Tennis News

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Milos Raonic has posted his first victory on Chinese soil for the season after a narrow 7-6(5), 7-6(2) triumph over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai on Tuesday. The Canadian, currently at No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, atoned for a disappointing first-up loss in Beijing last week, taking the initiative in the tie-breaks better against the World No. 34.

Bellucci broke Raonic in the opening game of the match and held a mini-break in the opening set tie-break but could not maintain the advantage. Despite his loss in Beijing last week, Raonic had salvaged somewhat of a return to form with his first title of the season – his first in 14 months – in St. Petersburg late last month. He moved through to a showdown with Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut after the one-hour, 39-minute tussle and consigned Bellucci to his 17^th straight defeat to Top 10 opponents.

“I feel like I’m in a good place physically and mentally,” said Raonic. “Now I hope I can play some good tennis. It’s just been in a lot of ways a frustrating season. For most of it, through many important tournaments, not to be able to play at 100 per cent, that sort of has its own downfalls, I guess. I’m trying to make the most of it now for the rest of the year.” 

Belgian David Goffin – No. 17 in the Race to London – made a perfect start on his Shanghai debut, beating Japanese qualifier Go Soeda 6-4, 6-2. Soeda saved a set point on serve at 3-5 but Goffin closed out the opening set on serve 6-4 and powered through to set up a second-round meeting with No. 13 seed John Isner. Goffin saved both break points he faced and won 90 per cent of his first serve points.

Within seconds of the Belgian’s victory, American Jack Sock followed him through and by an identical score-line. Fresh from a run to the quarter-finals in Beijing last week, where he pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets, Sock saw off Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 6-2. The World No. 33 finished with 10 aces to the Pole’s four and made good on five of the eight break points he brought up.

Richard Gasquet set a second-round clash with Vasek Pospisil as he withstood 18 aces to defeat Gilles Muller 7-6(4), 6-2. The 11^th-seeded Frenchman is currently one spot out of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and is looking to rebuild after a surprise first-round exit in Tokyo last week (l. to Bautista Agut).

Gasquet will look to overturn a 1-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Pospisil, who dismissed qualifier Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-4.

Last week’s Tokyo champion Stan Wawrinka will open his Shanghai campaign against Viktor Troicki after the Serb rallied from a set down to beat Pablo Cuevas 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. It will be their first meeting in five years.

In his first match as a Top 10 player, Kevin Anderson defeated Tommy Haas 6-3, 7-5. The South African fired 22 aces and converted two of his 14 break points to set a second-round contest with Fabio Fognini, who beat Joao Sousa 7-6(2), 6-3.

Marin Cilic’s famed serve came to the rescue as he narrowly avoided a shock defeat at the hands of Di Wu on Monday evening at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Facing match point against the No. 227-ranked Chinese wild card at 4-5, 30/40 in the third set, Cilic produced an ace – one of 15 he struck in the contest – before rallying to record a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory in two hours and 14 minutes.

The 24-year-old Wu was chasing his first ATP-level victory and produced inspired tennis as he stretched 2014 US Open champion Cilic to a third-set tie-break. The Shanghai native dropped to a 0-12 mark in ATP and Grand Slam main draw play.

The 27-year-old Cilic is looking for a big result at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 hard-court tournament as he looks to mount a late charge for one of the four remaining spots at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Croatian goes on to face countryman Borna Coric in the second round.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also battled back from a set down to advance, defeating Tommy Robredo 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2 in just under two hours. The 16^th-seeded Frenchman captured his 12^th ATP World Tour title last month on home soil in Metz (d. Simon). He next will face Victor Estrella Burgos, who defeated lucky loser Donald Young 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

World No. 47 Steve Johnson notched his 29^th win of the season as he edged Andreas Seppi 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(2) in just over two hours. His fellow American Sam Querrey could not join him in the second round, though, beaten 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 by Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

London Hopefuls Upset In Opener

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals hopefuls Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares suffered a blow to their qualification bid as they were beaten in the Shanghai first round. Dominic Inglot and Robert Lindstedt defeated the Austrian/Brazilian duo 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-3.

Kevin Anderson and Jeremy Chardy won their opener, defeating Pablo Cuevas and Viktor Troicki 6-1, 1-6, 10-8.

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A LOOK BACK
Sacramento Challenger (Sacramento, U.S.A.): The future of American tennis was on full display on Sunday, as the three-week northern California swing on the ATP Challenger Tour rolled into Sacramento. For the first time since 2007, a final on the circuit featured a pair of teenagers as 19-year-old Jared Donaldson battled 17-year-old Taylor Fritz. Donaldson was looking to claim his second title after emerging victorious in Maui to open the 2015 season, but in the end it was Fritz who came away with the pulsating win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

“One is a great ending and the other is a great beginning,” said Fritz of his recent US Open boys’ title to cap his junior career, followed by his stellar start to his professional career in Sacramento. “I had the perfect ending with the US Open win and I get to start my pro career with a Challenger win. That’s a great way to get me started.”

It was a story of survival and mental fortitude for the young American, who saved a remarkable 34 of 37 break points faced throughout the week, including 15 of 16 in the final. Competing in just his second Challenger main draw, Fritz would become the youngest American titlist on the circuit since Donald Young in Aptos 2007. He joins rising talents Borna Coric and Alexander Zverev as players aged 17 & under to win a title in the last two years. At World No. 694, he is the lowest-ranked player to win a Challenger crown this year. He soared to No. 339 with the win.

“I need to not get myself in so many tight situations, but it shows that I play the big points really well and I compete pretty hard,” Fritz explained to broadcaster Mike Cation following the match. “I’m mentally strong in tight situations.

“The main thing is to not let this get to my head and to not think that I’ve made it. I’ve got a lot of work to do and I know that. Hopefully if I keep working I can continue to be compared to those guys (Coric, Zverev, etc.). I don’t think I’m going to rush into too many tournaments this year. Obviously we’ll rethink my schedule but it will be more Challenger events and less Futures.”

Won my first challenger title at the Sacramento 100k !!! Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible ???

— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) October 12, 2015

Ethias Trophy (Mons, Belgium): The lone ATP Challenger Tour event in Belgium returned to Mons, where Illya Marchenko claimed his fourth title and first in nearly a year, edging Benjamin Becker 6-2, 6-7(8), 6-4. Marchenko emerged from a stacked draw that featured all eight seeds in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. He looked to be on the ropes in the third set against Becker, after the German saved three match points late in the second and snatched an early break in the decider. The Ukrainian would eventually triumph after breaking back and rose 29 spots to World No. 82 with the title.

Claro Open Medellin (Medellin, Colombia): Paolo Lorenzi moved into a tie for fourth on the all-time ATP Challenger Tour titles list, notching his 16th crown and second in Medellin (2012). The Italian veteran, who improved to 4-0 in finals this year, joined Yen-Hsun Lu, Dudi Sela, Go Soeda, Takao Suzuki and Carlos Berlocq as the only players to win at least 16 titles in Challenger history. Lorenzi prevailed over Gonzalo Lama on Saturday after the Chilean retired down 7-6(3), 2-0 with a right arm injury. His win streak is up to 10 straight, having topped Alejandro Gonzalez in Pereira the week prior.

IS Open Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo, Brazil): Joining Lorenzi in the ‘16 Titles Club’ was Carlos Berlocq, who defeated Belgium’s Kimmer Coppejans 6-3, 6-1 in Sao Paulo on Sunday. Berlocq converted on six of seven break chances to prevail after one hour and 17 minutes. The Argentine, who has won 10 of his last 12 finals on the ATP Challenger Tour, improved to 16-9 overall in title matches. Coppejans, meanwhile, fell to 2-2 in finals this year, having triumphed in Guangzhou and Mersin.

Morocco Tennis Tour – Mohammedia (Mohammedia, Morocco): Seventh seed Roberto Carballes Baena ended the Cinderella run of 19-year-old qualifier Kamil Majchrzak, prevailing 7-6(4), 6-2 on Sunday in Mohammedia. The final was postponed from Saturday due to rain and the Spaniard would claim his second ATP Challenger Tour title in one hour and 36 minutes. All three finals reached by Carballes Baena this year have come on Moroccan soil, having also finished runner-up in Meknes and the winner in Kenitra. Poland’s Majchrzak was the 10th different teen to advance to a final on the circuit this year. He dropped a combined 12 games in routing top seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the semi-finals, fourth seed Marco Cecchinato in the quarter-finals and fifth seed Inigo Cervantes in the second round.

What The Players Said
Marchenko: “I am so happy with this victory. I played a great first set but than Becker showed he is a great player. It is a Challenger with a real high level and I came back every year because I love this tournament so much. So now winning it is a great achievement and I’m very happy. I have no words.”

Becker: “Like we said yesterday, I’m not the youngest anymore and I was tired after the semi-final. Illya played a great match. I had a great time at this tournament. I was told a lot of good things about this tournament and all was true. If I still play next year, I’ll definitely be back.”

Lorenzi: “To win two tournaments in a row is not easy. I played very well and am very happy because the first set was very difficult, like all the matches this week. I hope that Gonzalo recovers quickly.”

Carballes Baena: “I’m very happy to get my second ATP Challenger Tour title. We worked very hard to get good results at the end of the year. Now I will try to compete more and to achieve new goals.”

Berlocq: “It’s a good achievement. It helps me a lot to improve my ranking and to achieve my goal to get back to the Top 100. If I keep winning ATP Challenger Tour events, I will achieve my goal and I will be able to conquer bigger accomplishments.”

Coppejans: “I think that at the beginning we both were very nervous. Until 3-3 the match was even, but after that he started to play better. I made a lot of unforced errors and my balls were very short. He played at a higher level and served better than me.”

WHAT’S AHEAD
Tournaments are held on five continents. The ATP Challenger Tour returns to Vietnam for the first time since 2007, when the 10-year event in Ho Chi Minh City concluded. The tournament returns this week with Marcel Granollers the top seed and James Duckworth seeded second.

Defending champion Steve Darcis is seeded third at the prestigious Open de Rennes, while the $125,000 Tashkent Challenger returns for an eighth edition. Top seed and 2011 champion Denis Istomin faces 2012 titlist Uladzimir Ignatik in the first round and third seed Lukas Lacko looks to successfully defend his crown. Dudi Sela won the title in 2013.

The northern California swing concludes in Fairfield, which relocated from Napa. Tim Smyczek is seeded first and Taylor Fritz received a special exempt into the main draw. One of two events in Argentina this year is staged in Corrientes, where home hope Diego Schwartzman is the top seed. Paolo Lorenzi looks to make it three in a row as the Morocco Tennis Tour moves to its last of five stops, in Casablanca.

Shanghai Rolex Masters (Shanghai) – The eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the season features a star-studded field, which includes the entire Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Race to London. This is the seventh year of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament at the Qizhong Tennis Center, which was the site of the Tennis Masters Cup from 2005-08. Reigning champion Roger Federer, World No. 1 and 2012-13 winner Novak Djokovic and 2010-11 titleholder Andy Murray are the former champions. A historic occasion will take place with the trio of Federer (17), Rafael Nadal (14) and Djokovic (10) playing together for the first time as Grand Slam champions with more than 10 titles. No other trio to have won 10 or more Grand Slam titles in the history of men’s tennis have ever played in a tournament together.

Emirates ATP Race to London – There are valuable Emirates ATP Race to London points at stake and players will add to their total for each round reached. Players with a bye and lose in opening match (2R) will receive 10 pts. Here is the breakdown: first round (10), second round (45), third round (90), quarter-finals (180), semi-finals (360), final (600), winner (1000). Here is the updated Top 25 Emirates ATP Race to London going into play Saturday in Beijing and Tokyo:

Big Four Dominance – The ‘Big Four’ of Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal have won 46 of the last 50 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, which dates back to Nadal’s triumph at Monte-Carlo in 2010. The only other players to emerge with an ATP Masters 1000 title are Robin Soderling (2010 Paris), David Ferrer (2011 Paris), Stan Wawrinka (2014 Monte-Carlo) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2014 Toronto).

World No. 1/Top Seed – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is making his sixth Shanghai appearance in seven years (except 2011) and he comes in with a 19-3 career record. This is the third straight year he is the top seed. The 2012-13 champion had his 13-match winning streak in Shanghai snapped with his SF loss to Federer last year. Going into the Beijing semi-finals, Djokovic has compiled a 66-5 match record (43-4 on hard) on the season with seven titles: Australian Open, ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome, Wimbledon and US Open where he captured his 10^th career Grand Slam title. On Monday, it marks the 168^th week overall he has ranked No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, which is sixth-most. He will surpass No. 5 John McEnroe’s total of 170 on Nov. 2. He will finish No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the 4th time in 5 years (except 2013).

Novak Dominates in China – Djokovic comes into Shanghai having won 31 of his last 32 matches in China (going into Beijing SF), winning consecutive titles in Beijing and Shanghai in 2012-13 and Beijing last year. His 28-match winning streak in China ended last year when he lost to Federer in the semi-finals in Shanghai. Overall, he has won eight career titles in China (five in Beijing, three in Shanghai). He has never lost in the Beijing Open (27-0, entering SF) and is 19-3 at the Shanghai ROLEX Masters (since 2009). He also went 4-4 at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai in 2007-08, winning the title in 2008. The only country in which he’s won more titles is the U.S. (11). He has never lost in a final in China (8-0).