Tennis News

Alcaraz climbs to second in Live Race; How far away is first?

Carlos Alcaraz climbed to second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin on Monday when he reached the China Open semi-finals. How far from first is the Spaniard?

Jannik Sinner still leads Alcaraz by 2,990 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as an indicator for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. The Italian is in very good position to become the first Italian to claim the honour.

Alcaraz is well placed to finish in the year-end Top 2 for the third consecutive season. Two years ago, aged 19, he earned ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. Last season, he finished No. 2.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (as of 30 September)

Alcaraz’s hopes of ending the season at No. 1 are not completely dashed, either, with plenty of points still up for grabs in the next month and a half. But to put any pressure on Sinner, Alcaraz must continue winning, starting with his Beijing semi-final against Daniil Medvedev.

Sinner, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 10-17 November in Turin. The next in line to qualify is Medvedev, who is fourth in the Live Race.

Medvedev is trying to earn his place at the season finale for the sixth consecutive season. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion knows it will not be easy to move closer by defeating Alcaraz on Tuesday.

“Tough test against Carlos,” Medvedev said. “Maybe he’s a bit less than Jannik in the zone, but when he’s in the zone, he’s probably the best player in the world. Tough to play him. I feel like now he’s in the zone. So it’s a great test for me.”

Medvedev owns a 730-point advantage over fifth-placed Taylor Fritz in the Live Race. If he wins the Chinese ATP 500 title, he would increase his lead over the American to 1,030 points.

First-placed Sinner will face home favourite Buyunchaokete in the other Beijing semi-final.

Seventh-placed Andrey Rublev had a big opportunity to surge to fifth in the Live Race by winning the Beijing title. However, he fell to Buyunchaokete on Monday evening in the quarter-finals.

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#NextGenATP Butvilas wins first Challenger title; Fearnley, Ritschard set for Top 100 debut

Three players secured memorable milestones Sunday when they triumphed on the ATP Challenger Tour.

#NextGenATP Edas Butvilas earned his maiden Challenger crown while Jacob Fearnley and Alexander Ritschard are set to crack the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings on Wednesday following their title runs.

The 20-year-old Butvilas won the LTP Challenger in Charleston, South Carolina, where he became the first lucky loser champion at that level since February 2023 (Matteo Gigante, Tenerife). Butvilas downed American Nishesh Basavareddy 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

Entering the 2024 season, there had only been two Lithuanian winners in Challenger history: Ricardas Berankis and Laurynas Grigelis. But Lithuania has two #NextGenATP players who have added their names to the mix this year: Vilius Gaubas, who won the Cordenons Challenger, and Butvilas.

Up eight places to 14th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Butvilas is aiming to make a late push for maiden qualification for the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December. His countryman Gaubas is ninth.

Fearnley, 23, continued his unstoppable run at the Co’met Orleans Open. The Briton has won four Challenger titles this year, including the past three he has played. Prior to this season, Fearnley had only competed in one Challenger match, but the former Texas Christian University standout now boasts a 23-1 season record at that level.

Highest win percentage in a Challenger season (min. 20 matches played)

World No. 98 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Fearnley dropped just one set all week in Orleans, where he defeated home hope Harold Mayot 6-3, 7-6(5) in the final.

“It was a very, very difficult match. I was feeling pretty comfortable until about 5-3 [in the second set]. I had some opportunities but credit to Harold, he kept fighting and made it very difficult for me,” Fearnley said. “It’s never easy to serve out a title, especially a big one in front of a French crowd.”

Jubilation for @jakefearnley01 🎉🏆#ATPChallenger | @the_LTA pic.twitter.com/QEbz1CNWu3

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 29, 2024

Ritschard is also set to make his Top 100 debut after winning his third title of the year. The 30-year-old, who is one place behind Fearnley at No. 99 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, won the Del Monte Lisboa Belém Open in Portugal. The Swiss overcame Belgian Raphael Collignon 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 in a two-hour, 37-minute final.

<img alt=”Alexander Ritschard celebrates winning the Lisbon Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/30/17/37/ritschard-lisbonch-2024.jpg” />
^{Alexander Ritschard celebrates winning the Lisbon Challenger. Credit: Beatriz Ruivo/FPT}
“The result, the winning, and all this is just the reward for hard work,” Ritschard said. “I consider myself still young, but I guess in the world of tennis people see 30 and they think, ‘Oh, he’s on his way out’. But for me, it’s just getting started. I just want to see how far I can go. I think I have what it takes to play at the top and I just want to explore how far I can take it.”

Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo won his third Challenger title of the year and 10th overall at the Challenger Dove Men+Care Antofagasta in Chile.

<img alt=”Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the Antofagasta Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/30/17/38/cerundolo-antofagastach-2024.jpg” />
^{Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the Antofagasta Challenger. Credit: Challenger Dove Men+Care Antofagasta}
The eighth seed relied on rock-solid counterpunching to overcome Paraguay’s 20-year-old Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the final. Cerundolo, 22, saved 11 of 15 break points faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Tung-Lin Wu was crowned champion at the Bangkok Challenger, where he advanced through qualifying en route to lifting the trophy.

The 26-year-old, who hails from Chinese Taipei, downed American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 7-6(4) in the final to claim his second Challenger title and first since April 2022. Wu dropped just one set across seven matches in Thailand.

<img alt=”Tung-Lin Wu in action at the Bangkok Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/30/17/35/wu-nonthaburich-2024.jpg” />
^{Tung-Lin Wu in action at the Bangkok Challenger. Credit: Bangkok Challenger}

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The Nomadic Life… with Arthur Fils

Arthur Fils is one of the brightest young stars in tennis and he has shown that this week at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he is into the final.

The Frenchman, who is first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, is still learning new things about life on Tour. ATPTour.com caught up with Fils earlier in the year to learn about what he enjoys about traveling, his favourite places to visit, his walk-on song and more.

Are there two essential non-tennis items you would always take with you when on Tour?
A speaker, and city clothes.

Have you ever forgotten an important item when going on Tour?
If I forget my racquet, then of course it’s a big problem! But I think for me, I cannot play if I forget my headphones. I’m always [tuned] into music, and if I forget my headphones, I’m going to play badly for sure.

What is your walk-on song?
It depends, but a lot of French rap, and there is one French rapper, called Gradur.

And do you enjoy traveling the world, or is it just something you do?
I’m still young, so of course, I enjoy it. Maybe [it’s not] for the guys who are 35 or 40. [and] they do [it] because they play tennis. But me, I’m still young so I love to travel, sometimes with my friends, sometimes with my family, and every time with my coach. It’s super nice.

Is there a time when you decide to go to a tournament because you just want to see the city?
Yes, Rio. With Rio I went there because it was a dream for me to go to Rio.

What’s your favourite vacation destination?
Last year, I went to Mauritius and it was unbelievable. This year we want to go either in Oman or in the Red Sea, in Saudi Arabia. It looks unbelievable, better than Maldives.

And are there any routines or activities you do when you are away to, like, create a sense of home?
We go out to restaurants when we can, there are some great restaurants. In London, when we go, we go to good restaurants.

How do you try to overcome jet lag? Do you have, like, any tactics? Strategies? Do you suffer badly from jetlag?
I can sleep whenever I want, so I don’t care. Right before coming here [to talk to you], I was taking a nap for an hour. 

And last one, are you someone who gets the airport with lots of time, or you, like, half an hour, 20 minutes before the flight?
I don’t take a lot of time, but the thing is, my coach is a little bit old, Sebastien [Grosjean]. So he wants to be there three hours before the flight, even if we are in priority or whatever, he still wants to be there three hours before the flight. Who likes hanging out waiting for their plane?

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Teenager Robertson dreams of being 'better than Murray'

Charlie Robertson believes he can be “as good, if not better” than fellow Scot and “amazing role model” Andy Murray as the world’s 10th-ranked junior prepares for the senior ranks.

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Fils hits 'best passing I ever hit in my life' to reach Tokyo final

Arthur Fils’ reaction said it all.

After hitting a final forehand passing shot to close out a 7-6(8), 7-6(10) victory against Holger Rune in the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships semi-finals, the Frenchman fell to the court.

“It’s the best passing I ever hit in my whole life, man. The passing went crazy. I was going exactly for this one and it went so good out of my racquet. It was an amazing one,” Fils said in his on-court interview. “When I went to the passing, I got big cramps in the quads and I said to myself, ‘Okay, I need to win this one because otherwise I don’t know how I’m going to do it’.

“I saw the passing and just laid down because I was completely tired [from] the match and all the week.”

The final 2 in Tokyo! 🏆 @japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/AGbhrki9Vg

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2024

Fils is into his fourth ATP Tour final and his second at an ATP 500, after lifting the trophy in Hamburg earlier this year. He will face countryman Ugo Humbert for the crown in Tokyo.

Humbert leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-0, including a 6-2, 6-2 win just two months ago in Montreal. Even so, Fils is happy to face a friend in the final.

“It’s amazing. For now I’ve never beat him, so I’m going to come on the court as an underdog,” Fils said. “We like this position, especially in the final. So let’s see how it [will] go.”

Rune won three more total points than Fils in their semi-final according to Infosys ATP Stats, but the Frenchman found a way through two tight tie-breaks.

The first-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, 20, saved three of the four break points he faced to become the third-youngest finalist in tournament history.

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Sinner now leads ATP Tour wins for 2024 season

Jannik Sinner now leads the ATP Tour wins for the 2024 season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

The Italian claimed his 58th victory of the season (58-5), breaking a tie with Alexander Zverev for the ATP Tour-lead, by easing into the China Open semi-finals on Monday evening. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings eliminated big-hitting Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 7-6(6).

“We always try to improve day by day and I feel like the result is coming in what level you’re playing throughout the season, how consistent you are as a player,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “You also have to be ready mentally to do that. So we just try to stay in the present moment. We know what we have done this season, which is great for me. But every match we see we can improve, which is very good.”

14-match winning streak 😎@janniksin is into his 10th semi-final in 2024 after saving set points to down Lehecka 6-2 7-6(6)!@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/3fKt7u3I7I

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2024

The 23-year-old faced two set points at 4/6 in the second-set tie-break, but rallied to close out his victory in one hour and 45 minutes. He will next take on Buyunchaokete after the home favourite upset fourth seed Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4.

Sinner has now won 14 consecutive matches dating back to the start of the Cincinnati Open. He has claimed 50 straight wins against players outside of the world’s Top 20.

For most of the match against Lehecka, the top seed was in full control. He did not face a break point until 5-5 in the second set, when the Czech raised his level to earn two chances.

But whereas Sinner needed three sets in his first two matches in Beijing, this year’s Australian Open and US Open champion was able to get through without facing a decider. He now leads Lehecka 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“I felt like I had some chances in the second set a little bit before, I couldn’t use them. But then it gets a bit tricky, I was serving [at] 5-all, he had a couple of break points, but then I served well fortunately,” Sinner said. “And [in a] tie-break everything can happen. I was down and then I returned very well on 4/6, served well on 5/6. So happy how I handled a tough situation. Feel like I still can improve a couple of things here so hopefully tomorrow is going to be that day when I feel better on the court.

“But Jiri, we played in Indian Wells again, so we know each other a little bit more now. He’s a very tough player to play against so I’m very happy to be in the next round.”

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Humbert accelerates past Machac for Tokyo final berth

Ugo Humbert successfully halted Tomas Machac’s mid-match momentum on Monday to book his spot in the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships final in Tokyo.

The Frenchman raised his level after a tough second set to seal a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 semi-final triumph at the hard-court ATP 500. Humbert produced his best tennis of the match to reel off four straight games from 2-2 in the third set to advance to his third ATP Tour final of the season (Marseille, Dubai).

🇫🇷 ALLEZ LES BLEUS 🇫🇷@HumbertUgo overcomes Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 6-2 to reach his 7th tour-level final.@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/G1B7brvnRd

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2024

“It feels good. It was not my best match this week, but I still have the win so I’m very proud of that,” said Humbert. “It was not easy. I had difficulties in the second set, but in the end, I found the solution and stayed calm. I’m into my seventh ATP Tour final, so I’m very happy.

“It was not easy, because he didn’t allow a lot of rhythm… At the end of the second set, I tried to speak to myself a little bit. After, the last four games were amazing.”

Humbert will seek to improve his perfect 6-0 record in tour-level finals when he takes on sixth seed Holger Rune or #NextGenATP Arthur Fils in Tuesday’s final in Tokyo. The Frenchman, who has risen four spots to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Japan so far, is chasing his third ATP 500 crown after his victories in Halle in 2021 and Dubai earlier this year.

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Draper out of Shanghai Masters with injury

Britain’s Jack Draper withdraws from this week’s Shanghai Masters after injuring himself at the Japan Open.

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Trailblazer Zhang, #NextGenATP Shang lead Chinese stars seeking Shanghai success

While Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz will headline the field at the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters, many of the eyes in China will be on their homegrown stars at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Led by Zhang Zhizhen, Shang Juncheng and Wu Yibing, Chinese tennis has undergone an eye-catching rise on the ATP Tour over the past two years.

The impressive progress of the Asian nation’s male stars was reflected earlier this month in Chengdu and Hangzhou. At the Chengdu Open, #NextGenATP star Shang became the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour on home soil, while Zhang and Buyunchaokete made history at the Hangzhou Open by setting the first all-Chinese semi-final in ATP Tour history.

As they head to Shanghai, ATPTour.com assesses the Chinese contenders now aiming to make a splash on their home ATP Masters 1000 stage.

Zhang Zhizhen
Zhang has relished being the leading man of Chinese tennis for the past two years, becoming the first player from his country to crack the Top 100 (October 2022) and Top 50 (January 2024) in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The 27-year-old has been mixing it with the best in the business and has proven more than capable of competing at the top level. He has reached five ATP quarter-finals in 2024 alone. With an explosive all-court game, it is no surprise that Zhang soared to a career-high of World No. 31 in July following his run to the semi-finals in Halle.

Zhang has previously played well at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. In 2023, he produced an awe-inspiring run to the fourth round before falling to eventual champion Hubert Hurkacz. The Chinese No. 1 will be eager to build on that run and his 2024 form when he leads the charge in front of his home crowd this year.

_{^{Zhang Zhizhen in action during his fourth-round run at the 2023 Rolex Shanghai Masters. Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}}

Shang Juncheng
#NextGenATP star Shang isn’t just one of China’s most exciting prospects — he is one of the ATP Tour’s fastest-rising stars overall.

At this year’s Chengdu Open, Shang defeated top seed Lorenzo Musetti to clinch his maiden tour-level title at the age of just 19. He is currently in a see-saw battle with Alex Michelsen for second place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, but is in a strong position to qualify for his Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF debut regardless.

With his flashy lefty game that has proved a nuisance to peers, Shang has also reached ATP Tour semi-finals in Hong Kong and Atlanta this year. He is now on the brink of the Top 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings, raising the possibility he could soon surpass his countryman Zhang as the country’s leading star.

Wu Yibing
Wu carved his name into the history books at the Dallas Open in 2023 when he became the first Chinese player to lift a trophy on the ATP Tour.

The 24-year-old’s attempts to build on that momentous triumph have been hindered by extended periods spent off court due to injury, but Wu shook off those setbacks and returned to the winner’s circle in August 2024, when he clinched an ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil in Jinan.

Despite his absence from the ATP Tour for the majority of the season, the Chinese star has shown glimpses of the form that he is capable of producing and will be raring to push back up to his career-high of No. 54 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

_{^{Wu Yibing reached a career-high No. 54 in the PIF ATP Rankings in May 2023. Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}}

Buyunchaokete
The most recent Chinese player to crack the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings is Buyunchaokete. The 22-year-old hit the milestone after reaching the semi-finals at the Hangzhou Open, where he fell to his countryman Zhang in the first all-Chinese ATP Tour semi-final.

Much of Buyunchaokete’s success has come on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he is a three-time champion, but in 2024 he has enjoyed three notable breakthroughs at Tour-level. In August, he qualified for a major for the first time at the US Open, where he defeated former Top 20 player Aslan Karatsev to seal his main-draw spot before falling to Casper Ruud in the first round.

Buyunchaokete backed up that display in New York by claiming his maiden Davis Cup singles win for China in a tie against Romania, and then defeated Hugo Gaston, Karen Khachanov and Mikhail Kukushkin en route to the last four in Hangzhou. Can the 22-year-old continue his momentum into his home Masters 1000 event?

_{^{Buyunchaokete in action at the 2024 US Open. Photo Credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images}}

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Medvedev stays on course in Beijing with Cobolli win

Could Beijing be where Daniil Medvedev returns to the winner’s circle on the ATP Tour?

The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings continued his China Open campaign in confident fashion on Monday afternoon, when he downed Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-4 at the ATP 500. Medvedev, who is chasing his first ATP Tour trophy since his Rome triumph in May 2023, delivered a typically resilient display to reach his sixth tour-level semi-final of the season.

Although Medvedev clinched victory with a straightforward scoreline, the 28-year-old faced 11 break points in his 88-minute quarter-final victory in the Chinese capital. The third seed saved all but one, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and responded well after Cobolli reclaimed an early break in the second set en route to sealing his win.

“Today was not an easy match, but I’m happy that I fought until the end,” said Medvedev in his post-match press conference. “Actually some good points here and there. One amazing shot, probably one of the best shots of my life I think, at 0/30 in the last game. Super lucky, but you fight until the end, and sometimes you get these lucky shots.”

👋 SEMI-FINALS 👋@DaniilMedwed defeats Cobolli 6-2 6-4 to reach the final four for the sixth time this season.@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/3Objutji9H

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2024

With his victory, Medvedev improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Cobolli after he also defeated the Italian at the US Open earlier this month. He also further boosted his Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances: Medvedev is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 730 points clear of fifth-placed Taylor Fritz.

His next test in Beijing, where he reached the championship match in 2023 before falling to Jannik Sinner, is a blockbuster semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard overcame Karen Khachanov 7-5, 6-2. Medvedev trails Alcaraz 2-5 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“Tomorrow, a tough test against Carlos,” said Medvedev. “I think for me, and I think I’m not the only one to say it… When he’s in the zone, he’s probably the best player in the world. Tough to play him. I feel like now he’s in the zone. So it great test for me.

“I’m going to see how I go out there tomorrow, what tactic, what do I believe in, and I’m going to go for it.”

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