Ferrer Tops Tomic In Brisbane 2017 First Round Highlights
Ferrer Tops Tomic In Brisbane 2017 First Round Highlights
Jan032017
British number one Johanna Konta recovered from a slow start to reach the quarter-finals of the Shenzhen Open in China.
The world number 10 lost the first set to American Vania King, ranked 77th and trailed 3-1 in the second.
But she regained her composure to beat her opponent 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Konta, who is the third seed at the event, will face either Kristyna Pliskova or qualifier Kai-Chen Chang in the last eight.
World number two Serena Williams made a successful return after almost four months out as she won her first-round match at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
The 35-year-old, who last week announced her engagement, defeated France’s Pauline Parmentier 6-3 6-4.
Williams had been on the sidelines with shoulder and knee problems since the US Open semi-finals in September.
“You always feel rusty for your first match,” she said. “But mentally I knew how to get it back and get in there.”
Williams had to wait an extra day to make her first appearance of 2017 after rain forced the postponement of her first-round match on Monday.
She took 74 minutes to beat the world number 69, serving eight aces, including one on match point, but also four double-faults in the swirling wind.
“It was so windy out there,” she added. “You really have to be ready to move your feet, so I went to what my coach told me and I was like ‘you know how to play in the wind, you’ve done it many times before’ so I just tried to adjust to it.”
Williams will next face compatriot Madison Brengle, the world number 74.
World No. 3 takes in sights before opening round match
Milos Raonic has arrived at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp and is ready to make a statement in his first tournament of 2017.
But before he takes the court for his match of the season, the top seed and defending champion made time to take in the sights of this world-class city. Raonic boarded a CityCat cruise around the Brisbane River on Tuesday and met Adrian Schrinner, the city’s Deputy Mayor.
“It’s great to be back here. This is the most ideal way for us, as tennis players, to start off an Australian summer,” said Raonic. “Having five of the Top 10 players here is of great significance. It’s obviously a great show not only of the kind of support that we have here in Brisbane, but also the quality of the tournament and the fact that players believe this is the most ideal way to start. They feel the comfort of being here many years over and over again.”
Having received a first-round bye, the World No. 3 will play the winner between Sam Querrey and Diego Schwartzman. Raonic is even with Querrey in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry at 2-2, but has won their past two matches.
The Canadian has thrived in Brisbane throughout his career, posting a 7-2 career record in his three appearances. He also finished runner-up at this event in 2015 (l. Federer).
This will be Raonic’s first match with 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek as part of his coaching team. The Dutchman will also work alongside Riccardo Piatti, who has been with the Canadian since 2014.
Qualifier Hyeon Chung began his 2017 ATP World Tour season with an upset over sixth seed and fellow NextGen star Borna Coric at the Aircel Chennai Open on Monday. The 20-year-old Korean topped the Croat 6-3, 7-5 in just over two hours. In the second round, Chung will face Dudi Sela, a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Damir Dzumhur.
Top seed Marin Cilic will begin his season against Jozef Kovalik after the 24-year-old Slovakian defeated Gastao Elias 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2. Steve Darcis beat Nikola Mektic 6-2, 6-3 to set a second-round clash with third seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Elsewhere, Moscow native Daniil Medvedev beat Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 6-3. The NextGen player awaits the winner of eighth seed Yen-Hsun Lu and Radu Albot.
In doubles, second seeds Guillermo Duran and Andres Molteni defeated Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop 7-6(4), 6-4 to set a quarter-final meeting with Johan Brunstrom and Andreas Siljestrom, 6-2, 6-4 winners over Indian wild cards N.Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan.
David Goffin makes winning start in tournament debut
Novak Djokovic lost the first four games and recovered from a 2-5 deficit in the first set on Monday in his 2017 ATP World Tour season opener at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The World No. 2 and defending champion regained his poise to record a 7-6(1), 6-3 win over Jan-Lennard Struff in one hour and 27 minutes, marking his 14th straight victory against a German opponent.
“It’s first match of the year. You never know how you’re going to start,” said Djokovic. “As well as you have trained in the preparation period and the days prior to the tournament, [it] really is different when it’s competitive play, when you start the official match and the crowd is there.”
“It changes things mentally. I was a bit flat on my feet… But I stayed composed because I knew, I believed that I could find the rhythm, start reading his serve better, and that’s what happened,” added Djokovic. “Certainly I can play better, but it’s first match of the year. I know that I can’t be at my top the very first match, but I believe that the process is right.”
Djokovic, who has an 8-1 record at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament, lost just six of his first service points. Last year, the Serbian became the sixth player who has ranked No. 1 in his career to win the Doha title, joining former coach Boris Becker – who won the inaugural title in 1993. Other No. 1s to lift the trophy have been Stefan Edberg (1994-95), Jim Courier (1997), Marcelo Rios (2001), Roger Federer (2005-06, ’11).
Djokovic will next face Horacio Zeballos, who saved two match points to beat Florian Mayer 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(9).
Fourth seed David Goffin saved 10 of the 12 break points faced to defeat Robin Haase 7-6(4), 6-2. The Belgian awaits the winner of Fernando Verdasco and Vasek Pospisil in the second round.
“It’s never easy when you start the first tournament of the season,” said Goffin. “You can feel the stress a little bit before the match… I’m feeling good mentally, because for me, it’s always been the key to stay fresh mentally. Physically, I know I can play week after week.”
Elsewhere, Dustin Brown knocked out Facundo Bagnis 6-1, 6-7(2), 6-4, Jiri Vesely hit 13 aces to overcome wild card Anil Yuksel 6-2, 6-3 and qualifier Radek Stepanek advanced when his opponent, eighth seed Marcos Baghdatis, retired due to a right ankle injury.
World No. 1 Andy Murray, who is also competing at the 25th edition of the tournament, opened his season with Mariusz Fyrstenberg. But David Marrero and Nenad Zimonjic got the better of the pair 6-2, 6-4 in 59 minutes. Murray will play his first singles match of 2017 against Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday.
Also in doubles, Fourth seeds Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Karen Khachanov and Andrey Kuznetsov. They next face Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin, who beat Malek Jaziri and Mubarak Shannan Zayid 6-2, 6-3 in 47 minutes.
The ATP World Tour launches a new global marketing campaign today that will showcase its players and tournaments in a powerful new way for the next two seasons.
The campaign, titled “Greatness Within”, will offer a fresh look for the ATP World Tour and its 64 tournaments but will continue to target younger audiences and leverage the tour’s incredible generation of players.
Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “The ATP World Tour showcases the world’s greatest athletes as they battle week in week out for prestigious titles, and the ultimate crown of finishing the season as ATP World No. 1. The ‘Greatness Within’ campaign will reflect that season-long quest, bringing our tournaments and players to life in a new and vibrant way to our growing fan base, as well as providing the Tour with a captivating new visual identity.”
George Ciz, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Business Development, said: “The idea behind ‘Greatness Within’ is based on the fact that there is greatness within every player, every tournament and every match on the ATP World Tour and in order to truly succeed, players must dig deep and find it within themselves. The campaign will provide the ATP with a striking new visual identity full of emotion and passion, helping fans to better connect with the ATP World Tour, our players and tournaments.”
The ATP World Tour has been experiencing an unparalleled golden era with the ‘Big Four’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray dominating play for years. But a new generation of players is now stepping up and is prepared to challenge.
The “Greatness Within” campaign will highlight the ongoing battles and the inner strength required of every top player in today’s game. The campaign’s signature line will be, “Greatness Within: Every Player, Every Week At Every Tournament”.
The campaign’s look and feel will convey the range of emotions ATP World Tour stars endure on court, using both player imagery and tournament highlights inside the players themselves through a court-like grid system. The players in the campaign will then be set against a stylised city-specific panorama, with bold graphic standing out in print materials.
The marketing campaign was produced for the ATP by the London-based agency The Big Shot and the video components feature the music from THePETEBOX, which he composed bespoke for the ATP. The song, ‘Fly Like Aces’ is available for download on iTunes. All the video, motion graphics and digital assets align with the print materials.
The campaign, which will showcase more than 60 players, will deliver creative assets for the full spectrum of channels and executions, including print, outdoor, TV and digital advertising. It will also provide opening sequences for live TV coverage as well as for the weekly TV show ATP World Tour Uncovered, presented by Peugeot. A plethora of players and tournaments will be featured in the campaign’s visuals, which will be unveiled throughout the season.
Greatness Within
Open Gallery
Rafael Nadal is eager to commence his 2017 ATP World Tour season against Alexandr Dolgopolov Tuesday night in Brisbane. Such is the strength of the Brisbane International field, which features five Top 10 players, that fifth-seed Nadal does not enjoy the first-round bye afforded to Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Dominic Thiem.
After flying in in the early hours of Monday morning, Nadal had his first practice session under lights Monday evening, watched by hundreds of fans who took every vantage point to get an up-close look at the former World No. 1. This is the first time that the Spaniard will be competing in Australia in the first week of the season.
“For me to be here for the first time, it’s something special,’ Nadal said at an informal news conference and photo op with a koala bear on site Monday afternoon. “I’m looking forward to competing and to see the great centre court that everybody, all the players, say is so special. This year I decided to be here in Australia; I have a good connection with the people here in Australia.
“I like to know different places. It’s true that Doha worked well for me in the past, but here in Brisbane is something that probably will help me to adapt quicker to the Australian conditions that are always a little bit tougher in terms of weather.”
Nadal is seeded to meet defending champion and World No. 3 Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals. But the Mallorcan is not complaining about the luck of the draw. “Nobody has an easy draw here in Brisbane. The draw is so difficult. Great players. There is no one space on the draw that you can say, ‘Okay, this draw is better’.”
“All players in the main draw are tough players. You can see, first round, David Ferrer against Bernard. Tonight, Steve Johnson against Dimitrov. All matches are difficult. You need to be ready for everything if you want to play a tournament like this.”
Dolgopolov has won his past two outings against Nadal, but the lefty leads their career FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2. They have not played each other in 18 months.