Thiem Downs Lajovic In Rio 2017 Wednesday Highlights
Thiem Downs Lajovic In Rio 2017 Wednesday Highlights
Feb232017
Milos Raonic overcame #NextGenATP threat Borna Coric and a rain-delayed start to reach the Delray Beach Open quarter-finals on Wednesday night. The top-seeded Canadian held off the Croatian 6-3, 7-6(2) to book a showdown with eighth seed Kyle Edmund.
Raonic was typically efficient on serve. He sent down 12 aces and won 89 per cent of his first-serve points in the one-hour, 34-minute match. His only wobble came when leading a set and a break up at 1-0 in the second, where he was broken back to love.
“He tried to be a bit more aggressive, I got that early break and I had a lop-sided game with a couple of doubles [faults], couple of mistakes, that I’d be disappointed with normally,” Raonic said. “If I can get myself ahead a break it’s where my strength lies so I’m happy I managed to keep it together since then and managed to pull it out in two.
“It worked out well. I have 36 hours now to recover and that’s what the focus is going to be on. I’ll practise, I need practice.”
It capped a clean sweep for the seeds on Wednesday. Eighth seed Edmund rallied to beat Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, sending down nine aces and breaking three times in the process.
American seeds Jack Sock and Steve Johnson also advanced to the quarter-finals. Third-seeded Sock had a comfortable 6-4, 6-1 result against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. He saved all seven break points faced and converted on all four break points.
Fifth-seeded Johnson posted an identical scoreline to defeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in one hour and nine minutes. Sock and Johnson will square off for a semi-final berth.
US Open champion Stan Wawrinka and in-form Grigor Dimitrov will be in the line-up for the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club in London in June.
Britain’s Jamie Murray has committed to compete in the doubles.
Bulgarian Dimitrov, 25, won the Queen’s tournament in 2014 – and believes he has improved since then.
“I feel like I’m a better player, a better person, better everything,” said Dimitrov, who has won titles in Sofia and Brisbane this year.
Dimitrov and Swiss Wawrinka join Scottish world number one Andy Murray and 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the singles field at Queen’s.
Last month Murray committed to the championships for the rest of his career and the BBC announced it will cover the event until at least 2024.
His brother Jamie won the US Open and Australian Open doubles with Brazilian Bruno Soares last year, although his partner at Queen’s will not be confirmed until nearer the time.
This year’s tournament will run from 19-25 June.
Dominic Thiem returned to the Rio Open presented by Claro quarter-finals with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Dusan Lajovic on Wednesday.
Thiem entered the contest victorious in both previous meetings with the Serbian, while Lajovic had yet to post a win over a Top 10 player.
Last week Thiem played a quarter-final at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (l. Herbert) and has transitioned onto the Rio clay with ease. He saved two break points at 2-2 to spark four straight games for the World No. 8 to clinch the opening set.
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Lajovic spurned three chances at 1-1 to open up a second-set lead, before the Austrian claimed the pivotal break in the 11th game with one of his 13 winners. The second seed will meet Diego Schwartzman in the final eight. The World No. 51 defeated his countryman Federico Delbonis 6-4, 7-6(1).
Fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas also reached the quarter-finals. Fabio Fognini, 2015 Rio finalist, was chasing a 300th ATP World Tour singles victory and held a dominant 8-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against the Spaniard. However, Ramos-Vinolas secured a second successive victory over the Italian 6-2, 6-3 to book an encounter with qualifier Nicolas Kicker.
The Argentinian defeated Arthur De Greef, who had ousted defending champion Pablo Cuevas in the first round, fending off two break points for a 6-3, 6-3 win.
All four top seeds in the doubles advanced into the quarter-finals. Top seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares put in a dominant display to beat Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner 6-4, 6-2. Second seeds Marcelo Melo and Lukasz Kubot defeated wild card duo Fabricio Neis and Joao Souza 6-1, 7-6(4).
Pablo Carreno Busta teamed with Pablo Cuevas to beat Santiago Gonzalez and David Marrero 6-3, 6-3, while Buenos Aires champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah continued their recent form in a 6-1, 6-4 win over Thomaz Bellucci and Thiago Monteiro.
Reigning Open 13 Marseille champion Nick Kyrgios opened up his title defence with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Malek Jaziri on Wednesday.
The third seed won all five matches in straight sets and without dropping serve en route to lifting the trophy in 2016. The Australian replicated that dominance over Marseille debutant Jaziri, striking a twelfth ace on match point to advance into the quarter-finals.
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“I had a tough Australian Open, so I was looking forward to coming back here. It’s where I won my first ATP World Tour title and I have great memories from this court,” said Kyrgios. “The crowd is always great, I love playing in Marseille, so I’m happy to be back.”
The 21-year-old will face Alexander Zverev’s conqueror Nicolas Mahut or qualifier Norbert Gombos in the quarter-finals. “Everyone in the draw is really good, there are plenty of players who can win this tournament. So I have to take it one match at a time and see if I can make the final again.”
An early contender in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, Daniil Medvedev, claimed his seventh win of the season as he rallied to defeat eighth seed Benoit Paire 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(4) in two hours and 25 minutes in the first round of the Open 13 Marseille on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Russian, who lives in nearby Antibes, twice dug himself out of a hole against home favourite Paire. He rallied from 1-3 down in the second set – breaking the Frenchman to 15 as he served for the match in the 10th game – and from a double break 0-3 deficit in the decider.
Watch: Medvedev’s Road Trip To Marseille
“It was a really tough match,” said Medvedev. “I’m really happy to win, because not everything was going good for me. I wasn’t playing my best tennis in the first two sets. I was making a lot of unforced errors.
“In my mind, I just had to keep on fighting. I was a bit too nervous during the match, that’s why I was lost the first set and was losing in the second. Finally, I managed to step up my game a little bit and be more consistent. I started to play some really good tennis in the third set, especially in the tie-break.”
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Medvedev has staked an early claim for one of the coveted eight places at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in November. The Russian is currently second in the Race, having reached his first ATP World Tour final at the Aircel Chennai Open (l. to Bautista Agut) and the quarter-finals in Montpellier (l. to Tsonga).
Sixth seed Richard Gasquet booked his spot in the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Mikhail Youzhny. The Frenchman is looking to reach his second ATP World Tour final of the season, having finished runner-up at the Open Sud de France two weeks ago (l. to Zverev).
In an all-French second-round contest, seventh seed Gilles Simon overcame Julien Benneteau 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in just over two hours to reach the quarter-finals. The 32-year-old Simon is bidding to win this ATP World Tour 250 tournament for the third time, having lifted the trophy in 2007 (d. Baghdatis) and 2015 (d. Monfils).
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Rio Open presented by Claro – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray went head-to-head with UFC stars Jose Aldo and Minotouro. Aldo loved his time at the tournament so much, he came back to watch Thomaz Bellucci oust top seed Kei Nishikori!
David Ferrer, Bellucci, Soares, Pablo Cuevas, Marcelo Melo, Pablo Carreno Busta, Stephane Robert, Gastao Elias, Nicholas Monroe and Artem Sitak were among those to have a great time at the players’ party at Windsor Atlantica Hotel.
Ferrer and Bellucci visited one of the most picturesque sites in Rio, the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.
Dominic Thiem enjoyed a visit to Copacabana, while Janko Tipsarevic took a walk on Ipanema Beach.
Soares and Joao Souza visited Livraria de Travessa for the draw ceremony and a bit of shopping.
Open 13 Provence – Marseille, France
Defending champion Nick Kyrgios took time out of his schedule to bring smiles during a visit to La Timone Hospital. The Aussie even played games with some young children.
ATP World Tour Uncovered picked up #NextGenATP’s Daniil Medvedev from his home in Antibes and made the drive with him to Marseille ahead of his tournament debut.
Delray Beach Open – Delray Beach, Florida
Kevin Anderson and Bjorn Fratangelo went head-to-head in a series of beach games. Watch
Santiago Giraldo enjoyed the sun and sand at the nearby beach, learning beach tennis while he was there. Watch
Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Raven Klaasen, Treat Huey, Michael Venus, Robert Lindstedt, Jonathan Erlich, Scott Lipsky, Divij Sharan and Purav Raja participated in Pro-Ams.
Best of ATP Stars 2017
Open Gallery
British number four Aljaz Bedene lost in the second round of the Open 13 in Marseille to Frenchman Lucas Pouille.
The number four seed and world number 17 won 7-5 7-5 to set up a quarter-final with Jan-Lennard Struff or Daniil Medvedev.
World number 102 Bedene, 27, had beaten another Frenchman, Paul-Henri Mathieu, in the first round.
Meanwhile, British number two Kyle Edmund’s match at the Delray Beach Open was delayed because of rain in Miami.
The 22-year-old is playing Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun in the second-round.
Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers breaks down the stats behind first and second deliveries
Ever wondered just how effective a first serve is over a second serve?
The answer is right around 40 per cent better on average, and surprisingly, it has changed very little in the past quarter of a century in our sport.
A 26-season study of first-and-second serve-win percentages from 1991 to 2016 uncovered that time and technology have had very little influence on the performance of what is widely regarded as the most dominant shot in a match.
Tennis discussions often focus on how athletes are getting faster, racquets are getting more powerful, and strings let players manipulate the ball like it’s on a Yo-Yo. These factors all seem to be true on the surface, but somehow fail to significantly move the needle when you look at raw serve analytics.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the Top 50 performers in first and second serve points won every season from 1991 to 2016 uncovers an average 43 per cent improvement in first serve points won over second serve points won. Since 2000, the average has been slightly less at 41 per cent.
World No. 1 Andy Murray averaged winning 76 per cent of his first serve points in 2016, and 54 per cent on second serves. That created a 41 per cent advantage for his first-serve win percentage over his second serve – exactly the same as the larger 2016 sample size.
Top 50 Performers 1991-2016: 1st & 2nd Serve Wins Percentage / Percentage Difference
| Year | 1st Serve Points Won | 2nd Serve Points Won | Percentage Difference |
| 2016 | 75% | 53% | 41% |
| 2015 | 75% | 53% | 41% |
| 2014 | 75% | 53% | 42% |
| 2013 | 75% | 53% | 42% |
| 2012 | 74% | 53% | 39% |
| 2011 | 74% | 53% | 40% |
| 2010 | 75% | 53% | 41% |
| 2009 | 75% | 53% | 42% |
| 2008 | 75% | 53% | 40% |
| 2007 | 75% | 53% | 41% |
| 2006 | 73% | 53% | 40% |
| 2005 | 74% | 53% | 41% |
| 2004 | 75% | 53% | 42% |
| 2003 | 74% | 53% | 40% |
| 2002 | 74% | 52% | 41% |
| 2001 | 74% | 52% | 42% |
| 2000 | 75% | 52% | 44% |
| 1999 | 75% | 51% | 45% |
| 1998 | 75% | 51% | 48% |
| 1997 | 75% | 50% | 50% |
| 1996 | 76% | 51% | 48% |
| 1995 | 75% | 51% | 47% |
| 1994 | 75% | 51% | 47% |
| 1993 | 75% | 51% | 45% |
| 1992 | 74% | 52% | 43% |
| 1991 | 73% | 52% | 40% |
| Average | 75% | 52% | 43% |
Top 50 – 1st Serve Points Won Average (75%)
The ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS, powered by the Infosys Information Platform, show that the Top 50 performers in first-serve points won each season has hardly changed at all over the past 20 years, dating back to 1997. The average has either been 73 per cent, 74 per cent or 75 per cent. The highest season was 1996 at 76 per cent, which was the only time it reached that level since 1991.
Top 50 – 2nd Serve Points Won Average (52%)
There has also been remarkable consistency in average second-serve points won as well, producing an average of 52 per cent points won, while deviating just four data points from 50 per cent to 53 per cent. For the past 14 straight seasons, from 2003 to 2016, the points won average of the leading 50 players in this specific service category has been 53 per cent each year.
Top 50 – Percentage Difference (43%)
The average difference in points won of 43 per cent was bumped all the way up 50 per cent in 1997. The mid-1990s in general were the most dominant serving era in our sport, with players such as Pete Sampras, Richard Krajicek, Goran Ivanisevic, Greg Rusedski and Boris Becker leading the way.
At the recently completed 2017 Australian Open, players averaged making 61 per cent of their first serves for the tournament. Tennis in so many ways is a numbers game. Knowing how many first serves typically go in, what their return investment is, and the corresponding win percentage with second serves helps us better organise the sport in our minds. And also allows us to know exactly what to expect in a match.