Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock competed together in an ATP Tour event for the first time on Monday. That did not stop them from producing a nearly flawless performance.

The Americans ousted Mexico’s Hans Hach Verdugo and India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the Atlanta Open quarter-finals without facing a break point. The third seeds won 93 per cent of their first-serve points to triumph after 53 minutes.

Ram’s full-time doubles partner is Joe Salisbury, the current No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings. If Ram and Sock win the Atlanta title, Ram will have the same number of ranking points as Salisbury on Monday. Since he will have played fewer tournaments to earn those points, Ram would become the new doubles World No. 1.

In other Atlanta doubles action, American wild cards Christopher Eubanks and Mackenzie McDonald clawed past Frenchmen Quentin Halys and Adrian Mannarino 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-8.

Top Seeds Advance In Kitzbühel
Top seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus eliminated home favourites Lukas Neumayer and Sebastian Ofner 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Generali Open in Kitzbühel.

Joining them in the last eight were Spanish-Italian team Pedro Martinez and Lorenzo Sonego as well as Monagesque-Polish duo Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.

Barrientos/Reyes-Varela Rally In Umag
In the only doubles match played Monday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, Colombian Nicolas Barrientos and Mexico’s Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela defeated Swede Andre Goransson and Japan’s Ben McLachlan 3-6, 6-2, 10-4.

One year ago, Brandon Nakashima reached his second ATP Tour final at the Atlanta Open. This edition, the #NextGenATP American will try to go one step further.

The 20-year-old made a good start on Monday when he battled past Australian Jordan Thompson 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 after two hours and 12 minutes. The eighth seed earned his first break of the match in the third set, and that was enough to move on at Atlantic Station.

Thompson is a familiar foe for Nakashima, as they have now played each other four times in the past 53 weeks, including twice in Atlanta. On this occasion, it was the American who advanced and took a 3-1 lead in their ATP Head2Head series. He will next play another Australian: John Millman or Alexei Popyrin.

Nakashima, who is trying to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, began the week eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan.

In other action, South Korean Soonwoo Kwon rallied past home favourite Marcos Giron 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5. Giron led by a break in the third set, but was unable to complete the victory against Kwon, who earned his first ATP Tour title last year in Nur-Sultan. The 24-year-old will face fifth seed Tommy Paul or wild card Jack Sock for a place in the quarter-finals.

Another American lost on Monday when Japan’s Taro Daniel battled past Sebastian Korda 1-6, 6-1, 6-3. The qualifier struggled in the early baseline rallies with the powerful Korda.

However, the American hit seven double faults in the second set, which helped turn the match in Daniel’s favour. The 29-year-old will next play fourth seed Frances Tiafoe.

At the fifth time of trying, Giulio Zeppieri is a main draw winner on the ATP Tour.

The #NextGenATP Italian rallied to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 first-round victory against Pedro Cachin at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Monday. The 20-year-old needed five match points to complete his victory, but kept his cool to serve out for a one-hour, 54-minute win against the World No. 90.

“It’s a very emotional moment for me, my first win on the ATP Tour,” said Zeppieri in his on-court interview. “I’m very proud of myself because I beat a very good guy in Pedro, and I’m very happy.”

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Zeppieri showed good form on clay earlier this year, defeating Alex Molcan and Maxime Cressy to qualify for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome before qualifying for his first Grand Slam main draw at Roland Garros.

He also came through qualifying in Umag at the weekend, seeing off 14-time Tour titlist Gilles Simon and Elias Ymer to reach the main draw in Croatia. Zeppieri won 84 per cent (42/50) of points behind his first delivery in a solid serving display against Cachin to secure the main draw win that had previously eluded him.

A magical moment ✨

Giulio Zeppieri gets his first-ever ATP win with a 3-6 6-1 6-4 comeback victory over Cachin in Umag!#CroatiaOpenUmag pic.twitter.com/XgiVQJTzLe

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 25, 2022

A potential second-round clash between Zeppieri and his more experienced countryman Fabio Fognini was scuppered by Daniel Elahi Galan. The Colombian upset the seventh-seeded Fognini, who lifted the trophy in Umag in 2016, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

The 26-year-old Galan celebrated cracking the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday by prevailing in a two-hour, 43-minute battle. He consistently challenged in return games, converting seven of 14 break points in his first ATP Head2Head meeting with Fognini.

Also on Monday, Roberto Carballes Baena defeated Henri Laaksonen, 6-4, 7-5 to set a second-round meeting with fifth seed Alex Molcan or home wild card Duje Ajdukovic.

After starting the year with some top-class displays on hard courts, has the time come for Jiri Lehecka to make a breakthrough on the clay?

The #NextGenATP Czech may have done things the hard way in his 7-6(6), 6-4 first-round victory against Thiago Monteiro at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel on Monday, but a dominant serving performance ultimately helped the 20-year-old seal a debut win at the ATP 250 event in Austria.

Lehecka let slip a 3-0 lead in the first set and later had to fend off a Monteiro set point at 5/6 in a close-fought first-set tie-break, but he retained his composure to complete a one-hour, 46-minute win, having fired 10 aces and won 82 per cent (31/38) of points behind his first delivery.

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The 20-year-old charged to a maiden tour-level semi-final in February as a qualifier at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, where he upset Denis Shapovalov, Botic van de Zandschulp and Lorenzo Musetti. Lehecka, who currently sits sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, will hope for a similarly deep run in Austria to boost his chances of qualifying for November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

Lehecka’s second-round assignment is a first ATP Head2Head meeting with Joao Sousa, after the eighth seed brushed past Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva, 6-1, 7-5. Sousa broke Kopriva’s serve five times in a 90-minute victory, his first tour-level win since Roland Garros in late May. Sousa has enjoyed success in Kitzbühel before, reaching the final in 2017 before falling to Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Federico Coria extended his winning streak against recent Wimbledon quarter-finalist Cristian Garin to three with a 6-4, 7-5 victory. The Argentine dropped just two games against Garin in the pair’s most recent meeting in Rio de Janeiro in February, and Coria was clinical with his chances to prevail once again in Austria, where he converted four from eight break point opportunities to clinch the win on tournament debut.

Coria will next face seventh seed Pedro Martinez or wild card Nicolas Jarry in the second round as he chases a fifth tour-level quarter-final appearance of 2022.

A pair of home wild cards enjoyed impressive starts to their campaigns in Kitzbühel, as both Filip Misolic and Jurij Rodionov completed straight-sets first-round wins. Misolic defeated Daniel Dutra da Silva, 6-2, 7-6(6), while Rodionov saw off Argentine qualifier Hernan Casanova 6-4, 6-2.

Former Top 5 stars Dominic Thiem and Kei Nishikori have accepted wild cards into the Winston-Salem Open, an ATP 250 event to be played from 21-27 August.

Thiem will compete in the main draw of the hard-court tournament for the first time. In 2012, the Austrian attempted to qualify in North Carolina, but was unsuccessful.

Now 28, Thiem will try to add to his hard-court resumé, which includes titles at the US Open and the BNP Paribas Open as well as two runner-up finishes at the Nitto ATP Finals. The former World No. 3 is continuing his comeback from a wrist injury, which he began in March.

Nishikori has not been in action since last October’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The former World No. 4 underwent arthroscopic left hip surgery in January.

The Japanese star last played the Winston-Salem Open in its debut edition in 2011. That year, Nishikori qualified before advancing to the Round of 16.

After clinching his maiden ATP Tour title at the Hamburg European Open, #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti has broken into the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time. Musetti’s championship match opponent, Carlos Alcaraz, has become the second-youngest player in the 21st century to crack the Top 5 with his run to the final in Germany.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week, as of Monday, 25 July.

No. 31 Lorenzo Musetti, +31 (Career High)
Musetti’s run to the title in Hamburg propels him into the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, cutting in half his ranking to No. 31. The 20-year-old overcame Alcaraz in a thrilling #NextGenATP clash on the clay at the ATP 500 event in Germany, where Musetti’s run also included wins against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Francisco Cerundolo. Read Hamburg Final Report & Watch Highlights.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Rankings

No. 5 Carlos Alcaraz, +1 (Career High)
Despite losing to Musetti, Alcaraz’s upwards trajectory continues. The Spaniard’s run to the final has made him the second-youngest player in the 21st century to crack the Top 5 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, after countryman Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz’s week included wins against Karen Khachanov and Alex Molcan before he fell to Musetti in a roller-coaster three-set final.

No. 24 Francisco Cerundolo, +6 (Career High)
After lifting his first ATP Tour title in Bastad a week ago, Cerundolo backed that up with another strong display on the European clay that lifts him six spots to a career-high No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 23-year-old Argentine upset second seed Andrey Rublev with the loss of just six games in the second round in Hamburg, where he went on to reach his fourth semi-final of 2022 before falling to eventual champion Musetti.

No. 199 Dominic Thiem, +75
Former World No. 3 Thiem returns to the Top 200 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after reaching the semi-finals at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. The Austrian backed up his quarter-final run in Bastad a week prior with victories against Hugo Gaston, Federico Delbonis and Juan Pablo Varillas in the Swiss Alps, a further sign that the 17-time tour-level titlist is rediscovering his best form after returning to action in March following a nine-month layoff due to a wrist injury.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 23 Karen Khachanov, +3
No. 38 Alex Molcan, +10 (Career High)
No. 49 Pedro Martinez, +3
No. 54 Fabio Fognini, +7
No. 59 Jaume Munar, +4
No. 88 Peter Gojowczyk, +5
No. 99 Daniel Elahi Galan, +14 (Career High)

China’s highest-ranked men’s player Wu Yibing continued his sizzling run on the ATP Challenger Tour Sunday when he saved six championship points to claim the Rajeev Ram Foundation Indy Challenger. Wu erased the match points in the second set en route to a 6-7(10), 7-6(13), 6-3 victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic in 2 hours and 54 minutes. The win lifts Wu to a career-high 174 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“Today means a lot. I was crying like a baby after the match,” said the former junior No. 1.

In a big week for Chinese players, Zhang Zhizhen also reached the final at the Citta di Trieste Challenger in Italy.

Wu is the first Asian-born men’s player to win three titles in the same season since Alexander Bublik in 2019. Boasting an 18-2 record on the Challenger Tour this season, he is attempting to become the first Chinese man to reach the Top 100.

The on-court battle proved to be both physically and mentally exhausting. Wu’s remarkable effort to save six match points is the most in a Challenger final since Marcos Giron saved six against Ivo Karlovic in Houston in 2019. “Both tie-breaks were more mental than (about) tennis,” Wu said.

The 22-year-old has relied on his mental toughness and perseverance throughout his young career. In 2017, he was crowned the boys’ singles and doubles champion (with Hsu Yu-hsiou) at the US Open and won his first Challenger title in Shanghai. However, the past three years Wu has been sidelined due to various injuries and the pandemic.

The inaugural Rajeev Ram Foundation Indy Challenger is hosted by doubles World No. 2 Rajeev Ram and his foundation.

Home favourite Francesco Passaro became the sixth Italian #NextGenATP player to win an ATP Challenger Tour title this season when he defeated China’s Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Citta di Trieste Challenger.

The 21-year-old strengthened his hold on ninth place in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan by claiming his maiden Challenger title, as he looks to book a place at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in November.

Passaro is the 20th #NextGenATP winner in 2022. After falling short in his first two Challenger finals earlier this year, he now joins Lorenzo Musetti, Luca Nardi, Francesco Maestrelli, Flavio Cobolli, and Matteo Arnaldi as Next Gen Italian champions this season. The title in Trieste propels Passaro to a career-high 144 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

On the hard courts in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, Roman Safiullin rallied from a break down in the deciding set to defeat home hope Denis Yevseyev 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) and capture the President’s Cup. The 24-year-old, who first came onto the scene by winning the boys’ singles at the 2015 Australian Open, is now 2-0 in Challenger finals and his latest title run will move him to a career-high 119 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Safiullin has played some of his best tennis this season. He earned a pair of victories at the season-opening ATP Cup and the following month he achieved his career-best win by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in Marseille before falling to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals.

Photo: Zsombor Piros claimed his first Challenger Tour title when he won the 40th anniversary edition of the Tampere Open in Finland. Credit: Tampere Open.

Hungary’s Zsombor Piros claimed his first Challenger Tour title when he won the 40th anniversary edition of the Tampere Open in Finland, by defeating former junior No. 1 Harold Mayot 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.

The 22-year-old became the fifth Hungarian champion in Challenger history. Piros will launch to a career-high 139 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 2017 Australian Open Boys’ Singles Champion is the second-highest ranked Hungarian men’s player, behind Marton Fucsovics.

“I am extremely happy on my first ATP Challenger title. This has been a long journey from juniors to this moment. When I won the Australian Open juniors title in 2017, I thought the transition would be faster and easier than it has been. I have worked so hard and now I just hope more will come,” Piros said.

In Pozoblanco, Spain, Frenchman Constant Lestienne produced a dominant performance by winning the title without dropping a set, defeating countryman Gregoire Barrere 6-0, 7-6(3) in the final to win the Open Tenis Ciudad de Pozoblanco trophy. Lestienne now holds five Challenger titles, three coming in Spain.

The Frenchman has been on a hot streak, winning 10 of his past 11 matches, including last month’s Malaga Challenger. In Pozoblanco, he won five of 10 sets 6-1 or better. The 30-year-old today climbs to a career-high 105 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Nineteen-year-old Carlos Alcaraz made history on Monday when he climbed to No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, becoming the second-youngest player in the 21st century to crack the top five.

The only player who has achieved the feat at a younger age since 2000 is Rafael Nadal, who did it in May 2005 as an 18-year-old. Alcaraz had an opportunity to reach World No. 4, but settled for No. 5 after falling short in the Hamburg European Open final against Lorenzo Musetti.

“It means a lot. The hard work that I put in every day for reaching my dreams, [No.] 1, and little by little I’m reaching my dream,” Alcaraz said. “Top five for me is pretty amazing and I will keep going to be [No.] 1.”

Five Youngest Players To Crack Top Five (since 2000)

Alcaraz began his season at World No. 32, but has quickly surged towards the top of the sport. Alcaraz, Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the only three players this millennium who have broken into the top five as teens.

Rounding out the top five on the list of youngest players to reach the top five in the 2000s are Lleyton Hewitt and Alexander Zverev. They both reached the milestone aged 20.

Alcaraz and Nadal are tied for the most ATP Tour titles this year with four each. Alcaraz has lifted his first two ATP Masters 1000 trophies (Miami and Madrid) and his first two ATP 500 crowns (Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona) in 2022.

The 19-year-old is keen to continue his push. This week, he will attempt to retain an ATP Tour title for the first time as the top seed at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

“Of course Umag is a special tournament for me. I got my first title there, so I’m defending the title this year,” Alcaraz said. “But I’m going to try to play my best and of course take lessons from here.”

Lorenzo Musetti became the 10th first-time ATP Tour titlist of the season on Sunday when he won a thrilling Hamburg European Open final against Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4.

The Italian let slip five championship points in the second set, but managed to weather the Alcaraz storm in the third set to lift the ATP 500 trophy.

ATPTour.com spoke to the 20-year-old after the match about his breakthrough, his relationship with his coach, Simone Tartarini, why he idolised his grandfather and his pre-match playlist.

What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
For me it’s a dream. Obviously I always dreamed about winning a title and I didn’t have any chances before. I think my best result was a semi-final, so I never had the opportunity to play a final. I’m really happy with this week. I think we did an amazing job and now we will celebrate and enjoy it for the next days, but we have to focus on Umag and the rest of the year.

What was going through your mind after the second set and how were you able to battle back?
It was a really tough loss in the second set. I think I deserved to close the match in two sets, but then some unlucky things [happened] and Carlos was very good saving so many match points. I was upset with myself with everything, but I tried to find the solution and the solution was to again find the rhythm and the energy. That’s what I did. I’m really happy that I never gave up and it worked at the end.

You had such a good start to your career, but had not made a final before this week. How much of a focus was it for you to lift a trophy?
I never had the chance to get to a final and now getting to the final and lifting the trophy, it’s something really fantastic for me. It’s the first time, so I have no words to describe how it feels. It’s something that you always dream of when you are a child, when you are working and sacrificing yourself. The emotions I had today, I will keep it in my heart and my head for a long time.

Watch Final Highlights:

You mentioned you arrived here a little bit sick and without luggage. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
I arrived here on Thursday from Bastad and with all the strikes, one of my luggage [bags] got lost. [It was] the one with the racquets, so I was a little bit worried about how I would play, because I was still in qualifying. Then I got in [the main draw], so I managed to pick up the racquets.

The night before the start of the matches, I threw up all night. I had food poisoning, so I felt a little bit sick. I didn’t expect to go as far as I went, so I’m happy that my luck turned around at this tournament.

You’ve often spoken about your relationship with your coach, Simone Tartarini. How important has he been in your growth as both a player and a person?
Me and Simone are one thing together. We really have this special feeling. It’s more than a coach and a player, it’s like father and son. I consider him like my second father and I always believed in him as a person and as a tennis coach.

He always tried to improve me on and off the court and educate me in the best way. That’s what I need to be competitive like I was today. I just want to thank him for all the support that he’s given me.

You have said your grandfather is your hero. Can you explain why?
My grandfather was a really honest man, a genuine man and I wish in the future that I will be like him. It’s sad because he passed away a long time ago, so he cannot see what I became. Sometimes it’s tough to think about that, but I would like to describe him as my hero.

Watch The Story Of 2022 Hamburg:

Now that you have won a title, what is your next goal and why?
I have to win next week! To win next week and try to win more and more. To try and play even better than today, try to grow and try to have the capacity of maintaining this level during the year. Hopefully there will be more and more lifting trophies.

What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I always like to listen to music. I’m always with my headphones and with my speaker in the room and always traveling with so many things regarding music. I always had the passion since I was a child.

Probably my father transferred to me the passion for music since I was a kid, especially old music. Not [music from] my age, [but] 80s or 90s rock and stuff like that. I wish one day to go to a concert of a rock artist because I haven’t had the chance. I think my first passion outside of tennis is for sure music.

You’ve said how much you listen to classic rock music. What were the songs on your playlist before the match today?
Before the match I have my own pre-match playlist. That’s I think one of my favorite bands, Linkin Park. Today I listened to a lot of Linking Park songs. The most memorable one was Papercut because it gave me some kind of extra energy during the warmup.

You’ve already accomplished so much at only 20 years old. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career thus far?
That hard work pays off and that you can never expect things. When you expect things, they won’t happen. When you don’t expect it and you just work for it, it’s going to come. I think that’s the most important thing for me.

How will you celebrate your first title?
Probably with dinner with my team, but not a big celebration because we’re going to fly tomorrow to Umag. We have to be Italians, but not too much.

Nobody will soon forget how Lorenzo Musetti won his first ATP Tour title.

The 20-year-old let slip five championship points in the second set of the Hamburg European Open final on Sunday before stunning top seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 in an all-#NextGenATP battle to lift the trophy.

“I have no words because it was a roller-coaster until the end. I had so many match points. Carlos was so good on the match points, [I had] so many chances,” Musetti said in his on-court interview. “But I think the key of the match was to keep calm and [have] all the patience [with] myself because it was really not easy. Carlos was putting so much effort in the match points when he was down, so it was not easy to find the energy to come back.

“But I cannot describe what I am feeling right now. I think I am still dreaming.”

Entering the week, the Italian had not advanced to a tour-level final. But Musetti showed his mental fortitude against Alcaraz, who will climb to a career-high No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, to triumph after two hours and 47 minutes.

“Of course I was really upset, but I tried to not show my opponent my reaction. I tried to forgive[ myself for] all the match points and all the points [when] I couldn’t do it,” Musetti said. “I think that was the most [important] thing, even for me, because I didn’t expect the win after all this roller-coaster, so I’m super happy to be here and to be the champion.”

Musetti let slip two championship points while serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set and held another three in the ensuing tie-break, including two on his serve. But instead of letting the lost opportunity deflate him, he battled hard in the decider to lift the trophy, falling to the clay after Alcaraz missed a final shot long.

“For me, for my team, for my family, for my friends and for the people who really love me, I appreciate all the sacrifices that my family [made] and all the hard work that I put in with my team,” Musetti said. “I will keep rolling for sure and I will continue like [this] hopefully.”

This was the first ATP Head2Head clash between Musetti and Alcaraz. The Italian will climb to a career-high World No. 31 on Monday. 

It was clear from early in the match that Musetti was going to throw all his skill at the Spaniard. The 20-year-old played aggressively from the baseline, moved into the net when given the opportunity and kept the five-time ATP Tour titlist off balance with plenty of variety in spin and pace.

Alcaraz was not at his flying best in the championship clash, making uncharacteristic errors, but that was in part because his opponent kept him guessing and he was unable to find rhythm.

Musetti earned the critical break of the first set at 3-3, moving ahead 4-3 when Alcaraz missed a backhand into the net. The Italian then closed out the opener with a forehand approach winner and showed laser focus in his calm reaction to his team.

Alcaraz showed his fighting spirit when he crushed a huge inside-in forehand winner to save break point in the first game of the second set. But he was unable to stave off his opponent’s push for long, hitting a drop shot into the net later in the game to relinquish the break.

Musetti held his nerve at 4-3 when he faced a 0/40 deficit on his serve. But the 20-year-old relied on his serve to get out of trouble.

All was going according to plan until 5-4, 40/15 in the set, when the Italian was unable to convert his two championship points. That gave Alcaraz a boost in energy and despite trailing 3/6 in the tie-break, he found a way to level and Musetti then double faulted to relinquish the set.

Despite the disappointment of watching his golden opportunity slip away, Musetti did remarkably well to recover in the third set. He maintained his level and pushed Alcaraz hard in the decider.

After Alcaraz missed a backhand long on the sixth championship point he faced, Musetti sank to the clay in celebration.

The Italian prevented the Spaniard from becoming the third man in the Open Era to win his first six tour-level finals. Alcaraz is now 14-1 at ATP 500 events this year after lifting trophies in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona in addition to his ATP Masters 1000 triumphs in Miami and Madrid.