It has been a long road, but Alexander Zverev has that final feeling once again on the ATP Tour.

The fourth seed powered past Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the championship match at the Hamburg European Open. Taking on a 19-year-old opponent who was full of confidence after taking out top seed Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals, Zverev offered Fils few chances to settle in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with a hard-hitting, big-serving display on the German clay.

“I knew that me and Casper have very different gamestyles,” said Zverev, when asked how he had approached the match. “Casper plays with a lot more spin and a lot higher, something that Arthur maybe likes. I knew that I had to take the time away, I knew that I had to play a lot quicker and a lot flatter in a way. I did that well today, I feel like.”

Zverev will take on Laslo Djere in Sunday’s final as he looks to claim the title at his hometown ATP 500 event for the first time. It will be a first tour-level championship match since Madrid in May 2022 for the 19-time tour-level titlist, and his first since he suffered a serious ankle injury at 2022 Roland Garros.

“It’s always the nicest at home, but at the end of the day it’s a very difficult match and I’m just looking forward to it,” added Zverev.

Super Sascha! ⚡️

Incredible point from home hope @AlexZverev on his way to securing the first set 6-2 against Fils!@hamburgopen | #HamburgOpen pic.twitter.com/GlaLtlVSCy

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 29, 2023

The 26-year-old Zverev is chasing his first title since his triumph at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, and he is up two spots to 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as a result of his Hamburg run as he looks to qualify for the prestigious season finale for the sixth time. In Hamburg, he is bidding to become just the second German man, after Michael Stich in 1993, to lift the trophy since the Open Era began in 1968.

Zverev raced to a 4-0 lead against Fils as his #NextGenATP opponent struggled for consistency from the baseline early, and rarely looked like letting that early advantage slip en route to a one-hour, 32-minute triumph. He was clutch in key moments throughout, converting three of four break points he earned as well as saving the three he faced against his own delivery.

Zverev is now 32-18 for the 2023 season, having also reached semi-finals in Dubai, Geneva, at Roland Garros, and in Halle. He rose two spots to No. 17 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his semi-final victory against Fils.

The World No. 57 Djere earlier delivered a near-flawless semi-final display to ease past Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-2 and reach his first tour-level final of the season.

Serbia’s Djere sealed the only break of the opening set in this eighth game before accelerating away in the second for a comfortable one-hour victory. The 28-year-old did not face a break point against Zhang as he charged into his first ATP Tour final since Winston-Salem in August 2022.

“I’m extremely happy the way I played. Everything went my way today,” said Djere. “I think this was my best match this year, at least on the clay. I didn’t give much chance to him today, luckily for me. He’s a great player, he has a huge serve. I also surprised myself a bit today, how I played.”

Sunday’s championship match clash will be Djere’s fifth on the ATP Tour, and his second at ATP 500 level after he claimed his maiden tour-level title in Rio de Janeiro in 2019.

“I will try to look at the final as any other match,” said Djere, whose only other ATP Tour title also came on clay in Sardinia in 2020. “I think that is key, not to make a big deal out of it. Obviously, there is a lot at stake, and the nerves might kick in at some point, but I think the key will be to stay calm and focused and relax like in [my previous] matches. Hopefully I will be able to manage it.”

Alexis Galarneau lifted his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title last week on home soil in Granby, Canada. While fans may see the 24-year-old strike a fuzzy yellow ball, they may not know his off-court routine that includes daily meditation and speaking to a sports psychologist.

A former North Carolina State University standout, Galarneau departed Raleigh with an all-time school singles record (65-36) and a Bachelor’s Degree in finance. The two-time ITA All-American then transitioned to the pros and made a commitment to work with a sports psychologist. Galarneau has continued those meetings on a near-weekly basis for two-and-a-half years.

“I thought coming out of college, it would be a great opportunity to talk to someone,” Galarneau told ATPTour.com. “When you’re on the road, it can be lonely sometimes, and keeping track of things that you’re doing well, things that you’re not doing as well.

“It’s important to really take your mental health [seriously] and also prepare yourself for your best performances. I think everyone should use it.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alexis Galarneau (@alexis.galarneau)

This year, Galarneau became an ambassador for Tennis Canada’s Mental Timeout Intivative, alongside WTA star Bianca Andreescu and Canada’s top-ranked wheelchair player Rob Shaw. The goal of the initiative is to be a leading voice for mental wellness in sport through awareness, promotion and education.

Galarneau even curated a Spotify ‘Mental Timeout’ playlist that features 10 songs, starting with Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Everywhere’, he listens to when he needs to calm his mind. Andreescu and Shaw also constructed a playlist.

Another way Galarneau quiets his thoughts is by drawing. At a career-high No. 162 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Galarneau recently started carving out time to enjoy the new hobby he discovered when he bought an iPad.

“I’ll just take pictures from my phone that I took and try to recreate the canvas,” Galarneau said. “Lately, it’s been a lot of pictures from my room window. It kind of reminds me of home as well. It’s a cool little time off. You put on a little bit of music and you’re not really thinking, just drawing on my iPad. I’ll take 30, 45 minutes a day to try and put in my sort of little meditation.”

Drawing may bring the Laval-native memories of home, much like how he will remember his first ATP Challenger Tour title. Galarneau became the first Canadian Challenger champion of 2023, triumphing in Granby, just 90 minutes from his hometown.

Alexis Galarneau the Challenger 100 event in Granby, Canada.” />
^{Alexis Galarneau the Challenger 100 event in Granby, Canada. Credit: Sarah-Jäde Champagne}

Galarneau is one of five Canadians to win the Granby Challenger, joining Frank Dancevic, Vasek Pospisil, Peter Polansky and Gabriel Diallo.

“It felt amazing. I visualised this moment a tonne of times growing up, watching past Canadian champions win it,” Galarneau said. “I felt like it’d be a great achievement and a great feeling for me to go on and do the same thing they did. I felt really proud of that and having my whole family there was a really special moment for me.”

When Galarneau made his ATP Tour debut last August at the National Bank Open, he sported long hair in a ponytail and pushed 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov to two tight sets in the opening round.

This year, Galarneau will aim for his maiden tour-level victory when he once again competes at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada as a wild card. But there will be no ponytail this time. Galarneau first showcased a fresh haircut in May and despite lifting his first Challenger title in short hair, he stated that there is nothing superstitious about the change.

“I thought it was time. It was just a lot,” Galarneau said. “It took a lot of time to wash and prepare. I just wanted to keep it simple. It feels cleaner. I think there was a wild side to the long hair.”

Alexis Galarneau in action at the 2022 National Bank Open.” />
^{Alexis Galarneau in action at the 2022 National Bank Open. Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images}

Stan Wawrinka held his nerve to break his 2023 semi-final duck on Friday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, where the former World No. 3 reached the last four by downing Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 7-5.

In the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash in the space of 11 days, Wawrinka improved to 2-0 against Carballes Baena by prevailing in a tense quarter-final clash of narrow margins. A late break of serve in each set ultimately proved decisive for the sixth-seeded Swiss, who wrapped a one-hour, 44-minute win to reach his first tour-level semi-final since Metz in September 2022.

“He’s a really tough player, I expected a tough match,” said Wawrinka in his on-court interview. “I think tonight I was playing well. It’s slow conditions so it’s not easy to get through, to be aggressive, but my game is there and I’m enjoying my time here. I’m happy to be in the semi-finals tomorrow.”

STAN. THE. MAN. 🤩 @stanwawrinka is semi-final bound in Umag after getting past Carballes Baena 6-4 7-5.@CroatiaOpenUmag | #ATPUmag pic.twitter.com/7q7OfLh7tt

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 28, 2023

Wawrinka has impressed so far this week on his first appearance in Umag since 2007. He has now won all six sets he has played at the clay-court ATP 250 as he looks to clinch his first tour-level title since Geneva in 2017. His next opponent in Croatia will be Lorenzo Sonego, who earlier defeated Jaume Munar 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

“It’s going to be a tough match,” said Wawrinka, who lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in Umag in 2006. “He’s a great player. He’s a big fighter with some amazing shots, so I expect a really tough battle. But hopefully I can keep playing that well and keep winning.”

There had been Italian joy in Umag on Friday prior to Sonego’s win as Matteo Arnaldi also booked his semi-final spot on the Croatian clay.

In his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final, Arnaldi recovered from a difficult start in style to upset top seed Jiri Lehecka 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. In a clash between a pair of 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals competitors, Arnaldi converted three of his nine break points to wrap a two-hour, four-minute victory under the Croatian sun.

Since notching his maiden ATP Tour win against Munar in Barcelona in April, Arnaldi has made steady progress. He reached the third round as a qualifier at the Mutua Madrid Open in May, defeating Casper Ruud en route, and is now 9-7 for the season, with his run to the last four in Umag so far propelling him 15 spots to No. 61 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

The 22-year-old will face Alexei Popyrin in the semi-finals, after the Australian downed home #NextGenATP star Dino Prizmic 7-6(2), 7-5.

Top seed Taylor Fritz produced high-quality first-strike tennis Friday to down former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori and reach his seventh tour-level semi-final of the season at the Atlanta Open.

The 25-year-old defeated the Japanese star 6-4, 6-2 after dropping just four points behind his first delivery (25/29). Fritz looked to step around any ball left in the middle of the court before crushing a forehand winner, closing the match in one hour, 13 minutes.

“I’m super happy how I played today, getting better and better each day I feel like,” Fritz said in his on-court interview. “A lot of positives I can take into the next match. Kei has been around since I first started. He’s an incredible player and a great guy. I’m just happy to see him back playing again, having good results and hitting the ball well after being injured for so long.” 

Through the first five games, neither player dropped a point behind their serve. Fritz later took advantage of his lone break point, which doubled as a set point in the 10th game of the opening set. As the match wore on, Nishikori did not seem at his physical best, using a medical timeout before the second set started for a problem with his left knee. 

It was Fritz’s maiden Lexus ATPHead2Head win against Nishikori, who had won the previous three meetings. Friday was their first encounter since 2019.

Aiming for his second tour-level trophy of the season, World No. 9 Fritz will next meet countryman J.J. Wolf. The eighth seed Wolf, who has not dropped a set all week, cruised past Dominik Koepfer 6-2, 6-3 in the quarter-finals to set a maiden meeting against the American No. 1.

The 33-year-old Nishikori was playing in his first ATP Tour tournament since October 2021. A 12-time tour-level titlist, Nishikori underwent arthroscopic left hip surgery in 2022 and returned to competition last month on the ATP Challenger Tour, immediately winning a title in Puerto Rico.

Frances Tiafoe on Thursday alongside the USTA Foundation announced the launch of The Frances Tiafoe Fund. The American, who revealed the eponymous fund at his home tennis centre, the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, hopes it will help serve as a source of positive social change.

“I’m so excited for this opportunity to work with the USTA Foundation and inspire kids who come from my hometown and beyond,” Tiafoe said in a statement. “One of my priorities has always been to show kids that dreams can come true and that success is in everyone – and this fund is just one step further toward that goal.”

Tiafoe led a clinic to interact with local youth at the facility where his father was a maintenance worker. The Frances Tiafoe Fund will help support National Junior Tennis and Learning chapters, like the JTCC, throughout the country.

Three years ago, Tiafoe received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in the ATP Awards. In a letter he wrote at the time, the American explained why it is important for him to give back to the next generations.

“It’s about more than just setting up my family for life. What about those kids?” Tiafoe asked. “I want to help them write their stories right the first time. If there are kids out there who do not think they can achieve their dreams, I want to change that. I really believe success is in everyone. I want to paint a picture for them that they did not know was possible. I want to help them make that a reality.”

The creation of the Frances Tiafoe Fund is another step towards accomplishing that goal.

Arthur Fils has long made his mark on the 2023 ATP Tour season. Yet his Hamburg European Open quarter-final win against Casper Ruud on Friday felt like a further significant leap for the #NextGenATP Frenchman.

Fils delivered a stunning display for a 6-0, 6-4 victory against the World No. 4 Ruud at the clay-court ATP 500, his first win against a Top 20 opponent. The 19-year-old Fils was in particularly devastating form on his forehand in Germany, striking with the sort of power and accuracy off that wing that Ruud himself has become renowned for.

“I’m really happy about it. Of course, it was a tough match,” said Fils in his on-court interview. “I had good tactics with my coach before the match. We talked before the match, that I have to believe I can win. Of course, I’m coming on court, I want to win, so I tried to play my game and I played my best today, so I’m happy about it.”

Fils made a lightning-fast start to his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Norwegian, unloading on his forehand at every opportunity and converting three of his six break points to charge to the opening set. Ruud settled into his groove in a closely fought second set, but Fils crushed four huge forehand winners to break to love in the 10th game and seal a famous 78-minute triumph in which he outhit Ruud by 35 winners (including 25 off his forehand) to six.

“I knew that he has a really good forehand, and when he uses his forehand during the point, it’s tough,” said Fils. “He makes you run a lot. My goal was to play a lot of forehands and play a lot on his backhand, and I did it really well today.”

Fils is now 4-0 in tour-level quarter-finals. His run in Hamburg marks the first time he has reached a semi-final outside of France, while it is also his maiden last-four appearance at ATP 500 level. The Frenchman, who lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in Lyon in May, is fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race as he seeks to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time.

Fils’ semi-final opponent will be Alexander Zverev, after the home favourite denied Fils’ fellow #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche from reaching his maiden tour-level semi-final. The fourth-seeded Zverev prevailed 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to reach the semi-finals in Hamburg for the third time in six appearances.

Zverev held his nerve against Van Assche after the 19-year-old had converted his only break point of the match en route to a 4-1 lead in the second set. The 26-year-old German, chasing his first title since his triumph at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, reeled off five games in a row to seal victory to the delight of his home fans.

A two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, Zverev has now risen two spots to tenth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as a result of his Hamburg run. The 19-time tour-level titlist is seeking to qualify for the prestigious season finale for the sixth time.

In the bottom half of the draw, Lorenzo Musetti’s Hamburg title defence was ended at the quarter-final stage by the rock-solid Laslo Djere. The No. 57-ranked Serbian overcame Musetti 7-5, 6-3 for his first Top 20 victory since he defeated Ruud in Auckland in the opening week of the 2023 season.

Zhang Zhizhen will be Djere’s next opponent, after the 26-year-old reached his maiden ATP Tour semi-final with a 6-4, 6.4 triumph against home favourite Daniel Altmaier. Zhang has dropped just one set across his first three matches on his second Hamburg appearance, a run which has propelled the 26-year-old 27 spots to No. 52 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, level with his career high in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Should he defeat Djere in Saturday’s semi-finals in northern Germany, Zhang is set to rise further still to become the first Chinese player to break the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe arrive at the Mubadala Citi DC Open as Top 10 stars carrying the torch for American men’s tennis. The 25-year-olds are the top two seeds, respectively, at the ATP 500 event and could face early tests in the nation’s capital.

World No. 9 Fritz, who is making his fourth appearance in Washington, D.C, is seeded to meet three-time major champion Andy Murray in the third round. The Scot Murray was a finalist at the hard-court tournament in 2006. Fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz and sixth seed Alexander Bublik are also featured in Fritz’s half.

In a loaded part of the draw, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks could clash against top seed Fritz in the last eight. Eubanks must first get through his section that features seventh seed Adrian Mannarino, former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori and two-time major finalist Kevin Anderson. Should Nishikori beat Lloyd Harris, he will then meet Eubanks in the second round. 

Home hope Tiafoe may meet 14th seed and #NextGenATP star Ben Shelton in the third round, which would mark their first Lexus ATPHead2Head contest.

Making his seventh appearance at the ATP 500 event and looking to improve on his quarter-final result last year, Tiafoe is in the same half as third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov. The Canadian Auger-Aliassime will open against Wu Yibing or Yosuke Watanuki.

Sebastian Korda, Daniel Evans and last year’s finalist Yoshihito Nishioka round out the Top 10 seeds in Washington, D.C, where main draw action begins Monday, 31 July.

Take notice: Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori is playing at a high level in his first ATP Tour tournament in 21 months.

The 33-year-old defeated Chinese teen Shang Juncheng 6-4, 7-6(3) on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Atlanta Open. The Japanese star Nishikori displayed vintage all-court coverage and absorbed the 18-year-old’s firepower to advance. At 5/3 in the second-set tie-break, Nishikori won an exciting 21-shot rally to set up match point before sealing a spot in the last eight with an ace.

“It was a tough battle, but I was very excited on the court,” Nishikori said in his on-court interview. “I felt pretty good, especially playing under [the lights]. I felt very good on the court today.”

Nishikori will next look to extend his 3-0 Lexus ATPHead2Head series record against top seed Taylor Fritz.

The 12-time tour-level titlist Nishikori is competing in his first tour-level tournament since the BNP Paribas Open in October 2021. Nishikori underwent arthroscopic left hip surgery in 2022 and returned to the ATP Challenger Tour last month, immediately winning a title in Puerto Rico. Friday will be his first tour-level quarter-final since August 2021, when he made it to the last four of the ATP 500 event in Washington, D.C.

“It’s always tough coming back from injury, I was out for almost two years,” Nishikori said. “I just came back, played the last couple tournaments and coming into here, I’m feeling pretty good. Luckily I won two rounds here and happy to play another one tomorrow.” 

Shang, who used a medical timeout at 2-3 in the second set to treat a right foot problem, earned his second tour-level victory this week when he upset fourth seed Ben Shelton in the opening round. The Beijing-native is 18th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race.