Laslo Djere improved to 4-0 in opening rounds this season with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Fabio Fognini at the Argentina Open on Monday.

In a battling performance, the Serbian saved the first six break points he faced before Fognini denied his first attempt to serve out the match at 5-2. The Italian took a medical timeout after turning his ankle and held serve to put the pressure on his opponent, but Djere held to love to close out the one-hour, 37-minute match.

Djere, who was an efficient three-for-four on break points, will meet Buenos Aires debutant and top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the second round. It will be the pair’s first ATP Head2Head matchup.

Fognini fell to 0-3 on the year with defeat in what was the first clay-court match of 2023 for both players.

Argentina’s Pedro Cachin also advanced with a 7-6(2), 6-4 win against Thiago Monteiro to set up a second-round meeting with third seed Lorenzo Musetti, while Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles scored a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 win against countryman Pedro Martinez to book a matchup against fourth seed and home favourite Diego Schwartzman.

In Mondays’ fourth and final singles match in Buenos Aires, Spain’s Jaume Munar defeated Argentina’s Guido Pella 6-4, 7-5.

American Denis Kudla completed a comeback against Jordan Thompson on Monday at the Delray Beach Open with a dominant performance in a third-set tie-break. The 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) victory avenged a straight-sets loss for Kudla against the Aussie last week in Dallas.

“I thought we both served well, we were both playing pretty physical,” Kudla said post-match. “But whoever really got in front of the point stayed in front. Obviously it came down to a few points at the end and I was happy to execute.”

The 30-year-old was trailing by a set and an early break at the ATP 250, but immediately levelled the second set after losing his opening service game. He saved two break points midway through set two before forcing a final set with his second break of the match.

After a final set without a single break point, the Kiev-born Kudla took control of the tie-break by winning four straight points from 1/1. He survived 19 aces from Thompson in the two-hour, 36-minute match, hitting 22 winners in the victory. 

Second seed Tommy Paul awaits Kudla in the second round, with both men part of the United States Davis Cup team that beat Uzbekistan earlier this month. They will contest their second ATP Head2Head matchup, with Paul winning their previous encounter in 2019 in Washington. Kudla beat Paul in four other professional matches below tour-level from 2015-18.

Ecuador’s Emilio Gomez also advanced early on Monday with a 7-6(3), 6-4 win against Wu Tung-Lin. The son of former world No. 4 Andres Gomez, the 30-year-old reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final last week in Dallas. He will meet top seed Taylor Fritz next.

Later in the day, Portuguese qualifier Nuno Borges defeated lucky loser Steve Johnson 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to set up a second-round meeting with fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic. It was the second time in as many days that Borges beat Johnson, after his straight-sets win against the American in the final round of qualifying on Sunday.

Fourth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara made a fast start at the ABN AMRO Open with a straight-sets win against wild cards Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday. The British-Finnish pairing converted on three of four break points in the 6-3, 6-4 victory, winning 86 per cent of their first-serve points in a comfortable outing.

Through to the quarter-finals, Glasspool/Heliovaara are seeking their fourth title as a team and their second of 2023 after a triumph at the Adelaide International 1 last month. The duo is 8-1 on the young season.

Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen were also victorious on Day 1 in Rotterdam, earning a 6-3, 5-7, 10-3 win against Dutchmen Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp.

Defending Champs Arevalo/Rojer Advance In Delray Beach
Top seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo defeated Americans Brandon Holt and Jackson Withrow 6-3, 7-5 on Monday in the opening round of the Delray Beach Open. The Salvadoran-Dutch duo won four titles in 2022, including at Roland Garros and Delray Beach. They have already claimed another this season at the Adelaide International 2.

Robert Galloway and John-Patrick Smith also advanced at the ATP 250 with a 6-4, 7-6(6) win against Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Ben Shelton.

Buenos Aires Action

Francisco Cabral and Nikola Cacic moved on to the quarter-finals at the Argentina Open with a 6-3, 6-7(4), 10-4 victory against Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar.

Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem are also in action on Monday against Argentines Sebastian Baez and Facundo Bagnis.

The second ATP 500 event of the 2023 season will see defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Cameron Norrie and Lorenzo Musetti lead the field at the Rio Open presented by Claro.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the tournament in Brazil:

When is the Rio Open presented by Claro?

The 2023 Rio Open presented by Claro will be held from 20-26 February. The clay-court ATP 500 tournament, established in 2014, will take place at the Jockey Club Brasileiro. The tournament director is Luiz Procopio Carvalho.

Who is playing at the 2023 Rio Open presented by Claro?

The Rio Open presented by Claro will feature stars including World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, four-time tour-level titlist Cameron Norrie and World No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti.

When is the draw for the Rio Open presented by Claro.?

The Rio Open presented by Claro draw will be made Saturday, 18 February at 6 p.m.

What is the schedule for the Rio Open presented by Claro?

*Qualifying: Saturday 18 February – Sunday 19 February at 4 p.m.
*Main Draw: Monday 20 February – Thursday 23 February 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
*Friday 24 February sessions starting at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
*Saturday 25 February session starting at 5 p.m.
*Doubles Final: Saturday 25 February, third from 5 p.m.
*Singles Final: Sunday 26 February at 5:30 p.m.

View On Official Website

What is the prize money and points for the Rio Open presented by Claro?

The Total Financial Commitment for the Rio Open presented by Claro is $2,178,980.

SINGLES
Winner: $376,620/500 points
Finalist: $202,640/300 points
Semi-finalist: $108,000/180 points
Quarter-finalist: $55,170/90 points
Second Round: $29,455/45 points
First Round: $15,710/0 points

DOUBLES (US Dollars; per team)
Winner: $123,710/500 points
Finalist: $65,980/300 points
Semi-finalist: $33,380/180 points
Quarter-finalist: $16,690/90 points
First Round: $8,640/0 points

How can I watch the Rio Open presented by Claro?

View TV Schedule

How can I follow the Rio Open presented by Claro?

Social
Hashtag: #RioOpen
Facebook: @rioopenoficial
Twitter: @RioOpenOficial
Instagram: rioopenoficial

Who won the last edition of the Rio Open presented by Claro in 2022?

Carlos Alcaraz won the 2022 Rio Open presented by Claro title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Diego Schwartzman in the championship match. Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini lifted the doubles trophy, defeating Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 7-5, 6-7(2), 10-6 in the final.

Who holds the Rio Open presented by Claro record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Rafael Nadal (1), David Ferrer (1), Pablo Cuevas (1), Dominic Thiem (1), Diego Schwartzman (1), Laslo Djere (1), Cristian Garin (1), Carlos Alcaraz (1)
Most Titles, Doubles: Juan Sebastian Cabal, Robert Farah (2)
Oldest Champion: David Ferrer, 32, in 2015
Youngest Champion: Carlos Alcaraz, 18, in 2022
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Rafael Nadal in 2014
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 90 Laslo Djere in 2019
Last Home Champion: None
Most Match Wins: Pablo Cuevas (13)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Wu Yibing has become the highest-ranked Chinese player in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history thanks to his title run at the Dallas Open, while Jannik Sinner and Sebastian Baez also made jumps after their triumphs at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier and Cordoba Open, respectively.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after a trio of action-packed ATP 250 events.

View Pepperstone ATP Rankings

No. 58 Wu Yibing, +39 (Career High)
Wu knocked off a series of milestones during his title run at the Dallas Open. He became the first Chinese player in history to defeat a Top 10 opponent with his semi-final win against Taylor Fritz, and then held off John Isner in a nerve-wracking final to become the first to win an ATP Tour title.

Wu has risen 39 spots to No. 58 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as a result, the highest position ever held by a Chinese player. The 23-year-old has plenty of capacity to continue his climb, as he has only 39 Pepperstone ATP Ranking Points to defend between now and the start of June. Read Dallas Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 7 Taylor Fritz, +1 (Career High)
Despite his three-set defeat to Wu in Dallas, Fritz has climbed to a career-high No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after reaching his first individual semi-final of the 2023 season. The 25-year-old Fritz defeated fellow Americans Jack Sock and Marcos Giron en route to improve his record for the year to 7-3.

No. 14 Jannik Sinner, +3
A dominant showing from Sinner at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier has moved the Italian three spots closer to a Top 10 return. The 21-year-old, who has a career high of No. 9 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, did not drop a set in defeating Lorenzo Sonego, Arthur Fils and Maxime Cressy to seal his seventh tour-level crown. Read Montpellier Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 36 Sebastian Baez, +11
Baez battled past countryman Federico Coria in a hard-fought final at the Cordoba Open and the Argentine has returned to the Top 40 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as a result. It was a second ATP Tour crown for Baez, who is now just five spots shy of the career high he reached in August last year. Read Cordoba Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 40 Maxime Cressy, +11
The American serve-and-volleyed his way past a series of tough opponents in Montpellier, where he dispatched Emil Ruusuvuori and Borna Coric in straight sets before downing Holger Rune in a three-set semi-final battle. Despite falling short against Sinner in the final, the 25-year-old Cressy has jumped 11 spots to No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Other Notable Movers
No. 44 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, +10
No. 49 Federico Coria, +18 (Career High)
No. 62 Quentin Halys, +8
No. 71 Gregoire Barrere, +4 (Career High)
No. 94 Emilio Gomez, +8 (Career High)
No. 107 Hugo Dellien, +31
No. 117 Arthur Fils, +46 (Career High)

Grigor Dimitrov wasted little time kick-starting his 2023 ABN AMRO Open campaign on Monday, when the World No. 28 eased past Aslan Karatsev 6-1, 6-3 in just 59 minutes in Rotterdam.

The Bulgarian is a former finalist at the ATP 500 tournament, and he delivered a confident performance on the indoor hard courts of the Rotterdam Ahoy. Dimitrov did not face a break point against Karatsev and converted four from five of his own to improve his record in opening rounds at the event to 8-1.

It was a second victory of 2023 for Dimitrov against the three-time tour-level titlist Karatsev. The pair also met in the first round at January’s Australian Open, where the Bulgarian also prevailed as a straight-sets winner. The 31-year-old Dimitrov went on to reach the third round in Melbourne, where he was beaten by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

The eight-time ATP Tour champion’s reward for Monday’s victory is a second-round clash against fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz or Roberto Bautista Agut.

Matteo Gigante was down and out in the second round of qualifying at the Tenerife Challenger-3. Following a straight-sets defeat against Giovanni Fonio, it seemed the Italian was off to his next tournament. But little did he know what the rest of the week held for him.

After receiving a lucky loser spot in the Tenerife main draw, Gigante went on a run to collect his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title. In the final, he defeated countryman Stefano Travaglia 6-3, 6-2 in just one hour, 10 minutes.

“I’m so proud, I played amazing tennis this week,” Gigante said. “[The final] was against a good friend, when we are in Rome we practise every day. It’s difficult mentally but I’m so happy.”

The 21-year-old is the first lucky loser champion on the Challenger Tour since 2018, when Tommy Paul won in Charlottesville and just the 16th lucky loser champion in Challenger history.

A rain-delayed quarter-final, which was halted at 1-1, forced Gigante to spend almost four hours on court Saturday, including a comeback 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3 semi-final victory over Riccardo Bonadio.

Matteo Gigante claims the Challenger 75 event in Tenerife. Credit: Joana Wallmeier

Gigante adds his name to a plethora of young Italian stars who are finding early success on the Challenger Tour. In 2022, seven Italian #NextGenATP players collected Challenger titles: Matteo Arnaldi, Mattia Bellucci, Flavio Cobolli, Francesco Maestrelli, Lorenzo Musetti, Luca Nardi, and Francesco Passaro. The Rome-native Gigante is the third #NextGenATP winner of this season, joining Frenchmen Arthur Fils and Arthur Cazaux.

Following his Challenger 75 title on the Canary island, the lefty rises to a career-high No. 194 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

At the Vitas Gerulaitis Cup in Vilnius, Lithuania, Liam Broady claimed his first Challenger title since September 2021 (Biel). The British lefty didn’t drop a set all week and downed Czech Zdenek Kolar 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match.

Liam Broady at the 2023 Vilnius Challenger. Credit: Saulius Čirba

Broady, 29, is a former junior World No. 2 and was a finalist at the 2011 Wimbledon and 2012 US Open boys’ singles events.

In 2022, Broady made his career-best Grand Slam result by reaching the third round at Wimbledon (l. de Minaur), where he earned a wild card and won back-to-back five setters, including against 12th seed Diego Schwartzman.

This is what it means.@Liambroady | #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/xWtOkVAThH

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 12, 2023

Wu Yibing made history on Sunday when he triumphed in a three tie-break Dallas Open final against John Isner to become the first Chinese ATP Tour titlist.

After Wu earned the biggest victory of his career, the 23-year-old spoke to ATPTour.com about the importance of his win back home, overcoming injuries, why he loves Kevin Durant, cooking and more.

What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
I feel happy. It’s not only about winning the title. It’s more about me personally making history, also for the country. It’s huge for the next generation. For me, I need to keep going, keep my body healthy and I’m sure there’s more to come.

It has been a long wait to see this success from Chinese men’s tennis, which could create a lot of pressure, but you seemed so relaxed this week. How have you managed to not allow the pressure to bother you?
I’ve been through a lot of things. I’ve been through injuries, I’ve been through many difficult situations when I was growing up. I think the reason why I’m relaxed now on the tennis court is because I trust myself. If you want to beat me, you have to work hard.

When you were away from professional tennis for about three years because of injuries and the pandemic, did you ever doubt you would reach a moment like this? How does it feel to persevere?
Of course there were a lot of doubts because I did surgery and the rehab wasn’t going well. It took longer than it should [have], but it turned out I’m here. I’d be [lying] if I said 100 per cent I’m going to be here today. But the process is always the most important thing.

I trust myself and I work hard for it. In the gym, on the tennis court, off the court, I always think about tennis. The way I look at tennis, now it’s more relaxing, more enjoyable than before.

You first started playing tennis by coincidence when the badminton net was too high for you. Have you ever thought about what you might be doing today if there wasn’t a tennis court near the badminton court that day? If not, what do you think you would be?
I don’t know! I’m happy with what I am now. But I have this confidence [that] if I chose badminton or sports or just being a student, I would do good things because I trust in myself. When I do things, I’m very focused and if I want to do good, normally I would say 70 or 80 per cent is going to turn out good.

Who are some of your key team members and how have they helped you get to this point?
Of course my tennis coach now Gerardo [Azcurra], he’s been helping me. We see each other’s faces every day! Through IMG [we connected]. He gives me a lot of positive tips and working with him is a very happy thing. Also David the physio here, he keeps my body healthy. It’s just my first week working with him, and good for him!

Also back in China I have my support team, especially Team China and the association, they give us the best conditions to play, the chances to travel around the world and support us.

Also my family. I haven’t seen my family in more than a year. Back in China because of the pandemic and the Covid situation, I’m not allowed to go back home like every day so I can see my parents or my grandparents maybe like twice a week or twice in two weeks. I’m sure they’re still up now. They watch all my matches, especially my mom and grandpa. They take notes! I couldn’t do any of this without their support, especially my family’s.

How did Kevin Durant become your favourite athlete and what do you like most about him?
When I first watched the NBA, I think that was the 2011-2012 season. That’s when Westbrook, Harden and Durant played on the Thunder and they made the finals that year and lost to LeBron [James]… That is my first memory of NBA basketball.

I bet everybody in China knows basketball by Yao Ming. He’s the Chinese giant, he’s a legend. I had some sponsor stuff with him once and we took a picture. I think he’s even taller than John [Isner]. It’s a lot of pressure when you’re standing right next to him.

Back to Durant, I think he has this thing. He’s very cool on court. He doesn’t show much emotion and he’s not a really outgoing guy on court and I want to be like him. I want to be a cool guy on court. There’s not much talking, there’s not much bulls%^!. You just do the job your own way. I think that’s very cool.

What are some of your other favourite hobbies off the court?
I play video games a lot and I love music. But I don’t really listen to Western [music]. I am getting better with it.

What is something fans might not know about you?
I can cook! Is that a thing? I’m pretty into cooking TV shows, which I watch every day. I love cooking different food and I think this also gives me inner peace when I’m alone in the house or after practice. Even if you’re tired, you still cut the food, you cook and you wash. That makes me more comfortable. I don’t know if it tastes good because sometimes it can be terrible, but you just enjoy the process.

How will you celebrate this milestone moment in your career?
Maybe have some beer! I’m not really a celebratory person. Maybe playing some video games will do.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus began their partnership this year. On Sunday, they stepped into the winners’ circle together for the first time.

The top seeds rallied past second seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 1-6, 7-6(4), 10-7 to win the Dallas Open for their first title as a team.

“Obviously it’s great, we just started the year and as a new partnership you want to spend as much time on the court together [as possible],” Venus said. “So, to be able to do it in matches, I think that’s great, because that’s where you learn the most about each other.

“We had some tough matches here, and just really happy to get the title.” 

Murray and Venus were in danger of losing a straightforward encounter when serving at 3-4, 0/40 in the second set. But they managed to hold firm under pressure to escape. That allowed them to then win the second-set tie-break and the ensuing Match Tie-break.

“We had a great week, obviously. To win the tournament, not easy, we had to battle a lot,” Murray said. “Especially today we went down really hard in the first set… But I think we stayed calm and kind of committed to what we were trying to do out there and worked our way into the match. Had a good hold half-way through the set at 0/40, which probably would have been curtains for us.

“But as that set went on we got stronger and stronger, and we played a really solid tie-break, so super happy with how it turned out.” 

Murray is now a 28-time tour-level titlist and has earned at least one crown in 11 consecutive seasons. Venus, an 18-time tour-level champion, has now earned glory in nine straight years.

This was the pair’s second final of the year after reaching the championship match at the Adelaide International 1. They will try to maintain their momentum next week at the Delray Beach Open, where they are the second seeds.

There is nothing quite like victory at home, as Sebastian Baez found out Sunday at the Cordoba Open.

The World No. 47 prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in an all-Argentine championship match against Federico Coria on Sunday at the ATP 250 event. Although it was Baez’s fourth ATP Tour championship match, it was his first on home soil, and his one-hour, 50-minute win was followed by an emotional courtside huddle with his team.

“Winning a tournament in Argentina is something very difficult to describe with words, all my friends and family were there, it was something incredible,” Baez said. “I couldn’t find any celebration when the match point ended, I was able to get out what I felt when I got to my team. [My coach] Seba has supported me for as long as I can remember in my career, I am very grateful to him.”

In a hard-fought final, the 30-year-old Coria dug deep in pursuit of his first ATP Tour title, but Baez’s powerful forehand frequently proved decisive in the baseline exchanges. Despite an early exchange of breaks in the deciding set, it was Baez who held firm to add the Cordoba crown to his 2022 victory in Estoril. 

“The balance of the match is very positive, I held [my level] a little longer than him and that’s why I think I was able to win the tournament,” Baez said. “In the difficult moments I played my best tennis and that makes me happy. I knew it was going to be a tough match because we know each other very well with Fede and that’s how it was, but I managed to control the tension, the nerves and I managed to do it.”

After competing at the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals, Baez enjoyed a breakout season on the ATP Tour last year, and notably on clay. He defeated Frances Tiafoe for his Estoril title while also reaching finals in Santiago and Bastad and pushing Alexander Zverev to five sets in a Roland Garros thriller.

As well as his countryman Coria, the fourth-seeded Baez also defeated Luciano Darderi, Tomas Barrios Vera and Hugo Dellien this week in Cordoba, where he reached the quarter-finals on tournament debut a year ago. This year’s run will lift the 22-year-old 11 spots to No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, just five places shy of his career high.

“I’m 22 years old and I’m in the place I’ve always dreamed of,” Baez said. “Obviously I want more but I [will] enjoy it to the fullest. I’m sure I’ll celebrate it with a good ‘asado’ with my friends and family.”