Marcos Giron overcame Stan Wawrinka in a first-round thriller at the Astana Open, where he clawed past the 38-year-old 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 7-6(8) at the ATP 250 event.

Competing against each other for the first time, there was little to separate the pair throughout the two-hour, 51-minute clash. Neither player faced a break point, with both dictating behind serve. In the third-set tie-break, Giron played consistently, limiting mistakes to pressure former World No. 3 Wawrinka and seal victory.

The American has now earned 20 tour-level wins this season. He achieved a personal-best 23 victories in 2021. Aiming to close that target further, the World No. 82 will next face Dominic Thiem or Juan Pablo Varillas in the second round.

Earlier, Adrian Mannarino clinched his 33rd tour-level win of the year to equal his personal-best season. The Frenchman, who earned 33 victories in 2017, defeated Arthur Rinderknech 7-6(4), 6-2.

The World No. 34 will next meet Alibek Kachmazov after the World No. 315 overcame Corentin Moutet 6-3, 7-6(5) in two hours and seven minutes.

Austrian qualifier Jurij Rodionov earned just his second tour-level win of the season, downing Gregoire Barrere 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5). Rodionov saved two match points on serve at 4-5 in the third set before advancing in the tie-break. He will next meet second seed Sebastian Baez.

Qualifier Egor Gerasimov defeated Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles 7-6(5), 6-3, while Sho Shimabukuro beat Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-4.

Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev are up and running at the China Open after defeating wild cards Jie Cui and Aoran Wang 6-4, 7-5 in the first round.

Khachanov and Rublev, who won the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid this season, won 32 of their 40 first-serve points and saved all six break points faced to secure victory in Beijing. They will next meet qualifiers Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler, who downed three seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4, 6-4.

Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev also advanced after they survived Marcelo Arevalo and Nikola Mektic 2-6, 6-3, 11-9. The Brazilian-German duo will next face top seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek or Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.

Pavic/Peers Reach Astana Second Round
Fourth seeds Mate Pavic and John Peers moved past Marton Fucsovics and Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-6(2) in the Astana Open first round. The Croatian-Australian pair are partnering for the first time this week.

Frenchmen Gregoire Barrere and Adrian Mannarino cruised past wild cards Alexander Bublik and Daniil Golubev 6-2, 6-2. Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov defeated Sebastian Baez and Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 6-2.

Alex de Minaur became just the fourth player to earn five consecutive victories against Andy Murray on Thursday, when he saved three match points to edge the 36-year-old 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(6) at the China Open.

The Australian trailed 2-5 in the decider, but refused to go away, saving two match points on serve at 2-5 and one more at 5/6 in the tie-break to advance after two hours and 53 minutes.

“I think to be honest we both didn’t bring out best level today,” De Minaur said. “It was a scrap fest and was not pretty but I am happy I was able to get my first win in a long time when I have saved some mach points.

“I kept my head screwed on and I told myself to keep trying and to keep backing myself and eventually I was going to find my level. I am very happy to turn that match around.”

De Minaur now leads Murray 5-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having defeated the former World No. 1 in Monte-Carlo and Queen’s Club earlier this year. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are the only other players to record five consecutive victories against Murray, who triumphed in Beijing in 2016.

The World No. 12 will next face second seed Daniil Medvedev or Tommy Paul in the second round. De Minaur, who is 17-3 in first-round matches in 2023, captured the biggest title of his career at the ATP 500 in Acapulco in March.

In other action, Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina earned the 50th hard-court tour-level win of his career when he moved past Chinese wild card Yi Zhou 6-2, 6-2. The 24-year-old, who now holds an 18-5 first-round record in 2023, hit 20 winners to advance after 70 minutes.

Davidovich Fokina will next play eighth seed Alexander Zverev or Argentine Diego Schwartzman at the ATP 500 hard-court event.

Qualifier Matteo Arnaldi continued his impressive run, defeating American J.J. Wolf 6-2, 6-2. The Italian, who competed at the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2022, is up six spots to No. 42 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Arnaldi enjoyed a run to the fourth round at a major for the first time at the US Open earlier this month. He will next meet fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry defeated World No. 149 Lloyd Harris 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-3 to earn his 11th consecutive win against players ranked outside the Top 100. The Argentine saved the one break point he faced in the match, advancing after two hours and 54 minutes. The World No. 31 will next play seventh seed Casper Ruud or German Jan-Lennard Struff.

Ugo Humbert levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Lorenzo Sonego at 2-2, downing the Italian 7-5, 3-6, 6-0 to set a second-round meeting against fifth seed Andrey Rublev or Briton Cameron Norrie.

Drawn against Dominic Thiem at this week’s Astana Open, Juan Pablo Varillas couldn’t help but reflect on the pair’s meeting at the Argentina Open in February.

The Peruvian navigated through qualifying in Buenos Aires, beat Joao Sousa and then the 2020 US Open champion as part of a career-changing week in the city he lives in.

Varillas proceeded to make a tour-level semi-final for the first time and saw his Pepperstone ATP Ranking climb from No. 101 to No. 81.

He has not been outside the Top 100 benchmark since, currently sitting at No. 67.

“I think that win, and that week, was really like a (tipping point) for me maybe,” the 27-year-old said. “It was like, ‘Now I was able to be at that level and compete at that level, high level, and do it for several matches in a row.’”

Indeed. Varillas downed third-seed Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals prior to losing in two tight sets to second seed Cameron Norrie.

His pinch-me moment also came on the red clay at Roland Garros, where Varillas won three consecutive five-setters to become the first Peruvian to make the Last 16 since Jaime Yzaga in 1994. He earned a clash with Novak Djokovic on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

“When the crowd started doing a wave, I looked up and it was like, ‘Man, where are you now?!” said Varillas. “It was the first Grand Slam I got straight into the main draw. Then it was my first win in a Grand Slam in the main draw.

“There were a lot of objectives and dreams that came true in that week. Every single match for me was important. And for my confidence it was so, so important.”

Varillas returned to Peru for just under a week and was asked to sign autographs and pose for photos like never before.

“Maybe 10 months ago almost everyone didn’t know me and it was okay for me,” said Varillas. “I like that because I like to be a normal guy. But now it has changed.”

However, Varillas added three more sponsors after Roland-Garros to lift the tally to what he believes is seven.

He has managed to stay healthy, unlike in 2022 when a pair of ankle injuries, a hip injury and shoulder issue arose in a season that saw Varillas contest 80 matches at all levels including qualifying. All but six of those came on clay. This year, the number has risen to 11.

Varillas embarks on a new challenge against Thiem on Thursday in Kazakhstan, playing in his first tour-level indoor match.

“I am aware of that,” he said.

He only ever competed in one indoor match on the ATP Challenger Tour, losing to Botic van de Zandschulp in Ismaning, Germany on carpet in October 2020 in 42 minutes.

Now, though, he is more accustomed to plying his trade on surfaces other than clay as well as switching surfaces. All part of a breakthrough campaign.

“It has been a great season, a season of progress, believing in myself and believing in what I can do on the court,” said Varillas.

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ first love is tennis, the sport he was first introduced to in 2001 by his parents, Apostolos and Julia. The Greek star has enjoyed a special ride with tennis ever since.

The 25-year-old sat down with ATP Uncovered to narrate his very own love letter to the sport.

“What felt so special with you is that I felt like part of my own playground, in which there were no rules, no limits,” Tsitsipas said of his early days on the court.

He also reflected on the moment he decided to commit to tennis as his main focus and his progression on the ATP Tour, beginning with a lesson-filled defeat against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Rotterdam in 2017.

What else did Tsitsipas focus on in his tennis journey and why does he sometimes have a love-hate relationship with the sport? Watch the full video below.

Grigor Dimitrov is known as one of the most versatile players in tennis, with impressive shots and intangibles throughout his game. So who would the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion pick to make his perfect player?

“Why are you making me think of players now?” Dimitrov joked. “I see them every day!”

The Bulgarian star selected an assortment of current and former players, some of whom have reached No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. But who are the players and for which shot did he pick them?

There was one shot in particular that proved menacing for the former World No. 3.

“He never missed it when he had to miss it against me,” Dimitrov said. “I feel like a lot of guys have missed a lot of shots, but not him against me.”

Dimitrov reveals his picks and explanations in the full video below.

Three players have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. Who will move closer to earning a spot in Turin this week, with events taking place in Beijing and Astana?

Only 630 points separate fifth-placed Andrey Rublev and ninth-placed Taylor Fritz. With 12 of the Top 15 players in the Live Race competing this week at the China Open, an ATP 500 event, there will be plenty of opportunities for moves to be made.

ATPTour.com looks at players in contention for the season finale.

View Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings

No. 7 Alexander Zverev
The German moved from eighth place to seventh place in the Live Race with his run in Chengdu, where he claimed his second title of the season (also Hamburg). The 26-year-old is now 215 points clear of Holger Rune for the eighth and final qualifying position.

Zverev did not qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals last year after suffering an ankle injury at Roland Garros. The two-time season finale champion is trying to earn his place at the year-end championships for the sixth time.

No. 14 Karen Khachanov
The 27-year-old did not climb a spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin by triumphing in Zhuhai, but he did move closer to those ahead of him as he tries to qualify for the season finale for the first time.

Khachanov trails eighth-placed Rune by 895 points in the Live Race after missing three months because of multiple injuries. But back in form, Khachanov will take confidence knowing three of his five ATP Tour titles have come on indoor hard courts (including the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters), and the other two have come in China, where he will compete in Beijing and Shanghai over the next few weeks.

No. 8 Holger Rune
One year ago, Rune was in Turin as an alternate. The Danish star is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time and is currently in the final qualifying position with a 45-point advantage over ninth-placed Taylor Fritz, who is not competing this week. Rune, who has not won a match since reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals as he has struggled with a back injury, will try to build his buffer this week at the ATP 500 in Beijing.

No. 10 Casper Ruud
The Norwegian has earned his place in Turin in the past two editions, reaching the semi-finals in 2021 and the final in 2022. Will Ruud qualify for the third consecutive year? The 24-year-old is in 10th place in the Live Race, 430 points behind eighth-placed Rune. With 500 points up for grabs this week in Beijing, he has an opportunity to begin chipping away at the deficit.

Wild card Alexander Shevchenko snapped a four-match losing streak on Wednesday at the Astana Open, where he overcame Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP 250 event.

Shevchenko earned his first tour-level hard-court wins in Washington in August, when he defeated Maxime Cressy and Sebastian Korda. The 22-year-old looked sharp against van de Zandschulp, breaking the World No. 68’s serve four times to advance in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

Shevchenko, currently No. 84 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will next play Hamad Medjedovic after the #NextGenATP Serbian advanced against Laslo Djere.

Medjedovic was leading 6-3, 2-1 on tournament debut when countryman Djere was forced to retire. The 20-year-old Medjedovic, who is the youngest player in the draw, is aiming for a deep run in Astana to boost his Next Gen ATP Finals chances.

The Serbian is currently ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah, having won three ATP Challenger Tour titles this year.

Daniil Medvedev holds a Tour-leading 33 wins on hard courts this year and has lifted four trophies on the surface, equal with Novak Djokovic. Arriving at the China Open this week, the World No. 3 is determined to add to his title collection.

“It’s my first time in Beijing. The tournament is super strong. So if you win it, it’s great. It’s a great memory. It’s great for the confidence. There are still some important tournaments to come, so the better you play the end of the season, the better you play the beginning of the next one,” Medvedev said during his pre-tournament press conference. “The motivation is to try to do all this, to continue proving to yourself that you can win these big tournaments, big titles, against big opponents.”

Medvedev is making his debut in Beijing and arrives at the ATP 500 event off the back of a run to the title match at the US Open, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.

The 27-year-old is excited by the possibility of facing top seed Alcaraz again this week, but is wary of the other threats in a stacked ATP 500 field. Eight of the Top 10 players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings are competing in Beijing.

“I think if we face each other, we are both happy, we are both in the final,” Medvedev said when asked about potentially playing Alcaraz. “That’s a good goal, to try to make this happen.

“At the same time, as I said, so many good players. It’s tough. It’s like an ATP Masters 1000 here or a Grand Slam. In a way it’s even stronger than a Grand Slam, where you don’t have first rounds, where you maybe can get into the tournament, which sometimes can be the case in a Grand Slam… I think we’re going to see a lot of different results where the seeded players can lose and stuff like this because first rounds are never easy.”

Medvedev faces World No. 13 Tommy Paul in the first round and could play World No. 12 Alex de Minaur in the second round if the Australian can defeat 2016 champion Andy Murray in his opening match.

Medvedev feels his game is in good shape ahead of the event and is excited to play in China.

“The arena looks really nice,” Medvedev said. “I practiced both yesterday and today. It looks very, very nice. I’m sure there is going to be a lot of people during the matches. Let’s see. I only heard good things. First time I’m going to experience it. On ATP level, I think I only played in Shanghai and I really like it. I think it’s going to be the same here.”