No. 25 Alex de Minaur, +9
The 20-year-old lifted his second ATP Tour title at the BB&T Atlanta Open, becoming the youngest winner in tournament history. De Minaur dropped just seven first-serve points throughout the week (116/123) and did not face a break point during victories against Bradley Klahn, Bernard Tomic, Reilly Opelka and Taylor Fritz. De Minaur rises nine places to No. 25 in the ATP Rankings, one spot below his career-high position achieved on 4 March. Read More.

No. 49 Andrey Rublev, +29
The Russian reached his first ATP 500 championship match at the Hamburg European Open. Rublev overcame two-time ATP Tour titlist Cristian Garin, Casper Ruud, top seed Dominic Thiem and Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the championship match in northern Germany. Despite falling to defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili in the final, Rublev soars 29 places to No. 49 in the ATP Rankings. It is the first time Rublev has occupied a Top 50 position since 9 September last year.

No. 69 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, +16
Ramos-Vinolas claimed his second ATP Tour trophy at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad. The Spaniard did not drop a set en route to the trophy, beating Henri Laaksonen, second seed Fernando Verdasco, Roberto Carballes Baena, Pablo Andujar and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. Ramos-Vinolas jumps 16 positions to No. 69 in the ATP Rankings. Read More.

Other Notable Movers
No. 43 (Career High) Reilly Opelka, +14
No. 47 Pablo Carreno Busta, +12
No. 48 Filip Krajinovic, +10
No. 55 Nicolas Jarry, -17
No. 81 Leonardo Mayer, -30
No. 96 Bernard Tomic, +10

Dominic Inglot and Austin Krajicek took their second ATP Tour doubles title of 2019 in dramatic fashion on Sunday at the BB&T Atlanta Open. The second seeds saved two championship points to oust top seeds and two-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6-4, 6-7(5), 11-9.

“Things were looking good for us in the [second set] tie-break, but they came up with the goods when they needed to. That’s why they’re the best [team] that’s ever been,” said Inglot. “It was back and forth in the Match Tie-break, but Austin played two unbelievable points to get us the tournament.”

Inglot/Krajicek saved three set points at 5-6 in the second set and led 5/2 in the tie-break, but the Bryan brothers raced through five consecutive points to force a Match Tie-break. The top seeds held two championship points at 9/7, but Inglot/Krajicek won the last four points to prevail in one hour and 31 minutes. The match marked the first loss in Atlanta for the Bryan brothers (11-1).

The British-American duo won their first ATP Tour doubles title together last month in ’s-Hertogenbosch (d. Daniel/Koolhof). Inglot now has 13 ATP Tour doubles titles and Krajicek has three.

“We definitely gritted out some matches early this week,” said Krajicek. “There’s been a lot of reps on the practice court, but we’re playing well and it’s something we can build on.”

Bryan/Bryan were seeking their 119th ATP Tour doubles title as a team. They prevailed earlier this season in Delray Beach (d. Skupski/Skupski) and Miami (d. Koolhof/Tsitsipas).

Inglot/Krajicek earned 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $39,300. Bryan/Bryan picked up 150 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $20,140.

A LOOK BACK
Tampere Open (Tampere, Finland): One year ago, Mikael Ymer was outside the Top 300, clawing his way up the ATP Rankings in his return from hip surgery. What a difference a year makes.

On Sunday, Ymer clinched his second ATP Challenger Tour crown with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over defending champion Tallon Griekspoor in Tampere. The 20-year-old Swede is now on the doorstep of making his Top 100 breakthrough, rising to a career-high No. 108 in the ATP Rankings. Also sitting in 10th in the ATP Race To Milan, he has his sights firmly set on the Next Gen ATP Finals as the calendar flips to August.

Finally healthy, Ymer is plotting his ascent with authority. Under the tutelage of doubles star Frederik Nielsen, he has won two titles from four finals in 2019. Also the champion at the season-opening hard-court event in Noumea, he would finish runner-up on the clay of Murcia and Bordeaux as well.

The Swede, seeded third, was made to work to lift the trophy in Tampere. He became the first player since 2015 to win five deciding-set matches in a single tournament, spending a combined 11 hours and 38 minutes on court. That year, Nikoloz Basilashvili went the distance in all of his matches en route to the title in Scheveningen.

“The final was my best match of the tournament,” said Ymer. “My serve was good and I was in control of my game. Tallon is a good friend and I know his game well. He is a tough opponent. I also know I had a lot of fans in Tampere and I thank them for their support. It was like I was in Sweden and I felt at home.”

#NextGenATP Winners In 2019

Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby (Granby, Canada): Much like Ymer, it has been a long journey in recent years for Ernesto Escobedo. The American has also battled injuries as he fought to sustain momentum and confidence on the court. But now, Escobedo is making moves once again.

The 23-year-old clinched his first ATP Challenger Tour title since 2016, fighting to the finish line in Granby. He defeated third seed Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6(5), 6-4 on Sunday, needing one hour and 32 minutes to triumph under the Canadian sun.

Escobedo, a native of Los Angeles, initially broke through with a pair of Challenger titles in Lexington and Monterrey three years ago, cracking the Top 100 at No. 67. Three years later, with new coach Jan-Michael Gambill at the helm, he is thriving with a renewed mentality and approach on the court.

Projected to rise 74 spots in the ATP Rankings, Escobedo is up to No. 214 on Monday.

Photo: Sarah-Jade Champagne – Tennis Canada

Levene Gouldin & Thompson Tennis Challenger (Binghamton, New York, USA): Yuichi Sugita was the last man standing in Binghamton, notching his 10th Challenger crown on Sunday. The 30-year-old defeated Joao Menezes 7-6(2), 1-6, 6-2 to take the title in upstate New York.

It had been more than two years since Sugita last reached a final, having prevailed on the grass of the [ATP Tour] Antalya Open in 2017. He would rise to a career-high No. 36 in the ATP Rankings. But, having fallen outside the Top 200 earlier this year, the Japanese is targeting another ascent.

Sugita joins an illustrious list of champions in Binghamton that includes Kyle Edmund (2015), Kei Nishikori (2010), Andy Murray (2005), Ivo Karlovic (2003) and Leander Paes (1994).

Your champion @BingChallenger is Yuichi Sugita!

It’s #ATPChallenger title No. ? for @sugitayuichi88, overcoming Joao Menezes 76(2) 16 62. pic.twitter.com/iMeyc6PNb0

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 28, 2019

Advantage Cars Prague Open (Prague, Czech Republic): Mario Vilella Martinez became the 23rd first-time winner of 2019, securing his maiden Challenger crown on the clay of Prague. The 24-year-old defeated Chun-hsin Tseng 6-4, 6-2 for the title on Sunday, completing a ruthless run that saw him refuse to drop a set in six matches.

Vilella Martinez gave Spain a tour-leading 10th title of the year, adding to triumphs by Pablo Andujar (3), Roberto Carballes Baena (2), Tommy Robredo (2), Marcel Granollers and Enrique Lopez Perez.

Moreover, the week was noteworthy for Tseng’s first final appearance. The 17-year-old, a former junior No. 1, is the second-youngest player (Sinner) to reach a Challenger championship this year. He turned around his season in one week, having previously won just four Challenger-level matches.

A LOOK AHEAD
Fourth seed Ze Zhang returns to defend his title in Chengdu, while Hyeon Chung makes his long-awaited return to action following a back injury. The 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion is competing for the first time since February.

In Sopot, the second edition of the BNP Paribas Sopot Open features Paolo Lorenzi seeking a successful title defence, while Mikael Ymer looks to go back-to-back after lifting the trophy in Tampere. Stefano Travaglia is the top seed.

In Segovia, the 29th edition of the Open Castilla y Leon includes Tampere finalist Tallon Griekspoor as its second seed and Blaz Rola leading the charge. #NextGenATP star Nicola Kuhn is the top Spaniard in the field.

The U.S. swing continues in Lexington, with Peter Polansky seeded first. Teen sensation Jannik Sinner is third, with J.J. Wolf leading the American charge.

Finally, in Liberec, Czech Republic, defending champ Andrej Martin seeks a fourth title of the year, while Attila Balazs looks to add to his strong run of form after reaching his first ATP Tour final in Umag.

Third seed Alex de Minaur saved his best for last on Sunday at the BB&T Atlanta Open. The #NextGenATP Aussie dropped just 10 points on serve to defeat second-seeded American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-6(2) and clinch his second ATP Tour title.

The 20-year-old lost a mere seven first-serve points throughout the week (116/123) to become the youngest winner in tournament history. He didn’t face a break point in his four matches and held in all 42 service games. De Minaur is only the third player (since stats started being kept in 1991) to win a tournament without facing a break point (Haas 2007 Memphis, Isner 2017 Newport).

“This one is really special to me. I felt like I really needed this. To start the year with a bang and then be slowed down by injuries… you expect your level to be right there once you come back, but you have to slowly grind your way back,” said De Minaur. “I’ve been playing great tennis and felt like if I could keep it all together, the good results will come. This is a week that will really help me out.”

The Aussie’s year got off to a flying start with his first ATP Tour crown at the Sydney International (d. Seppi), but a groin injury contributed to a string of early exits on clay and grass. But De Minaur is 15-4 on hard courts this season and has looked confident since he stepped back on his best surface.

His outstanding week will also propel him from No. 6 to No. 3 in the latest ATP Race to Milan standings. De Minaur looks poised to make his second appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals, held in Milan from 5-9 November. He finished runner-up at last year’s event (l. to Tsitsipas). 

“I don’t think I could start the American hard-court season any better than this,” said De Minaur. “I’m happy with where I am and enjoying every day. I can’t wait to get back on court and keep improving.”

De Minaur was nearly perfect in his service games throughout the opening set against Fritz and dropped only one point on serve (16/17). The flawless display put the second seed under pressure and his baseline game began to unravel. De Minaur clinched the first break of the match at 3-3 and broke once more for the early advantage.

Both players traded comfortable service holds throughout the second set to force a tie-break. Fritz blinked first and a pair of unforced errors gave De Minaur a commanding 5/2 advantage. The third seed converted his first championship point with a backhand volley winner and let out a yell of delight after 78 minutes.

Despite the loss, Fritz can be pleased with his recent from. He earned his first ATP Tour title last month at the Nature Valley International (d. Querrey) and has won nine of his past 11 matches. The American is also projected to surpass his career-high ATP Ranking and move to No. 28 on Monday.

“It was a good week. It’s my first time being one of the top seeds [at an ATP Tour tournament] and I made it to the final. He played really well and I just needed to up it even more if I wanted to win,” said Fritz. “It hurts so much to lose a final, but I’m still confident and will keep moving forward.”

Fourth seeds Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen hadn’t reached an ATP Tour final before July. Now they’re two-time champions.

The Belgian duo won back-to-back ATP Tour titles on Sunday, upsetting top seeds Philipp Oswald/Filip Polasek 6-4, 6-3 to win the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad. Gille/Vliegen won the Swedish Open doubles title, another ATP 250 clay-court event, last week in Bastad.

“To be here for the second time in a row, it’s just unreal. We’ve been playing really good, and we kept it up this week,” Gille said.

Gille/Vliegen didn’t face a break point and converted three of their eight chances against the Austrian/Slovakian pairing, who were playing as a team for the first time at tour-level.

“We both started off quite well, and they had maybe a bad service game. So we took the break in the first set, and after that we just kept pushing and we kept the energy high,” Vliegen said.

Before Bastad, their best showing at tour-level had been the semi-finals at the inaugural Cordoba Open in February.

The team will receive 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split €29,650 in prize money. Oswald/Polasek will receive 150 ATP Doubles Rankings points and share €15,200 in prize money.

Too steady. Too persistent. Too experienced.

Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas was all of the above on Sunday against Germany’s Cedrik-Marcel Stebe to win his second ATP Tour title 6-3, 6-2 at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad.

The 2017 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalist tracked down everything and was more than happy to stay in rallies with Stebe, who was playing in his first ATP Tour final after winning two matches on Saturday because of earlier rain.

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The two had to wait about four and a half hours to take the court for the final because of more rain, and Stebe broke to start. The German, No. 455 in the ATP Rankings, was looking to become the second lowest-ranked tour-level titlist.

But Ramos-Vinolas quickly settled down, breaking twice in the opener, including for 4-2 when Stebe sailed a forehand wide to finish an 11-point game.

The 31-year-old Spaniard broke twice more in the second set, including in the opening game when he tracked down a drop shot and delivered a backhand winner on the slide. Ramos-Vinolas didn’t drop a set all tournament.

“The conditions were tough today. Albert was rock solid as he was all week. He deserves to win,” Stebe said. “It was an amazing week for me here in Gstaad, I played very good tennis. Of course, it wasn’t easy to play two matches yesterday. I gave everything today, but it wasn’t enough. That’s tennis.”

Stebe, who used a protected ranking to enter the tournament, will receive 150 ATP Rankings points and €48,870 in prize money. Ramos-Vinolas, who reached a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 17 in May 2017, improved to 2-6 in ATP Tour finals and will receive 250 ATP Rankings points and €90,390 in prize money.

After failing to convert two championship points to lift their maiden ATP Tour team title at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag last week, Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer needed just eight days to go one step further at the Hamburg European Open on Sunday.

The Austrian tandem defeated Robin Haase and Wesley Koolhof 6-2, 7-6(3) to take the trophy after 84 minutes, saving both break points faced en route to victory. Marach and Pavic improve to 15-9 at tour-level as a team, dating back to their first appearance together in 2011.

“I think we can be very happy with our performances this week,” said Melzer. “We have played good tennis, especially when it mattered. It is never easy to come back after a tough loss the week before in a final. To not lose a set the week after and win an ATP 500, I am very happy about that.”

Marach has now captured the Hamburg crown on two occasions from three final appearances, following his 2011 title run (w/Peya) and a runner-up finish last year (w/Pavic). Melzer adds to 2019 trophies in Marrakech (w/Skugor) and Sofia (w/Mektic).

Marach has now won 23 titles from 50 tour-level championship matches. Melzer adds a 16th tour-level doubles trophy to his collection.

“Hopefully we can take our run with us now [to Kitzbuhel]… We will have already, on Tuesday or Wednesday, our next match. We will rest tomorrow a little bit and then start the tournament,” said Marach.

Haase and Koolhof were bidding to capture their first ATP Tour title in only their third event as a team. At the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April, the Dutch duo also finished as the runner-up pairing (l. to Mektic/Skugor).

Marach and Melzer earn 500 ATP Doubles Ranking points and share €111,490. Haase and Koolhof gain 300 points and split €54,570.