet in the second match at Pat Rafter Arena. Auger-Aliassime and De Minaur own 1-0 ATP Head2Head records against their Day 3 opponents.

6) Germany v Greece: With 0-1 records in Group F, Team Germany and Team Greece return to the court seeking their first win. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, champions of the two most recent editions of the Nitto ATP Finals, will meet in the No. 1 singles match. After falling to a straight-sets defeat against Zverev in their maiden ATP Head2Head encounter at the 2018 Citi Open, Tsitsipas has won four straight matches against his fellow Top 10 rival.

7) Norway v Italy: Following the Day 1 heroics of Casper Ruud, Team Norway returns to action in Perth’s day session against Team Italy. Ruud will face Fabio Fognini in the meeting of No. 1 players, with Team Italy seeking its first tie victory at this event.

8) Russia v United States: Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov will once again take centre stage for Team Russia, which faces Team United States at RAC Arena. Khachanov and Taylor Fritz will both be attempting to record their second ATP Cup wins. Medvedev and John Isner will meet for the first time on the ATP Tour in the second match of the tie.

9) Bulgaria v Moldova: Team Bulgaria created one of the stories of the opening day, saving two match points to beat Team Great Britain in a tie that finished at 2:46am local time. Grigor Dimitrov will contest his second singles match of the competition against Radu Albot, before both men return to the court in doubles. Dimitrov will join Alexandar Lazarov to face Albot and Alexander Cozbinov.

10) Belgium v Great Britain: Following its 3-0 win against Team Moldova, Team Belgium will contest the night session tie at Ken Rosewall Arena against Team Great Britain. Team captain Steve Darcis will open the tie against Cameron Norrie, before David Goffin faces Daniel Evans. In doubles, three-time 2019 ATP Tour titlists Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen will meet Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury.

The Qatar ExxonMobil Open, selected by players at the ATP 250 Tournament of the Year in the 2019 ATP Awards, once again welcomes the ATP Tour to start the new year. The Doha field features Stan Wawrinka, Andrey Rublev, Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who will vie to be crowned the first singles champion of the 2020 season. 

Wawrinka, Rublev and Tsonga – who were all nominated for 2019 Comeback Player of the Year – are former finalists in Doha. Wawrinka finished runner-up to Andy Murray in 2008 and Rublev to Gael Monfils in 2018, while Tsonga won the title in 2008 with victory over Monfils in the final. 

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

ستان فافرينكا يصل الدوحة للمشاركة في بطولة قطر أكسون موبيل 2020

Wawrinka is here to compete for the title.

Welcome Back Stan and Good Luck in the Tournament.#QEO2020 #QEO #Qatar_ExxonMobil #Doha #Qatar pic.twitter.com/HRkYmdk25N

— Qatar Tennis Fed. (@QatarTennis) January 1, 2020

Established: 1993

Tournament Dates: 6-11 January 2020 (28th edition)

Tournament Director: Karim Alami

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 4 January at 6pm

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule
* Qualifying: Saturday at 11:00am; Sunday at 3:30pm
* Main draw: Monday – Thursday at 3:30pm; Friday at 4:30pm
* Doubles final: Friday, 10 January, before singles semi-finals
* Singles final: Saturday, 11 January, at 6pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV

Venue: Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex
Main Court Seating: 7,000

Prize Money: US $1,359,180 (Total Financial Commitment: US $1,465,260) 

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

Honour Roll
Most Titles, Singles: Roger Federer (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Rafael Nadal (4)
Oldest Champion: David Ferrer, 32, in 2015
Youngest Champion: Andy Murray, 20, in 2008
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 124 Rainer Schuettler in 1999

2019 Finals
Singles: [7] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) d [WC] Tomas Berdych (CZE) 64 36 63   Read & Watch
Doubles: David Goffin (BEL) / Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) d Robin Haase (NED) / Matwe Middelkoop (NED) 57 64 10-4  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #QEO2020 #QEO #Qatar_ExxonMobil

Facebook: @qatartennis
Twitter: @QatarTennis
Instagram: @qatartennis

Did You Know… Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won multiple titles at this event, with Nadal’s haul including the 2014 singles title and four doubles crowns (2005, ’09, ’11 and ’15). 

Before the start of the inaugural ATP Cup, Polish No. 1 Hubert Hurkacz spoke about how important it is to him to motivate children in Poland with his tennis. It’s safe to say that his efforts on Saturday in Sydney were plenty inspirational.

Hurkacz rallied to defeat World No. 14 Diego Schwartzman 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in two hours and 18 minutes to even the tie between Team Poland and Team Argentina at one match apiece.

Hurkacz first broke onto the scene in 2018, earning a spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals. And last year, he took his level even higher, winning his first ATP Tour title in Winston-Salem to become just the second Polish singles champion in the Open Era (Wojtek Fibak). He climbed as high as No. 33 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

In his first meeting against Schwartzman, Hurkacz showed he could potentially soar even higher. After Schwartzman rode the cheers of the Argentines in the crowd to an early lead, Hurkacz buckled down on serve. The Pole was broken in his first service game, but then held serve the next 13 times behind 18 aces en route to his triumph.

Argentine Guido Pella gave his country the advantage earlier in the day with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 win against Pole Kamil Majchrzak.

Pella finished 2019 with a career-best 36 tour-level wins after a campaign in which he won his first ATP Tour title and completed the year as the No. 2 Argentine for the first time. Based on his performance in his first match of 2020, the lefty appears primed to maintain that momentum. The World No. 25 broke serve five times in his two-hour, four-minute triumph.

“I’m pretty happy overall. First of all, because I think I played a very good match in the first and third set. In the second, I was feeling a little bit tired because of the heat,” Pella said. “But I think I served very good in the third set, and I fought for every ball. That’s my game. So I felt very, very good on court.”

The 29-year-old had plenty of support from the crowd inside Ken Rosewall Arena. After shaking hands and heading back to celebrate with his countrymen in their Team Zone, fans chanted, “Ole, ole, ole! Guido! Guido!”

“I didn’t know that Sydney has so many Argentines, so it was a big shock for me,” Pella said. “It was almost full, the stadium. They were cheering for me, so it was a very nice atmosphere for the first tournament of the year.”

Visit Official Website, ATPCup.com

Both players struggled landing their first serves in their first match of the season, with each man making less than 50 per cent of his first deliveries. That led to many baseline battles, with Pella trying to dictate play with his heavy forehand and Majchrzak trying to avoid being put on the back foot.

It was Pella who was the more solid player under pressure, and he broke for the second time in the decider to finish off Majchrzak, with the Pole missing a curling forehand approach shot just long.

Chile is back. For much of the past decade, the future of men’s tennis in the South American country that produced champions such as Marcelo Rios, Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu appeared dim.

At the end of 2014, for instance, the country had zero men inside the Top 190 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Rios, the first South American man to reach No. 1, played his last match in 2004; Gonzalez, an 11-time ATP Tour champion, won his final title in 2009; and Massu, a six-time ATP Tour champion and 2004 Athens gold medalist (d. Fish), earned his final Top 100 ranking (No. 99) in June 2010.

After them came no one. From 2011 to 2017, zero Chilean men finished a season inside the Top 100.

But in the past couple years, two 20-somethings hungry to restore tennis greatness in their country have emerged and not only given Chile hope for its tennis future, they have placed their country back on the global stage.

Last year, Cristian Garin, 23, won two ATP Tour titles in Houston and Munich, beating two Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini, en route to the Munich crown, and 24-year-old Nicolas Jarry reached the Geneva final and captured his maiden ATP Tour title in Bastad.

This week, the two will star in three more global opportunities for Chile. The country will face France, Serbia and South Africa in Group A at the inaugural ATP Cup in Brisbane.

“We have Cris and Nico and two more younger players coming up, and I think they’re going to create a very powerful team for the future,” said Hans Podlipnik-Castillo, their ATP Cup teammate. “They’re already showing amazing results, and I think being here proves that Chile is back on the world’s elite and that’s very positive for the country.”

Few countries can match Chile’s recent tennis success, and Garin and Jarry both grew up watching and drawing inspiration from the likes of Gonzalez and Massu. Garin watched them at the former ATP event in Vina del Mar, Massu’s hometown.

“I have great memories of both of them. I went to Vina del Mar to watch them both play many times and now consider Nicolas to be a friend. He talks to my coach every day, and I know he’s really proud of me now,” Garin told ATPTour.com last year.

Jarry came to tennis through his grandfather, Jaime Fillol Sr., who reached No. 14 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and won six ATP Tour titles, but Jarry also studied Gonzalez and Massu as a boy.

“I watched all the big names and saw what they did or didn’t do to get better. I knew I was going to be a tall guy and I watched Fernando and Nicolas a lot. But it’s been really fun growing up with tennis in my life,” Jarry said last year.

Both Garin and Jarry, however, have more than forged their own trail to ATP greatness. When Garin was 16, he became only the fifth player 16 or younger since 2000 to win an ATP Tour match. The Chilean beat Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic at Vina del Mar.

Four months later, in June 2013, he drew more comparisons to Chile’s greats. At 17 years old, he won the Roland Garros junior boys title, beating Zverev in the final. Garin became the first Chilean to win the Roland Garros junior title since Gonzalez in 1998.

Garin expected himself – and Chile – to go straight up from there. “After I won that ATP match, I had to play Futures, quallies of Challengers, it was so different… it’s tough,” he said.

But he stuck with it, and last year, in his first Roland Garros main draw, he earned his maiden Grand Slam win. Garin also reached a new-career high of No. 32 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Jarry, 24, has steadily hiked the FedEx ATP Rankings as well, finishing No. 99 in 2017, ending the Chilean Top 100 year-end drought, and reaching a new career-high of No. 38 last July.

“It’s been an amazing journey since the beginning,” Jarry said. “Like any tennis player, there have been a lot of ups and downs. [In 2018], in my first year on the ATP Tour, reaching my first final [in Sao Paulo], then a couple of semi-finals. Things have happened to push me and to keep fighting.”

Together at the ATP Cup, he and Garin will try to push Chile another step further in their bid to bring more tennis greatness to their country.

“We are all very close to each other, and we are trying to improve together,” Garin said. “I think that we have good years coming so we have to keep working, keep doing the same things and keep enjoying the life of the tennis player.”

After saving two match points against John Isner to force a winner-takes-all doubles match at the ATP Cup, Casper Ruud combined with Viktor Durasovic to earn a 2-1 win for Team Norway against Team United States on Friday.

The Norwegian duo recovered from a set down in Perth to beat Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 and move to 1-0 in Group D. Ruud and Durasovic won 78 per cent of service points (45/58) throughout the encounter to claim the win after 76 minutes.

“I think I made a great effort today,” said Ruud. “We were one point away from losing the tie, and even if I’d lost [against Isner] 7-6, 7-6, I wouldn’t have thought I’d done a lot wrong. We tried to play aggressively in the doubles, against two good doubles players, but we’re good singles players and tried to win our way, not coming to the net a lot. We’re very happy to beat Team United States”.

Team Bulgaria also recovered from two match points down en route to a 2-1 victory in its opening tie against Team Great Britain. Grigor Dimitrov and Alexandar Lazarov claimed four consecutive points from 7/9 down in the Match Tie-break to stun Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 11-9. The tie, which featured deciding sets in each of its three matches, ended at 2:46am local time.

“I was just telling them, ‘Guys, this easily can be a historical moment for us. Just do it to remember.’ I don’t know if in the history, per se, but I think it means a lot for the whole team,” Dimitrov said. “That’s why we’re here. That’s why we play. I think this event has been a great start for us, great start of the year, great start of the event. But all I can say is I’m just really proud of the boys.”

After winning their singles matches, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov earned a third victory for Canada against Greece at Pat Rafter Arena. The #NextGenATP stars dropped just two points behind their first serves (24/26) to beat Michail Pervolarakis and Petros Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3.

Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev were both on double duty for Team Russia in Perth. After Khachanov defeated Stefano Travaglia and Medvedev overcame Fabio Fognini in singles action, the Russian stars combined to beat Simone Bolelli and Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-3.

Belgium secured its own 3-0 victory with doubles success as Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen edged Radu Albot and Alexander Cozbinov 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 11-9. Gille and Vliegen, who lifted three ATP Tour titles together in 2019, entered the contest with victory confirmed for Belgium after Steve Darcis and David Goffin’s singles victories.

There was also a home win for Team Australia’s Chris Guccione and John Peers. The doubles pairing added to the singles triumphs of Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios to complete the 3-0 sweep for the home nation, defeating Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers Andreas Mies and Kevin Krawietz 6-3, 6-4.

With fast starts, big upsets and winner-takes-all doubles contests, Day 1 featured plenty of excitement for ATP Cup fans in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.

Here are 10 of the biggest take aways from the opening day of action:

1) Canada’s Next Gen: In the opening tie at Pat Rafter Arena, Canada began its bid for the ATP Cup crown with an impressive 3-0 victory against Greece. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov swept all six sets contested in the tie, claiming singles victories before combining well on the doubles court.

2) Kyrgios Shares Bushfire Emotions: After his straight-sets win against Jan-Lennard Struff in Brisbane, Nick Kyrgios took a moment to discuss the devastating bushfires across Australia and shared his heartache at conditions in his hometown of Canberra. Alongside the ATP Cup’s pledge to donate $10 to relief efforts for every ace hit during the 10-day competition, Kyrgios is one of many Team Australia stars that will be making personal donations for every ace they serve. There were 216 aces hit across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney on Day 1, raising $21,600.

3) Ruud Rallies: After Taylor Fritz’s win against Viktor Durasovic, John Isner held two match points against Casper Ruud in a second-set tie-break to claim victory for Team United States. But Ruud responded emphatically, stunning Isner in three sets before combining with Durasovic for a Match Tie-break win against Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram to earn Team Norway its first ATP Cup victory.

4) Never Give Up: Team Norway were not the only side to claim victory from the brink of defeat. In a tie-deciding doubles Match Tie-break against Team Great Britain, Team Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and Alexandar Lazarov also recovered from two match points down to secure a 2-1 triumph for their country. Dimitrov and Lazarov won four consecutive points from 7/9 down to stun Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 11-9.

5) Video Review Makes ATP Cup Debut: David Goffin made ATP Cup history on Friday, becoming the first player to request a video review challenge. While his challenge to overturn a foot-fault call was unsuccessful, the World No. 11 did manage to gain the victory he needed most.

6) Extra Warm Ups = Success: Due to the unpredictable nature of Steve Darcis’ match, Goffin warmed up on three separate occasions for his opening encounter. Once he found his way onto the court, the Belgian defeated Radu Albot 6-4, 6-1 to earn his country an unassailable 2-0 lead.

7) A Home Win: Team Australia made the perfect start to its ATP Cup title bid, defeating Team Germany 3-0. Nick Kyrgios gave the home nation its opening point, before Alex de Minaur recovered from 4-6, 2-4 down to beat Alexander Zverev for the first time in five ATP Head2Head clashes 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2. Chris Guccione and John Peers completed the tie with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph against Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies.

8) Russia Rolling: Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev carried Team Russia to a 3-0 victory against Team Italy in their opening tie at the ATP Cup. Khachanov’s 7-5, 6-3 win against Stefano Travaglia earned Marat Safin’s side a 1-0 lead, before Medvedev doubled Team Russia’s advantage with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 triumph against Fabio Fognini. The two stars combined in doubles, beating Simone Bolelli and Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-3.

9) Team Zone Success: Team spirit was on full show on Day 1, as players were seated in designated Team Zones in the corners of the Brisbane, Sydney and Perth’s stadium courts. Players, captains and coaches on received regular support from their team and took advantage of real-time statistics, data, insights and match vision.

10) Doubles Deciders: Occupying the third and final match slot in all ATP Cup ties, there is always a chance of doubles playing a winner-takes-all role at the tournament. In two of six Day 1 ties, the winning country was decided by doubles clashes as Team Norway and Team Bulgaria both triumphed in Match Tie-breaks.