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Thiem Tames Paul Test To Advance At Roland Garros

  • Posted: May 27, 2019

Thiem Tames Paul Test To Advance At Roland Garros

Austrian to face Bublik next

Fourth seed Dominic Thiem faced the toughest test of the tournament favourites in the first round at Roland Garros. But the Austrian battled on, and that’s what counts.

Thiem defeated wild card and 2015 Roland Garros Boys’ Singles champion Tommy Paul 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 to remain undefeated in his openers at the year’s second Grand Slam (6-0).

“it was definitely difficult, but I didn’t expect at all an easy match,” Thiem said. “I wasn’t playing my best today, that’s for sure. But, I mean, we all could see what happens if I don’t play my best tennis. He was playing amazing then. It was very, very close. And of course the key moment of the match was the tie-break in the third set.”

One year ago in Paris, Thiem reached his first Grand Slam final, with only 11-time champion Rafael Nadal being able to stop him. The 25-year-old brings momentum to this tournament again, having captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and defeating Nadal en route to the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell trophy without dropping a set at that ATP 500 event.

Paul, who earned his spot via a reciprocal wild card provided to the USTA, proved a difficult opponent for Thiem, showing no fear of stepping into the court and trading blows with the big-hitting World No. 4. But the difference came in the third-set tie-break, when Paul let slip a 4/0 lead with errors he had not hit throughout the match.

That was the only advantage Thiem needed, raising his already high level another notch, hitting 10 winners to just two unforced errors in the fourth set to triumph after two hours and 31 minutes.

“I didn’t feel really good. Didn’t play my best tennis. He really took advantage of that, also. He made it very tough for me out there,” Thiem said. “The most positive thing I am taking from the match today is the fourth set, because I freed myself. I played way faster, way tougher for him. I moved him around way more. That’s what I tried to build up on this fourth set. And of course, I was tough and fighting all the time and turning around. 0/4 in a breaker is nice for the confidence and for the fighting spirit.”

Read More #RG19 Stories
Rafa Ruthless In Opener
Tsonga Sets Nishikori Blockbuster
Wawrinka & De Minaur Win As Tiafoe Falls

Thiem will next face 21-year-old Kazakh Alexander Bublik, who beat #NextGenATP German Rudolf Molleker 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1, 7-6(2) in two hours and 34 minutes. It will be their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. This is Bublik’s first appearance in the main draw at Roland Garros.

Infosys powers real-time insights for every point

In other action, Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas beat home favourite Maxime Janvier 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 34 minutes 

“I’m still very disappointed. He’s a very good clay-court player. Conditions were not easy. It was windy. I didn’t feel stable,” Janvier said. “I did my utmost. He was stronger than I was. I can’t say much about this.”

No. 28 seed Kyle Edmund was tied with Frenchman 7-6(1), 5-7, 6-4, 4-6, 5-5 when play was suspended due to darkness.

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Williams survives scare to go through – without the catsuit

  • Posted: May 27, 2019
2019 French Open
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 26 May-9 June
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app.

Serena Williams survived a scare as she fought back to beat Russian world number 83 Vitalia Diatchenko in the French Open first round.

American Williams, who has been battling injury, showed rustiness in a poor first set filled with loose shots.

But the 23-time Grand Slam champion found her rhythm to claim 12 of the final 13 games and win 2-6 6-1 6-0 at Roland Garros in Paris.

Williams, 37, faces Japan’s Kurumi Nara or Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic next.

“There is always a lot of fear for a first-round match,” Williams said.

“I made lots of mistakes in the first set and I just said ‘good luck, Serena’.

“I was strong after that. Now I feel like I need to go and practise.”

  • Konta wins at French Open for first time
  • Kvitova withdraws from first round with arm injury
  • Wozniacki knocked out in first round

From screams of frustration to a milestone

The women’s draw at Roland Garros had already lost Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber and former world number ones Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams to first-round defeats, while sixth seed Petra Kvitova pulled out injured.

It started to look like Williams’ name would be added to the list of casualties.

Her season has been disrupted by a persistent knee injury and she was even pictured sat in a wheelchair – seemingly as a protective measure – on a trip to Disneyland Paris with her daughter Olympia last week.

The injury forced her to pull out of the Italian Open two weeks ago, meaning she had played only once on clay since last year’s Roland Garros.

Since losing to Karolina Pliskova in the Australian Open quarter-finals in January, Williams has played in only three tournaments – Indian Wells, Miami and Rome – and has withdrawn from all of them.

So it was unsurprising to see the 10th seed make 14 unforced errors in the opening set against 28-year-old Diatchenko.

Loud screams of frustration at the start of the second set seemed to have a cathartic effect, with Williams finding her stride soon after.

The three-time French Open champion, who is aiming to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, hit 20 winners in the final two sets as she increased the intensity against a rapidly wilting Diatchenko.

In the end it was a procession to an 800th victory in the main draw of a tournament as Williams became the first woman to reach the milestone.

The catsuit was banned – so what did she wear?

Williams was banned from wearing the black catsuit outfit she donned at last year’s French Open, with the tournament introducing a stricter dress code.

She said the outfit made her feel like a “superhero” and that it helped with the issue of blood clots, which she said almost cost her her life giving birth.

She answered the ‘what will she wear?’ question when she arrived on Philippe Chatrier wearing a black and white striped cape emblazoned with the words ‘champion’, ‘mother’, ‘queen’ and ‘goddess’.

That was just for the warm-up, after which she revealed an abstract outfit in the same colours, which looked like floating shorts and a crop top but which also had a mesh panel around the torso.

Even then she was not finished with the outfit changes, later pulling on a – remarkably plain – long-sleeved top.

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Tsonga Sets Nishikori Blockbuster At Roland Garros

  • Posted: May 27, 2019

Tsonga Sets Nishikori Blockbuster At Roland Garros

Frenchman won five-setter against the Japanese star in Paris four years ago

Home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga set a blockbuster second-round battle against seventh seed Kei Nishikori on Monday by beating German Peter Gojowczyk 7-6(4), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and 21 minutes to advance at Roland Garros. It is the Frenchman’s first trip to the second round on the Parisian terre battue since 2016, as he did not compete here last season and lost in the first round in 2017.

“I’m very happy to be here,” Tsonga said. “It’s been two years I hadn’t played here. It’s fantastic and Roland Garros has really changed, so for us players everything has been transformed positively, and it’s very great.”

Infosys powers real-time insights for every point

Tsonga, who missed seven months of 2018 due to left knee surgery, fell as low as No. 262 in the ATP Rankings last November. But Tsonga is already back to World No. 82, and he triumphed in Montpellier this February.

“It’s been difficult, because each time I want to do my best, I’m putting myself under pressure,” Tsonga said. “I need to revitalise things a bit more and to let my tennis play and enjoy each moment.” 

You May Also Like: Nishikori Reaches The Second Round At Roland Garros

Nishikori is a familiar foe for Tsonga. The Japanese star leads the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-3, but seven of those eight matches came on hard courts. At 2015 Roland Garros, Tsonga defeated Nishikori in a five-set marathon lasting three hours and 45 minutes to reach the semi-finals. That was tied for the Frenchman’s best result at his home Grand Slam, also making the last four in 2013.

“I was really in the match with beautiful intentions. I had played very well the first two sets, and then there was this stop because of the panel, and he came back with different intentions than what was happening during the first two sets,” Tsonga said. “The match was balanced. He came back, and I did a fantastic fifth set on the centre court with a fantastic crowd. So that’s the type of matches you enjoy, because everything is present. You have a great player in front of you. You play your best tennis. You have a crowd cheering you. And it’s the best scenario you can have in Roland Garros.”

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View Schedule: Del Potro, Zverev And Fognini Kick Off Day 3 At Roland Garros

  • Posted: May 27, 2019

View Schedule: Del Potro, Zverev And Fognini Kick Off Day 3 At Roland Garros

Khachanov also headlines Tuesday play

Juan Martin del Potro, Alexander Zverev and Fabio Fognini all start play at 11:00am on a busy Day 3 of Roland Garros. Tenth seed Karen Khachanov of Russia is also in action on Tuesday’s schedule.

Eighth seed Del Potro faces a challenging opening test against Chilean Nicolas Jarry. The Argentine has been limited to three tournaments this season due to a right knee injury, but reached the quarter-finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and held two match points against Novak Djokovic before falling in three sets. Del Potro has a 19-8 record at Roland Garros and is a two-time semi-finalist (2009 and 2018). Jarry held two championship points last week at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open before losing to Zverev in a third-set tie-break.

You May Also Like: After Rome Surprise, Del Potro Looks Forward To Roland Garros Challenge

Fifth seed Zverev starts his fortnight against Aussie John Millman. Although the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion has had mixed results this year, he clinched his first title of the season in Geneva and reached the final in Acapulco (l. to Kyrgios). Millman is seeking his first-ever win in Paris (0-3).

Ninth seed Fognini aims for a big run as he opens against fellow Italian Andreas Seppi. They are even in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry at 4-4, but Fognini has won their past four matches. The 32-year-old won his first ATP Masters 1000 title last month at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Lajovic) and could crack the Top 10 for the first time with a big result this fortnight.

Read More: Fognini & Khachanov Seek Top 10 Breakthrough At Roland Garros

Khachanov kicks off his Paris campaign against German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. Although the tenth seed arrives in Paris with a 10-12 record this season, he reached the quarter-finals this March at the BNP Paribas Open. Stebe returned to action last month after sitting out 15 months due to several injuries.

Other notable matches on Tuesday include No. 14 seed Gael Monfils looking to delight the home crowd against Japanese Taro Daniel. Another Frenchman, No. 22 seed Lucas Pouille, will square off with Italian qualifier Simone Bolelli.

More On #RG19
* Laver Talks Djokovic Chasing ‘Nole Slam’ 
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* Mike Bryan Celebrates 500th Week As ATP Doubles World No. 1

ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY, 27 MAY 2019

Court Philippe-Chatrier start 11:00
[5] Alexander Zverev vs John Millman
Two WTA matches
[14] Gael Monfils vs. Taro Daniel

Court Suzanne Lenglen start 11:00
[8] Juan Martin del Potro vs Nicolas Jarry
WTA match
[22] Lucas Pouille vs [Q] Simone Bolelli
WTA match

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Court Simonne-Mathieu start 11:00
[9] Fabio Fognini vs Andreas Seppi
Two WTA matches
Adrian Mannarino vs Stefano Travaglia

Court No. 1 start 11:00
WTA match
[18] Roberto Bautista Agut vs Steve Johnson
[10] Karen Khachanov vs Cedrik-Marcel Stebe
WTA matchr

Court No. 14 start 11:00
Taylor Fritz vs Bernard Tomic
WTA match
[WC] Gregoire Barrere vs Matthew Ebden
WTA match

Court No. 7 start 11:00
Cameron Norrie vs [Q] Elliot Benchetrit
WTA match
[23] Fernando Verdasco vs Daniel Evans
WTA match

Court No. 6 start 11:00
WTA match
Ivo Karlovic vs Feliciano Lopez
Damir Dzumhur vs [WC] Antoine Hoang

Court No. 4 start 11:00
Ken Skupski / Neal Skupski vs Luke Bambridge / Jonny O’Mara
Guido Pella / Diego Schwartzman vs Hugo Gaston / Clement Tabur
[14] Robin Haase / Frederik Nielsen vs Marcelo Arevalo / Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela

Court No. 5 start 11:00
[16]Austin Krajicek / Artem Sitak vs Cheng-Peng Hsieh / Christopher Rungkat
[8] Henri Kontinen / John Peers vs Leonardo Mayer / Joao Sousa
[1] Lukasz Kubot / Marcelo Melo vs Roberto Carballes Baena / Jaume Munar

Court No. 8 start 11:00
[2] Jamie Murray / Bruno Soares vs Matteo Berrettini / Lorenzo Sonego
[10] Jean-Julien Rojer / Horia Tecau vs Christian Garin / Juan Ignacio Londero
Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies vs Manuel Guinard / Arthur Rinderknech
[6] Raven Klaasen / Michael Venus vs Rohan Bopanna / Marius Copil

Court No. 9 start 11:00
Federico Delbonis vs [Q] Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
Three WTA matches

Court No. 10 start 11:00
Yoshihito Nishioka vs Mackenzie McDonald
[12] Ivan Dodig / Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs Miomir Kecmanovic / Casper Ruud
Aljaz Bedene / Hubert Hurkacz vs Marcus Daniell / Wesley Koolhof
[15] Ben McLachlan / Jan-Lennard Struff vs Jeremy Chardy / Fabrice Martin

Court No. 11 start 11:00
Matwe Middelkoop / Tim Puetz vs Roman Jebavy / Andres Molteni
[30] Dusan Lajovic vs [Q} Thiago Monteiro
[9] Maximo Gonzalez / Horacio Zeballos vs Denys Molchanov / Igor Zelenay
WTA match

Court No. 12 start 11:00
WTA match
[7] Mike Bryan / Bob Bryan vs Pablo Carreno Busta / Gerard Granollers
Jordan Thompson vs [LL] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
WTA match

Court No. 13 start 11:00
{Q] Mikael Ymer vs [Q] Blaz Rola
WTA match
Martin Klizan vs Mikhail Kukushkin

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'I ran out of steam' – Wozniacki after shock first-round loss in Paris

  • Posted: May 27, 2019

Former Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki says she “ran out of steam” in a surprise first-round defeat by Russian world number 68 Veronika Kudermetova at the French Open.

The Danish 13th seed lost 0-6 6-3 6-3 despite winning the first seven games and said her opponent had “got lucky”.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” the 28-year-old former world number one said.

“It hasn’t been a great year for me so far, so I’m going to work hard and try and turn it around.”

Wozniacki, who wore strapping on her left calf, won 62% of the total points in the opening set but crumbled in the second and was broken three times.

She went 3-0 behind in the decider before losing a first-round match in Paris for only the third time since 2007.

“I think she got very lucky at the start of the second set and took advantage of the opportunities she got,” Wozniacki added.

“I ran out of steam in the end and made some unforced errors that I don’t usually do.

“She had a few net cords and good shots on some of the important points at the start of the second set.”

The Dane, a two-time quarter-finalist at Roland Garros, withdrew from her first-round match against American Danielle Collins at the Italian Open earlier this month because of a calf injury.

It was the second successive tournament Wozniacki retired early from after she pulled out of her opening match at the Madrid Open with a back injury.

She had won just four matches on clay before her meeting in Paris with Kudermetova, who was playing in only her second Grand Slam main draw.

“I hadn’t really been able to play or practise for some weeks, then played my first points a couple of days ago and went from there basically,” Wozniacki said.

“But my calf now feels good, so that’s a positive. I have to try and stay positive and obviously it’s not as easy to stay positive when things aren’t going your way.”

Wozniacki’s exit comes after Czech sixth seed and Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova withdrew on Monday with an arm injury, while Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber suffered a shock 6-4 6-2 defeat to world number 81 Anastasia Potapova on Sunday.

Kudermetova will now face Kazakh world number 99 Zarina Diyas or France’s Audrey Albie, ranked 289th, in the second round.

Elsewhere, Dutch fourth seed Kiki Bertens comfortably defeated French world number 66 Pauline Parmentier 6-3 6-4 on Suzanne-Lenglen.

And Australian Open quarter-finalist Ashleigh Barty, seeded eighth, beat American world number 72 Jessica Pegula 6-3 6-3.

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Paire Soars In Latest ATP Rankings, Mover Of Week

  • Posted: May 27, 2019

Paire Soars In Latest ATP Rankings, Mover Of Week

ATPTour.com looks at the top Movers of the Week in the ATP Rankings, as of Monday, 27 May 2019

No. 38 Benoit Paire, +13
The 30-year-old Frenchman jumped 13 places to break back into the Top 40 of the ATP Rankings (at No. 38) for the first time since 30 October 2017. Paire, who was at a career-high No. 18 on 11 January 2016, captured the third ATP Tour clay-court trophy of his career at the at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (d. Auger-Aliassime). Last month, he clinched the Grand Prix Hassan II title in Marrakech (d. Andujar). Read Lyon Final Report

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 22 (Career High) Felix Auger-Aliassime, +6
The 18-year-old Canadian rose six spots to a career-high No. 22 as a result of reaching his second ATP Tour final of the season in Lyon (l. to Paire) last week. He also finished as runner-up at the Rio Open presented by Claro and is the youngest player to reach at least two tour-level finals since Andy Murray in 2005-06. Twelve months ago, Auger-Aliassime was ranked World No. 178.

No. 58 Nicolas Jarry, +17
The 6’6” Chilean won four matches in straight sets en route to the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open final, where Alexander Zverev saved two match points in a 7-6(8) third set tie-break win on Saturday. A run to his second ATP Tour final saw 23-year-old Jarry move up 17 positions at No. 58, which is 19 places off his career-high of No. 39 on 5 November 2018. Read Geneva Final Report & Watch Highlights

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 16 (Career High) Nikoloz Basilashvili, +2
No. 40 (Career High) Radu Albot, +5
No. 50 Marton Fucsovics, -12
No. 75 Federico Delbonis, +9
No. 86 Hugo Dellien, +6
No. 100 Tennys Sandgren, -13

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Danilo's Dream: Petrovic Claims Maiden Title In Jerusalem

  • Posted: May 27, 2019

Danilo’s Dream: Petrovic Claims Maiden Title In Jerusalem

Danilo Petrovic reflects on his road to lifting the trophy in Jerusalem

Five months ago, Danilo Petrovic was at home, deeply concerned that his knee would never be the same. The simplest of tasks proved to be a struggle. Just taking a step and going for a walk yielded great pain and discomfort.

For nearly a decade, the 27-year-old has been fighting to realise his dreams on the ATP Challenger Tour. And it was almost over in a flash. Petrovic was battling a debilitating case of ‘Jumper’s Knee’, a chronic form of patellar tendonitis, towards the end of the 2018 season.

The Serbian had reached his first Challenger final earlier in the season in Puerto Vallarta and was turning a corner in his professional career. But, having also struggled with an ankle injury, his fortunes were shifting towards the wrong direction. That is, until now.

For many players competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, a first title can change everything. Petrovic is hoping it is a new beginning. On Sunday, the Belgrade native had his moment in the spotlight, lifting his first Challenger trophy at the inaugural Jerusalem Volvo Open.

Petrovic has been knocking on the door in 2019 and he would finally storm through, blasting to the final without dropping a set. A semi-final upset of top seed and New York Open runner-up Brayden Schnur was followed by a 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-1 victory over Filip Peliwo in Sunday’s championship.

“I’m quite happy to be honest,” Petrovic told ATPChallengerTour.com. “I knew already for a few months that I could do this. As I was telling my coaches, I was playing well but losing so many tight matches. We were discussing that it’s going to come, but just a matter of time.”

Petrovic downed a pair of home hopes to kick off the tournament, including top Israeli Dudi Sela, before earning one of the biggest wins of his career over World No. 106 Schnur.

“I played really good this week. After beating Sela in the second round, that was a big moment early in the week. I like big matches and I like playing the top players. I think I don’t have much pressure. And Brayden, he has had a great season and almost won on the ATP Tour in New York. His game is big and I know that was the best match I played all tournament. In my head, I didn’t have a lot to lose and everything came together. That was for sure one of the best matches I played this year.”

After surrendering a set and a break lead to Adrian Menendez-Maceiras in last year’s Puerto Vallarta final, he refused to succumb to the same fate on Sunday. Once again, he would concede a break lead in the second set and squandered three match points in the ensuing tie-break, but a frustrated Petrovic channeled his aggression and made the most of the decider. He would take six the next seven games to cross the finish line and lift the trophy.

“Last year, I was a set and a break up in the Puerto Vallarta final, but I lost it. It almost happened again today. I had match points in the second set tie-break and I tried to play it safe and he was playing smart. After that, I got quite pissed and that’s what woke me up in the third set. In Puerto Vallarta, I got pissed and blew it, so it played out in a different way. Today, I was pissed in a way that I was ready to fight like hell to do anything to win.”

Petrovic

After struggling through a physically taxing second half of 2018, Petrovic is not looking back anymore. With his injury concerns behind him, the Serbian says he can focus on playing his game, which he believes can be a rather formidable force on any given day.

“The end of the 2018 season for me was quite harsh. I should have gotten into the Australian Open qualifying so easily, because I had five months to make 20 [ATP Rankings] points. But I twisted my ankle in Vicenza and didn’t play for a month. But I kept pushing it just to get some points and then I got messed up with Jumper’s Knee.

“I couldn’t play for six more weeks. Some days it would be fine, then others I could barely walk. Honestly, I’m so happy that it hasn’t come back because I was so scared. Blaz Kavcic has the same problem and he can’t really play anymore. It was a rough end to the season. I was feeling good on the court, but these injuries were really hard on me.

“Even into this year, I was playing good but something happened that would give me an average result. My coaches kept saying that if I won a few matches in a row, this moment would come for sure. That’s what happened here. After I won three matches, I was in a completely different mental state. I was pumped again.”

Jerusalem

Petrovic, who reached a career-high No. 220 nearly one year ago, is back inside the Top 300 of the ATP Rankings at No. 296. With more and more players proving that age is just a number, the 27-year-old is showing that it’s never too late to hit your peak.

One of the more charismatic players on tour, Petrovic is never one to shy away from a good time off the court. When you’re traveling the world for a living, exploring the local cultures is an important part of life. Earlier this month, during the Puerto Vallarta Open, the Serbian took in the local sights, enjoying a boat ride across the bay and indulging in an excursion to a nearby waterfall on horseback.

This week, he visited the historic and sacred Old City in Jerusalem. The tournament was making its debut on the ATP Challenger Tour nearly two decades after Jerusalem last appeared on the calendar. Israel last hosted a Challenger from 2015-16 in Ra’anana, with the city of Ramat Hasharon also welcoming players from 2008-10.

“In new tournaments, the people are trying so much to help the players. They were asking me every day what they could do better. And of course I went around Jerusalem, going to the Old City. I think every player in the draw went there. I was there two days in a row. And the Western Wall too.”

Petrovic is continuing a trend of Serbian success in 2019 and says he is inspired by his countrymen’s breakthroughs. From Laslo Djere’s triumph at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro to Dusan Lajovic reaching the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final and Filip Krajinovic surging to the Top 60, many are following in Novak Djokovic’s footsteps.

Next up, he is scheduled to play a pair of Challengers in Kazakhstan: Almaty and Shymkent, with the hope of getting into Wimbledon qualifying.

ATP Challenger Tour 

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The Stat To Watch As Djokovic & Nadal's Year-End No. 1 Battle Heats Up

  • Posted: May 27, 2019

The Stat To Watch As Djokovic & Nadal’s Year-End No. 1 Battle Heats Up

Find out who has excelled in breaking serve directly after losing serve

You do not truly break serve until you consolidate it with a hold in the next game. And it’s no surprise which two players have been the best on the ATP Tour in 2019 at preventing that from happening.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have proven better at breaking back immediately after losing serve than any other players. Their ability to keep opponents from extending an advantage could prove crucial as the battle for the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking begins to heat up at Roland Garros.

Nadal leads the way in return games won after getting broken, doing so 38.9 per cent of the time so far this season. The Spaniard also leads the ATP Tour in return games won overall at 37.6 per cent, according to Infosys ATP Scores & Stats. But he has buckled down even more right after getting broken.

2019’s Best Players At Breaking Back Immediately After Losing Serve (min. 20 times broken)

 Player  # Times Broken  # Times Broken Back  Broken Back %
 1. Rafael Nadal  36  14  38.9%
 2. Novak Djokovic  50  18  36%
 3. David Ferrer  35  12  34.3%
 4. Cristian Garin  64  21  32.8%
 5. Pedro Sousa  25  8  32%

The same could be said about Djokovic, who has broken back after losing his serve 36 per cent of the time in 2019. But while Nadal has only improved his rate of return games won after dropping serve compared to return games overall by about three per cent, Djokovic has done so by around eight per cent. Djokovic currently ranks fourth on the ATP Tour by winning 33.1 per cent of his return games.

Only four players in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings are among the 35 best at breaking after losing serve. The two players outside of Nadal and Djokovic are World No. 7 Kei Nishikori and reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev. Nishikori is in sixth place (30.9%), while Zverev is 13th (26.1%). Nishikori has won 26.5 per cent of his return games overall this year, while Zverev has claimed 28.7 per cent of them.

Entering Roland Garros, Roger Federer ranked 22nd in return games won in 2019 at 24.3 per cent. But the 37-year-old Swiss has only broken after losing his serve 19 per cent of the time, ranking outside the Top 50 on the ATP Tour.

How The Top 5 Has Performed Returning After Getting Broken In 2019

 Player (by ATP Ranking)  # Times Broken  # Times Broken Back  Broken Back %  Broken Back Rank
 1. Novak Djokovic  50  18  36%  2
 2. Rafael Nadal  36  14  38.9%  1
 3. Roger Federer  21  4  19.0%  56
 4. Dominic Thiem  53  12  22.6%  32
 5. Alexander Zverev  69  18  26.1%  13

One of the breakthrough stars of this clay-court season has been Chilean Cristian Garin, who captured his first two ATP Tour titles in Houston and Munich. The 22-year-old has won 28.1 per cent of his return games this season, 12th-best. But Garin has stepped it up even more after getting broken, winning 32.8 per cent of those return games, fourth-best among players broken more than 20 times this year.

Another player who has played the best tennis of his career in 2019 and has excelled in this category is 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Hubert Hurkacz. The Polish star, who will try to upset Djokovic in the first round at Roland Garros, was 57th on the ATP Tour entering the week in return games won at 18.5 per cent. But when he’s been broken, he has broken right back 23.9 per cent of the time. 

Did You Know?
Nadal could take the lead in the ATP Race To London if he lifts his 12th Coupe des Mousquetaires in Paris, as he trails Djokovic by just 500 points after his victory in Rome.

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French Open: Elina Svitolina beats Venus Williams to reach second round

  • Posted: May 26, 2019
2019 French Open
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: 26 May-9 June
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app.

Ukrainian ninth seed Elina Svitolina overcame a tricky first-round draw by beating seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in straight sets at the French Open.

Both players struggled on serve before 24-year-old Svitolina finished both sets stronger to win 6-3 6-3.

American Williams, 38, has not gone past the third round of a Slam since reaching the 2017 US Open semi-finals.

Svitolina will play compatriot Kateryna Kozlova, the world number 67, next.

Svitolina, 24, missed two match points before sealing victory at the third opportunity when Williams sprayed a backhand into the tramlines.

The Ukrainian, a two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist, has seen her season disrupted by a knee injury but showed little sign of any lingering problem as she won in one hour and 13 minutes.

Yet going into the second Grand Slam of the year, she had not won not the clay – which she describes as her most natural surface – after successive defeats in Madrid and Rome.

That led to her jokingly describing the draw against the veteran American as more “punishment”.

However, it was the Ukrainian who did the punishing as she managed to grind down Williams.

The pair exchanged five successive breaks of serve in their opening set, Svitolina holding for 5-3 and breaking again for a one-set lead, as 18 unforced errors flew off Williams’ racquet.

And, after Williams led 3-1 following some more erratic service games, Svitolina won five successive games to continue her record of reaching the second round in each of her main-draw appearances at Roland Garros.

Svitolina wins on new ‘garden’ court

The first-round match between one of the game’s greats and a seed rated an outside chance of winning the tournament was always going to go on one of Roland Garros’ show courts.

So organisers opted to put the match on the new Court Simonne Mathieu, showcasing an arena which they say is the “only plant ecosystem of its kind in the world”.

Named after France’s second most successful female player, the court is semi-sunken and surrounded by four greenhouses which house tropical plants from South America, Africa, South East Asia and Australia.

However, Svitolina said walking to the court – where spectators wander freely on narrow gravel paths through the gardens – was a “little bit uncomfortable”.

“Today I won and it was nice to go through the crowd, but I think when you lose that’s very, very disturbing, I would say,” she said.

“The court itself is beautiful. I really enjoyed the bounce of it and I think the crowd is great, especially when it’s a full house.”

The first match on the court was Garbine Muguruza’s victory over American Taylor Townsend and the Spaniard was enthusiastic about her surroundings.

“It’s in a very different place,” said the former Wimbledon champion. “You don’t feel like you are around a court. It’s like in a garden. It’s a different feeling. It’s not small, but it’s cosy.”

  • Read: Elina Svitolina’s BBC column
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