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Monfils Hits 'Fake & Bake' Hot Shot In Challenger Return

  • Posted: Sep 20, 2018

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This week, Gael Monfils is back on the ATP Challenger Tour for the first time since 2013, competing at the $150,000 event in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It looks like he’s brought his trademark flair for the dramatic with him.

Nearly 2,000 fans were on their feet at the Kaohsiung OEC Open as Monfils faked out Akira Santillan en route to a first-round victory. The Frenchman put on a show deep in the second set. With a set point to force a decider, he turned his back to Santillan and covered his face with his left hand, before prompty firing a forehand pass on the dead run.

Monfils is kicking off his Asian swing early in his return from a wrist injury suffered at the US Open. The World No. 42, who is scheduled to compete at ATP World Tour stops in Chengdu, Beijing and Shanghai in the coming weeks, leads a strong field in Kaohsiung.  

“I’m happy to be here,” said Monfils. “The wrist injury from the US Open is fine, but I just have to get on the court and try my best to win more matches. I’m in the right position right now to finish the year strong.

“There were many people watching today and the atmosphere is quite good. It’s also a great venue. I need a little time to adapt, but overall it’s been great. It’s just great to be in Taiwan. I also love the food here. We don’t have good Asian food in France, so it is nice to try some authentic food here.”

In search of match play and confidence after struggling for consistency thus far in 2018, Monfils will face 2012 champ Go Soeda in the second round. Fellow former Top 10 player Ernests Gulbis and #NextGenATP stars Duckhee Lee, Jurij Rodionov and Soon-woo Kwon are other top contenders.

Monfils is bidding to become the fifth player to win ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour crowns this year, having opened his campaign with a title at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The 32-year-old is making his first Challenger appearance since 2013, when he prevailed on home soil in Bordeaux.

ATP Challenger Tour 

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Wawrinka Fights Back Into St. Petersburg QF

  • Posted: Sep 19, 2018

Wawrinka Fights Back Into St. Petersburg QF

Sep192018

Swiss to next face defending champion Dzumhur or Pella

Former World No. 3 and 2016 finalist Stan Wawrinka returned to the quarter-finals of the St. Petersburg Open on Wednesday, beating Russian Karen Khachanov 7-6(10), 7-6(1).

The fourth-seeded home favourite served for the opening set at 6-5 but was broken to 15 when Wawrinka smashed a crosscourt backhand winner. The 33-year-old Swiss then had three set points from 6/3 in the tie-break, but Khachanov erased them all and later had two set points of his own.

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At last, however, Wawrinka sealed the 22-point tie-break on his fifth set point. There was little drama in the second set, as Wawrinka clinched the tie-break and the second-round match on his first opportunity.

The Swiss wild card, No. 88 in the ATP Rankings, will next meet defending champion Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Argentina’s Guido Pella.

Seventh seed Denis Shapovalov bided his time before upsetting the rhythm of Spanish qualifier Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 7-6(3), 6-2. The #NextGenATP Canadian won five of the first six points in the tie-break as well as five of the first six games in the second set on his debut at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament. Overall, he lost two of his first service points (31/33) and struck 10 aces in the 83-minute victory and now plays Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.

Shapovalov

Elsewhere, fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, a semi-finalist in each of the past three years, was equally impressive on serve in beating qualifier Luca Vanni of Italy 7-5, 6-2 in 81 minutes. He awaits 2004 champion Mikhail Youzhny, who won his 499th match of his 20-season pro career on Wednesday. The Russian wild card beat Mirza Basic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 7-6(6), 6-4. Youzhny will retire after this week’s tournament.

Read More: ‘Colonel’ Youzhny Set For Final Salute In St. Petersburg | Coaches’ Corner: Sobkin’s Systematic Approach & Life With Youzhny

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Nishikori Wins On Metz Debut, Through To QF

  • Posted: Sep 19, 2018

Top seed Kei Nishikori got his debut at the Moselle Open off to a winning start on Wednesday by knocking out defending champion Peter Gojowczyk of Germany 7-6(4), 6-3 in one hour and 34 minutes.

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In his first tournament since reaching the US Open semi-finals, Nishikori broke serve in the second and fourth games of the second set en route to his 29th match win of the season. Gojowczyk struck eight aces and won 79 per cent of his first-service points. Nishikori now plays fifth-seeded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili or French wild card Ugo Humbert in the quarter-finals.

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Last year’s finalist Benoit Paire overcame wild card Quentin Halys 7-6(4), 6-2 in 80 minutes for a place in the second round, and Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics got the better of sixth seed Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2 in 85 minutes.

Two-time champion Gilles Simon (2010, 2013) needed only 73 minutes to beat Czech Jiri Vesely 7-5, 6-3. Simon hit nine aces and won 90 per cent of his first-serve points (35/39). He will next meet Serbian Filip Krajinovic, the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters finalist. Fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, the fourth seed, saved six of seven break points and breezed past French qualifier Constant Lestienne 6-4, 6-2.

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Rafael Nadal withdraws from China Open & Shanghai Masters

  • Posted: Sep 19, 2018

World number one Rafael Nadal has pulled out of next month’s China Open and Shanghai Masters tournaments, to allow his knee injury to recover.

The injury forced the 32-year-old to retire from his US Open semi-final earlier this month.

He also missed Spain’s Davis Cup semi-final defeat by France at the weekend.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who has suffered from tendonitis in his knee in the past, could return for the Paris Masters at the end of October.

“While the annoyances on my knee are nothing new, we have decided together with my medical and technical team, not to participate in the Asian tour to recover the knee the way we have always done,” he tweeted.

The China Open, which starts on 1 October, and Shanghai Masters, starting on 7 October, form the main part of the Asian leg of the ATP Tour.

Nadal has reached four Grand Slam finals in the past two years – winning the US Open in 2017 and back-to-back French Open titles in 2017 and 2018.

He also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open this year, as well as the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

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Naomi Osaka beats Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets at Pan Pacific Open

  • Posted: Sep 19, 2018

Japan’s Naomi Osaka has beaten Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-1 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo – her first match since winning the US Open.

The 20-year-old beat Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam earlier this month – a victory overshadowed by Williams’ outbursts at the umpire.

The third seed raced to victory in 59 minutes against Slovakia’s Cibulkova.

She will play either Barbara Strycova of the Czech Republic or Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in the quarter-finals.

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Umpire banned for Kyrgios pep-talk at US Open

  • Posted: Sep 19, 2018

Umpire Mohamed Lahyani has been suspended from his next two scheduled tournaments for encouraging Nick Kyrgios on court during the US Open.

Lahyani was heard telling Kyrgios “I want to help you” during a changeover as the Australian trailed Pierre-Hugues Herbert by a set and a break.

Kyrgios, 23, fought back to win the second-round tie in four sets.

The ATP has banned Lahyani, 52, from October’s China Open and Shanghai Masters after an internal review.

“Lahyani’s actions in the match were deemed to have compromised the impartiality that is required of an official,” the men’s governing body said in a statement.

The Swede will be free to return to work at the Stockholm Open on 15 October.

US Open organisers said Lahyani had gone “beyond protocol” but allowed him to continue officiating in the tournament.

However, Lahyani is one of seven full-time umpires on the Tour and so the incident was still subject to ATP disciplinary action.

ATP executive vice president of rules and competition Gayle David Bradshaw said Lahyani is a “world-class and highly-respected official”, but added “his actions during the match crossed a line that compromised his own impartiality as a chair umpire”.

“Although well-intended, his actions were regrettable and cannot go without disciplinary action on our own tour,” said Bradshaw.

“We know that he will learn from this experience and we look forward to welcoming him back in October.”

After the match, world number 27 Kyrgios said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Lahyani’s words had sparked his resurgence.

However, Frenchman Herbert said it was “the point something changed” and that the umpire’s actions were unnecessary.

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Defending Champ Gojowczyk Cuts Tsonga Return Short In Metz

  • Posted: Sep 18, 2018

Defending Champ Gojowczyk Cuts Tsonga Return Short In Metz

Sep182018

Basilashvili through in straight sets

Having won seven matches from qualifying to lift his maiden tour-level title at the Moselle Open in 2017, defending champion Peter Gojowczyk needed every ounce of his talent to notch another victory at the French event on Tuesday.

The German recovered from a set down, landing 17 aces, to overcome three-time champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, making his return from knee injury, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 45 minutes. Competing for the first time since the Open Sud de France in February, Tsonga delighted the home fans with strong serving to take a one-set lead, before Gojowczyk battled his way back into the match to secure victory.

The 29-year-old, who reached his third tour-level final in Geneva four months ago, saved all three break points he faced and withstood an equal 17 aces from his opponent to book his spot in the second round. Gojowczyk’s route to a second title in Metz gets no easier, with top seed Kei Nishikori standing in the German’s way of a place in the last eight. This will be the first tour-level meeting between Gojowczyk and Nishikori.

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Fifth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili notched his fifth victory in seven matches at the French event, defeating qualifier Kenny De Schepper 6-2, 7-6(0). The Hamburg titlist, who reached the semi-finals in Metz last year, dropped only eight points on serve throughout the 64-minute encounter, cruising to victory with a dominant second-set tie-break performance.

Basilashvili will, once again, face French opposition in the second round after #NextGenATP star Ugo Humbert rallied from a set down to beat Bernard Tomic 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4. Humbert fired 17 aces and converted both break points he manufactured to progress after just over two hours.

German qualifier Matthias Bachinger set a second-round meeting with 2016 champion Lucas Pouille, following a 6-4, 6-4 win over #NextGenATP Spaniard Jaume Munar. Fellow qualifier Constant Lestienne also advanced, beating Jurgen Zopp 6-3, 7-5. Lestienne will face Richard Gasquet for a place in the quarter-finals.

Did You Know?
Seven of the past nine editions of the Moselle Open have been won by French players. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (3), Gilles Simon (2), Lucas Pouille and Gael Monfils have all lifted the trophy in front of their home crowd since 2009.

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