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Champion Federer to face Copil in Basel final

  • Posted: Oct 27, 2018

Defending champion Roger Federer reached his 14th Swiss Indoors final in Basel with a commanding 6-1 6-4 victory over Russian Daniil Medvedev.

The 37-year-old world number three, an eight-time champion here, survived a late break to win in 64 minutes.

In Sunday’s final he will play world number 93 Marius Copil of Romania, who beat second seed Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-4.

In Vienna, Kevin Anderson will play Kei Nishikori in the Erste Bank Open final.

Local hero Federer, who first reached the Basel final in 2000 and took the title for the first time in 2006, has won three tournaments this year, including the Australian Open that marked his 20th Grand Slam singles title.

It was his second win of the year against 20-year-old Medvedev, ranked 20th in the world.

Victory in the final would put Federer on 99 career titles.

Romanian 28-year-old Copil served 26 aces in his victory over world number five Zverev as he reached the second ATP final of his career.

In Austria, fifth seed Nishikori beat Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-4 6-3, while South African world number eight Anderson saw off Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 6-3 3-6 6-4.

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Eyes On The Prize: Roger Races Into 14th Basel Final

  • Posted: Oct 27, 2018

Eyes On The Prize: Roger Races Into 14th Basel Final

Federer will play Copil for his 99th tour-level title

If there’s anything that should not surprise you during an ATP World Tour season, it’s Roger Federer reaching the final at the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Federer advanced to the championship match of his hometown tournament for the 14th time on Saturday, racing past in-form Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-4 in just 65 minutes. The Swiss has made the final in Basel in 12 straight appearance, improving his record in semi-finals at the tournament to 14-1, with his only loss coming in 2002 against David Nalbandian.

The 37-year-old is not only on the verge of his ninth Basel triumph, but he can lift his 99th tour-level trophy. Federer is second on the all-time singles titles list, trailing only Jimmy Connors, who was victorious 109 times in his career.

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In the final, Federer will face surprise finalist Marius Copil, who earned his second Top 10 win of the week with a stunning three-set victory against second seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. It is the Romanian’s second ATP World Tour final, after finishing runner-up in Sofia earlier this year.

In 150 tour-level finals, Federer has never lost to someone ranked as low as Copil, who is currently World No. 93. The Swiss fell in championship matches to players ranked No. 87 twice, against Davide Sanguinetti at Milan in 2002 and Tommy Haas at Halle in 2012. Only one Basel champion — Jiri Hrebec, who captured the title in the tournament’s first edition in 1975 — did not break into the Top 10 in his career.

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Facts & Figures: 2018 Rolex Paris Masters

  • Posted: Oct 27, 2018

Facts & Figures: 2018 Rolex Paris Masters

What you need to know about the #ATPMasters1000 in Paris

<a href='https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/tournaments/paris/352/overview'>Rolex Paris Masters</a>

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'I was really proud of myself' – Svitolina reaches WTA final

  • Posted: Oct 27, 2018

Elina Svitolina is through to the final of the WTA Finals after beating Kiki Bertens 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4.

Svitolina, 24, overcame the eighth seed in two hours and 38 minutes, the longest match of the tournament.

The 24-year-old is the first Ukrainian to reach the WTA Finals final and will face either Sloane Stephens or Karolina Pliskova, who contest the other semi-final on Saturday.

The final takes place at 12:30 (BST) on Sunday.

The pair traded early breaks in the first set but it then followed serve until Svitolina broke in the final game to go ahead in the match.

The Ukrainian saved four set points in the second and won three games in a row to go ahead but Bertens responded to force and win a tie-break.

The third set started with three consecutive breaks before Svitolina held to take a two-game lead and served out to win.

  • WTA Finals: Everything you need to know

“It was a very tough battle and I was really proud of myself that I could stay positive because the match was really up and down.” Svitolina told BT Sport.

Looking ahead to the final, she added: “It’s the last match of the season and I’m going to give my best and leave everything on the court.”

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Spanning The Globe In Final Weeks Of Challenger Season

  • Posted: Oct 27, 2018

Spanning The Globe In Final Weeks Of Challenger Season

Tournaments are held on five continents as the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour season nears its conclusion

There is no denying that the final weeks of the season are as riveting as they come on the ATP World Tour. The drama is intense as players look to conclude their campaigns on a high note, competing at elite events throughout Europe.

On the ATP Challenger Tour, the action is just as gripping. Players will have their mettle tested after a long, grueling season, with the months of October and November a trial of endurance and durability.

For those competing on the Challenger circuit, critical ATP Rankings points are up for grabs, as players battle to hit the year-end Top 200 and Top 100 milestones. Hitting those thresholds is essential as they prepare for 2019 and potential ATP World Tour appearances. It can also be the difference between competing in Australian Open main draw and qualifying.

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Nicolas Jarry was a prime example last year. Entering the month of November, the 23-year-old Chilean was sitting at No. 118 in the ATP Rankings and on the outside looking in of a main draw berth at Melbourne Park. But, thanks to a title on home soil in Santiago, Jarry made his Top 100 debut and assured himself of a spot in the first major of the year. He has not looked back since, rising to a career-high No. 42.

A bevy of players will look to replicate the feat and follow in Jarry’s footsteps as 2018 winds to a close. Plenty of opportunities are available, with tournaments contested on five continents, on clay and indoor and outdoor hard. 

Starting this week, the South American swing puts the region in the spotlight with four tournaments in four countries. The action is underway in Lima, Peru, before weaving to Guayaquil, Ecuador and Montevideo, Uruguay. It all concludes in Buenos Aires in the penultimate week of the season. The Argentine capital is one of 12 cities to host both ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour events.

Montevideo
Montevideo, Uruguay

Pune and Shenzhen are two other cities on that list and feature in a seven-week tour of Asia in October and November. Denis Istomin prevailed in Almaty, Kazakhstan, followed by Felix Auger-Aliassime’s victory in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Thomas Fabbiano’s triumph in Ningbo, China. This week, they are down to the final four in nearby Liuzhou. Kobe, Japan and Bangalore, India will feature in November.

Bangalore
Bangalore, India

The Australian summer of tennis is off and running with its traditional October start on the ATP Challenger Tour. All roads to Melbourne Park begin in Traralgon and Canberra, with back-to-back $75,000 events. Last year, Jason Kubler’s victory in Traralgon led to a breakout 2018 campaign and a Comeback Player of the Year nomination in the ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. 

The European indoor season isn’t exclusive to the ATP World Tour. Jaume Munar booked his spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals with a quarter-final run in Brest, France, where French favourite Julien Benneteau is playing his last singles tournament. The swing then moves to Eckental, Germany and features prestigious events in Bratislava, Slovakia and Mouilleron-le-Captif, France. It all concludes in the final week of the season in Andria, Italy.

From the Northern California swing in late September to the bright lights of Las Vegas and season-ending indoor stretch, there is plenty of Challenger action in the United States. The Andre Agassi Foundation co-sponsors the tournament in his hometown of Las Vegas, which is followed by indoor events in Charlottesville, Knoxville and Champaign. And a new Oracle Challenger Series event at Rice University in Houston will make its debut. 

ATP Challenger Tour 

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Federer taken to three sets but remains on course for ninth Swiss Indoors title

  • Posted: Oct 26, 2018

Roger Federer has reached his 12th straight Swiss Indoors semi-final after beating France’s Gilles Simon in three sets in Basel.

The home favourite and eight-time champion won 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-4 in just over two and a half hours.

World number three Federer, 37, saved a set point and then dominated the tie-break as he took the first set.

There were five breaks of serve in the second as Simon levelled, before Federer won the decider.

Apart from 2016 when he was absent from the tournament, Federer has reached every final since 2006. His last quarter-final defeat was 19 years ago, as an 18-year-old against Britain’s Tim Henman, and he has only lost once in 14 previous semi-finals appearances.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner will play either Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas or Russian Daniil Medvedev in the last four.

German second seed Alexander Zverev beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5 6-3 and will play Romanian qualifier Marius Copil in the other semi-final.

At the Vienna Open, top seed and home favourite Dominic Thiem lost in the quarter-finals to Kei Nishikori, the Japanese winning 6-3 6-1.

Nishikori will play Kazakhstan qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin in the semi-final, while South African second seed Kevin Anderson will play Spain’s Fernando Verdasco.

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Paris Preview: Nadal, Djokovic Set To Battle For No. 1 ATP Ranking

  • Posted: Oct 26, 2018

Paris Preview: Nadal, Djokovic Set To Battle For No. 1 ATP Ranking

World’s Top 2 players battle for top spot at the year’s final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are set to battle for the No. 1 ATP Ranking next week in Paris as the Spaniard returns from injury to take his place atop the Rolex Paris Masters draw.

Playing his first match since retiring during the US Open semi-finals with a knee injury, Nadal enters the tournament with a 215-point lead over Djokovic in the ATP Rankings. But the Monday after the tournament the Spaniard will drop the 180 points he earned by reaching the Paris quarter-finals last year. So, with the 5 November Rankings in mind, Nadal in effect holds a razor-thin 35-point lead in the 52-week ATP Rankings over Djokovic, who missed Paris through injury last year and has no points to defend.

Nadal has held top spot since 25 June after several lead changes with Roger Federer earlier in the year. The 33-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion has held the No. 1 ATP Ranking for 195 weeks, sixth in the all-time list (since 1973).

Should he dethrone Nadal on 5 November, Djokovic would be the first player to come from outside the Top 20 and reach No. 1 in the same season since Marat Safin in 2000. (Safin was as low as No. 38 on 28 February 2000 before becoming No. 1 on 20 November 2000). Djokovic, who underwent elbow surgery in February, began the year with a 6-6 record and slipped to No. 22 on 18 June.

He has spent a total of 223 weeks at No. 1 but last was on top on 31 October 2016. In Paris Djokovic is also trying to win a third consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title (Cincinnati, Shanghai) and equal Nadal’s record of 33 titles at the elite level.

Whichever player finishes one round better than the other in Paris will be No. 1 on 5 November. Should they both lose in the same round, Nadal will be No. 1. Regardless of what happens in Paris, the coveted year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking will be decided at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 11-18 November in London, where 1,500 points await an undefeated champion. Both Nadal and Djokovic are attempting to finish year-end No. 1 for a fifth time, tying Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors and moving closer to Pete Sampras’ record of six year-end finishes at the top.

Seeking his first Rolex Paris Masters title, Nadal will open against the winner of French veteran Jeremy Chardy and fellow lefty Fernando Verdasco, who has a history of pushing his countryman to the limit. Should he reach the quarter-finals, Nadal is projected to meet Dominic Thiem in what would be a reprise of their epic US Open quarter-final last month, which Nadal won in a fifth-set tie-break.

Djokovic, who opens against the winner of a qualifier and his Roland Garros conqueror Marco Cecchinato, is seeded to meet fast-rising World No. 16 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round. The Serb was one of four Top 10 victims the #NextGenATP Greek claimed en route to the final of the Rogers Cup in August. Tsitsipas won his first ATP World Tour title last week in Stockholm and is alive in this week’s Basel quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, four-time tournament champion Djokovic is seeded to meet Marin Cilic, who is chasing one of the three remaining spots at the Nitto ATP Finals.

In Djokovic’s bottom half of the draw, third seed and 2011 champion Federer is looking at a challenging opening-round match against the winner of Milos Raonic and 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Should he reach the quarters, Federer would face Kevin Anderson or Kei Nishikori, both of whom are chasing London berths.

Another London hopeful and former Paris finalist, John Isner, opens against the winner of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Mikhail Kukushkin, with a potential third-round challenge against Karen Khachanov or Filip Krajinovic, who defeated the American in a third-set tie-break in last year’s semi-finals.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, already a winner of three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, opens against a qualifier or #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe. He is seeded to meet Isner in the quarter-finals, in what would be a re-match of this year’s Miami final.

Main draw play begins Monday.

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