Two 19-year-olds appeared in the main draw at this week’s Astana Open. Now only one remains, but it might not be the one most expected.

While the No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Carlos Alcaraz, suffered a rare blip on Tuesday, Luca Nardi enjoyed one of the finest days of his burgeoning career.

Hours before Alcaraz fell to lucky loser David Goffin, the Italian qualifier tallied his first tour-level win by downing Alexander Shevchenko 7-6 (4), 6-2.

“It was a very special day for me. And it was a special moment because I was looking for it,” Nardi said, referring to that first ATP win. “I’m really glad it came now. So I’m very, very happy.”

Even though Nardi’s position in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings has soared to No. 152 from No. 440 this time last year, he did not necessarily expect his unforgettable moment to happen at the new ATP 500. Indeed, the #NextGenATP star pondered not making the trip to Kazakhstan after losing in qualifying at the Tel Aviv Watergen Open last week to a player then ranked No. 446, Edan Leshem.

But once in Astana, Nardi defeated none other than Goffin, the former World No. 7, in the final round of qualifying on Sunday — and in far from routine fashion. He saved three match points in the second set of his 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) win, recalling that one was fended off with a drop-shot winner.

That was not it. Nardi cramped in both legs as the slugfest stretched to three hours. Yet despite suffering physically, the Italian drew enormous confidence from prevailing, helping to banish memories of the qualifying reverse in Tel Aviv.

Nardi proved there were no ill effects against Shevchenko, who entered their contest six spots higher in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He overcame losing a 25-shot rally, when Shevchenko moved the Pesaro native from side to side, to clinch the first-set tie-break.

“Actually, after this long season, right now I’m feeling great both physically and mentally, and after the match with Goffin, even more, because I understood I can play at (a certain) level, which is this level, and this gives me so much confidence,” said Nardi.

“I’m really glad I won this match and I hope I can keep going like this until the end of the season.”

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Nardi has lifted three ATP Challenger Tour trophies in 2022, all on hard courts, with the most recent coming in early September at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. Nardi admitted Nadal provided inspiration, even as the 22-time Grand Slam champion contested the US Open an ocean away.

“It was special because while I was playing on the centre court, I was imagining that Rafa was there,” said Nardi, who added that Nadal’s great rival, Roger Federer, was his idol. “I was trying maybe to imitate him with the fighting spirit, and stuff like that.

The title in Spain marked Nardi’s first event since contracting Covid-19. A serious case, it left him bed ridden for about nine days.

He consequently missed the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag ATP 250 event, where he had been given a main-draw wildcard. Nardi had momentum, too, having just qualified for the Hamburg European Open.

“I was playing good,” said Nardi. “I was very sad.”

Lorenzo Musetti, 20, ended up winning Hamburg and Jannik Sinner, 21, triumphed in Umag. Nardi knows both of his fellow Italians, especially Musetti. They have played matches together, practiced, and been on the same national teams. Nardi is not only the youngest of the trio, but the youngest of 18 Italians in the top 200.

Musetti and Sinner own Top 10 wins and Nardi bids for his first in Wednesday’s night session in Astana against Stefanos Tsitsipas. He is realistic, but hopeful about his chances against the Greek nine-time tour-level titlist.

“Of course it’s going to be very, very, very hard for me. I don’t know if I have many chances, but I will try to do my best and let’s see what happens,” said Nardi. “I will try to enjoy every moment on court.”

If you are a supporter of Novak Djokovic, you will be relieved to know that he was not injured carrying that monstrous Tel Aviv trophy to his next stop at the Astana Open.

“No,” he said in a Tuesday interview with ATP Media in Kazakhstan. “That’s an original size that stays in Tel Aviv. We got the smaller replica version. It’s better, more convenient for travelling.”

Djokovic collected that gleaming silver trophy (it was almost as wide and tall as his torso) by defeating Marin Cilic in the Sunday final 6-3, 6-4.

“Winning gives you confidence,” Djokovic said. “I haven’t played an official tournament in three months, so it’s been a while. I’m just excited to compete more.”

Indeed, since winning his seventh Wimbledon title in July, he had only played two Laver Cup matches heading into Tel Aviv. After winning four matches in Israel, he’ll try to go one better in Kazakhstan, an ATP 500 event. The journey begins Wednesday when he plays Cristian Garin of Chile in the first night match (6 p.m. local time) at the National Tennis Center. The Serbian star holds a 2-0 ATP Head2Head advantage over Garin, most recently a straight-sets victory in last year’s Wimbledon Round of 16. Botic Van de Zandschulp awaits the winner in the second round.

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It’s a fresh start for the 21-time Grand Slam singles champion after what has so far been a turbulent, disjointed season. A year ago, though, Djokovic couldn’t have been much better.

He won the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, then found himself one set from a calendar-year Grand Slam. He was trying to join Don Budge (1938), and Rod Laver (1962, 1969) as only the third man to achieve that spectacular feat, but Daniil Medvedev denied him at the US Open.

Nonetheless, Djokovic finished the season having won 55 of 62 matches and positioned himself to take control of the three-way race with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer that found them all tied with a record 20 major titles apiece. It didn’t quite work out that way.

Nadal began the year by winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros, although the Serb narrowed the Spaniard’s lead to 22-21 by winning Wimbledon.

Djokovic said that despite the similar indoor hard-court venues, conditions in Astana differ greatly from Tel Aviv.

“Tel Aviv was fast, so if you serve well, the ball skids through the court and you get a lot of free points,” said Djokovic, who served exceptionally well in Israel. “Here, it’s not such a great asset. It’s tough to penetrate the court. You have to use the tactics of clay, constructing the points.

“It’s going to be much more physical.”

Djokovic, despite playing only 34 matches this year (28-6), is the only ATP Tour player to collect titles on three different surfaces: Rome (clay), Wimbledon (grass) and Tel Aviv (hard).

“Considering the small amount of tournaments I played this year, it’s a great success to play consistently well on the different surfaces,” Djokovic said. “That’s always a goal to play well all around.”

His immediate goal, of course, is to win this Astana Open, but there is a larger challenge as well. Djokovic is currently No. 15 in the Pepperstone ATP Race to Turin, and there are only five weeks left in the regular season. Provided he remains inside the Top 20, he will secure a Nitto ATP Finals berth based on his status as a current-year Grand Slam champion.

“Hopefully, I can accumulate some points that will secure me a spot in Turin,” Djokovic said. “That’s one big goal to the end for the year, to qualify.”

Miomir Kecmanovic spoiled the party for Japanese No. 1 Yoshihito Nishioka and the Tokyo crowd on Wednesday with a battling victory under the closed roof in the Ariake Colosseum.

With the 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-2 result, the Serbian earned his first win at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in his second appearance.

“I feel so good to be able to finally win a good match,” he said after his first triumph since the US Open. “[Nishioka] is very difficult to play. He doesn’t really give you much. He gets a lot of balls back, so it’s definitely tough to play him, but after the last time we played [a qualifying loss in St. Petersburg last season], I was happy that I was able to win this time.”

Back in front of the Japanese crowd for the first time since 2019, Nishioka made a bright start as he sought to live up to lofty expectations in his home nation. After falling behind 0-2, the 27-year-old clicked into gear as he won six straight games, finding joy with his heavy, lefty forehand as he ran away with the set.

But a loose game midway through set two helped Kecmanovic find his footing, and though Nishioka prevented his opponent from serving out the set at 5-3, the Japanese star struggled in a one-sided tie-break as Kecmanovic grew in confidence.

“After first set I felt a little bit tired,” explained Nishioka, “so I had to focus on [either] the second set or third set. I had to decide which one I would focus on. It looked like I had a chance to get the second set, then I used all my energy.”

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The World No. 33 continued to dictate play in the set three, twice battling through deuce to break serve in building a 4-0 lead. A frustrated and Nishioka fought until the last ball, saving one match point at 1-5 with an ace, and another two on return at 2-5. But a backhand error sealed his fate as Kecmanovic improved to 2-1 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series.

The Serbian, who fired 12 aces in the two-hour, 10-minute match, will next face eighth seed Daniel Evans for a place in the quarter-finals.

Nishioka entered Tokyo at a career-high of No. 41 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and opened his campaign three days after winning his second ATP Tour title on Sunday in Seoul. With that victory, he became the first player from his nation to win a tour-level title since Kei Nishikori won Brisbane in 2019.

With the defeat in his fifth Tokyo appearance, Nishioka’s second-round run in 2019 remains his best result at the ATP 500 event.

“I don’t have any pressure,” he said of playing in front of the supportive Japanese crowd. “I was very excited to play and hopefully they enjoyed the moment.

“It’s not easy to play after you win a tournament and come here. Not much time to [adjust] to the court, the balls. Everything is different, so I had to [adjust], which is not that easy.”

Nishioka was seeking to become the third Japanese player to reach the Tokyo second round, after qualifier Rio Noguchi and lucky loser Hiroki Moriya advanced on Tuesday. An ATP Tour record nine Japanese men were among the 32-player singles draw.

In the day’s first match in the Ariake Colosseum, Soonwoo Kwon earned a 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2 win against American Mackenzie McDonald. With the victory, Kwon advanced beyond the second round at an ATP Tour event for the first time since he won the Astana title in 2021; he was 0-14 in second-round matches since that title run.

Kwon, who upset sixth seed Alex de Minaur in the opening round, awaits the winner of Wednesday evening’s all-Spanish encounter between Jaume Munar and Pedro Martinez.

McDonald was denied a second straight quarter-final — and his third of the season — after his run last week in Seoul.

Carlos Alcaraz’s first ATP Tour event as the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings came to an early end on Tuesday at the Astana Open, where he lost in straight sets to David Goffin. The 19-year-old gave full credit to his Belgian opponent.

“He has played great matches, a lot of matches. He has a lot of experience as well. He played better than me, really, really aggressive,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t handle that pressure that he was pushing on me and of course it’s something that I have to learn and take lessons from this match.”

It took until Alcaraz’s 63rd match of the season to lose in straight sets. He had won at least one set in every match he had played since last year’s Rolex Paris Masters.

It was always going to be a tricky match against Goffin, a lucky loser who had earned two previous victories against World No. 1s. The former World No. 7 has the ability to counterpunch, but also to play aggressively, using his footwork to take the ball early.

Alcaraz praised the 31-year-old’s level after falling short in one hour and 47 minutes.

“It was a tough match as you can see. He was playing really, really well,” Alcaraz said. “Coming back to competition is never easy. He played two matches here on this court. It’s not easy to get used to, it’s really, really slow. It was really tough on me, for my confidence.

“I tried to get used to this court so quickly, but I couldn’t and he was better than me in this match.”

Alcaraz is next scheduled to compete in Basel the week of 24 October.

Daniil Medvedev showed no ill effects on Tuesday from his opening-round loss in Metz. The second seed bounced back with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round of the Astana Open. 

“The court is pretty slow. Albert is kind of a slow player [tactically], he likes to put the ball in the court. I felt like I didn’t need to force myself to play faster because that could make me miss,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “I was a little bit less confident than in my best tournaments, so I knew that I had to start slow and try to get into the rhythm. Finally, great match. Hopefully I can raise my level in the next ones.”

The 26-year-old made a nearly flawless debut at the Kazakhstani ATP 500, ousting the former Top 20 player in 79 minutes. Medvedev saved the only break point he faced in the match and won 48 per cent of his return points. 

In a clash that featured many lengthy rallies, Medvedev showed great patience to frustrate the Spanish lefty. Ramos-Vinolas even tried to come into the net often to take the second seed out of his comfort zone, but the World No. 4 was undeterred.

Medvedev remained consistent throughout and used a number of drop shots to successfully change the rhythm of points. That helped him break Ramos-Vinolas’ serve four times and set a second-round encounter with Sofia champion Marc-Andrea Huesler or Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.

The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion is also next in line to qualify for the season finale, currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Medvedev is trying to earn his place in the year-end championships for the fourth consecutive year. Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas have already qualified for the event, which will be held at the Pala Alpitour from 13-20 November.

Tennis players, in the very public crucible of the arena, often grow up before our eyes. Their brilliance is in plain sight – but so are the challenges of overcoming youthful emotion. Maturity, hopefully, comes sooner rather than later. For some, it may never come at all.

This, Andrey Rublev –a junior World No. 1 and Roland Garros Boys’ champion at the age of 16 – knows as well as anyone.

Back in March, playing Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, Rublev’s emotions burst into view, creating a viral moment. Down 5-6, he hit a shot into the net that cost him the first set. Furious, the fiery redhead smashed a ball high into the air and proceeded to punish the offending racket. He punched the strings with such force that he opened up a gash on his right hand; the blood led to a medical timeout before he dropped the second set and, ultimately, the match.

Four months ago, the 24-year-old posted on social media that big changes were coming.

At this week’s Astana Open in Kazakhstan, he spoke openly in an ATP Media interview about his continuing education in the pursuit of maturity. He is especially proud of the way he carried himself in a volatile third-round match at this year’s US Open against Denis Shapovalov.

“Everyone has their own weaknesses,” he said. “My weakness is mental and little by little there are some improvements. [Before] I would already explode and because of that lose the match. But even in the moment it looks impossible to [maintain composure], I was able to do it. It was giving me a turning moment and I was able to win the match. I was feeling a bit proud of myself after the match, I’ll be honest. I showed on court I was better as a person. But I don’t want to focus on that. It’s like `OK, go back to reality, and you still have this problem there – go fix it.’”

Rublev won in a fifth-set tie-break in an epic match that ran longer than four hours before falling to Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals. That was the last match he played before arriving in Astana.

On Monday, the fifth seed dispatched qualifier Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-3 and will play Zhang Zhizhen, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback winner over Aslan Karatsev, in a second-round match on Wednesday.

By most standards, 2022 has been a terrific year for Rublev. He’s already won 40 matches and three titles – in Marseille, Dubai and Belgrade, defeating Novak Djokovic in that final. And yet, considering his high aspirations, quarter-final berths at Roland Garros and the US Open were disappointing.

If the seeds had held into the quarter-final round, Rublev would have had an immediate opportunity to prove himself at the elite level, for he would have faced Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old World No. 1. As it turned out, his friend and frequent practice partner was stunned by lucky loser David Goffin in a straight-sets first-round upset.

Goffin, along with Pavel Kotov, is one of two lucky losers to win a first-round match. Qualifiers Zhang and Luca Nardi also made it through the second round.

Rublev says he’s serious about self-improvement. You could see it after his first-round match at the National Tennis Center. Nearly 30 minutes after defeating Djere, he was still signing autographs and taking selfies with the fans.

He understands that emotions are part of being a human being. Rublev offered the examples of a waiter bringing the wrong dish, or a car cutting you off on the highway.

“You say all the bad things about the guy,” Rublev said. “Most of the people in life are like this. That’s how athletes are, too.

“I have a good game to be on the next level – and I’m the one who stopped myself from this. [In New York] I was better on court as a person, better as a player, more professional. I was able to handle tight moments. It takes time.”

A lover of Japanese food, Nick Kyrgios cleansed his palate of a disappointing US Open quarter-final loss with a stellar start at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The Aussie saved a break point in his opening service game, then ran away with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Chun-Hsin Tseng in Tokyo’s Ariake Colosseum. After navigating that early hold, Kyrgios dropped only four further service points, finishing with an 86 per cent win rate (25/29) behind his first delivery.

“I played really solid,” the fifth seed assessed. “I came out a bit slow, but I don’t play many matches so it’s hard to just get straight back into that competitive flow. But as soon as I held the first game I kind of found my form again and played really well.”

Kyrgios said he struggled to breathe early in the match as he adjusted to the humidity and different air compared to Sydney. But the conditions also speed up the court, which suits his big-hitting game.

“The court is obviously playing faster compared to normal hard court events. I’m not complaining about that, to be honest,” he said. “I think big servers and guys who like to take the ball early and have flat backhands, I think it suits our game style.

“It’s fun tennis to watch, people playing aggressive and coming to the net and serving big. I think that’s the type of tennis that fans like to see sometimes. The court’s probably faster than average, but I like it.”

Kyrgios, who holds a 36-10 record on the season, will next play Pole Kamil Majchrzak. Earlier this season, the World No. 20 reached the final at Wimbledon before lifting the trophy in Washington.

Did You Know?
In addition to his 2016 Tokyo title at the ATP Tour level, Kyrgios also won junior events in Japan in both Osaka (2012) and Nagoya (2011).

Lucky loser David Goffin made the most of his second chance at the Astana Open on Tuesday, upsetting World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz 7-5, 6-3 to earn the biggest win of his season.

The Belgian squandered two match points in his qualifying match against #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi on Sunday, but earned a place in the draw as a lucky loser. With the pressure off, the former World No. 7 Goffin rolled back the years as he outplayed Alcaraz to reach the second round after one hour and 46 minutes.

“I always believe that I have the level to cause some trouble against those guys,” Goffin said. “Of course it has not been my best period, I haven’t been playing really well in the past few tournaments, but I always believe and practice and you never know.

“When you play against the World No. 1 on a big stage, big crowd, the fire inside gives you so much power to play your best tennis because you don’t have any choice. You have to fight and give your best and that was the case today. I always believed I had it and I am happy you can still it there.”

Goffin now holds a 3-8 record against players sat at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, having defeated then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017 and the ATP Cup in 2020.

The 31-year-old, who captured the crown in Marrakech earlier this season, will next meet Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

Alcaraz has enjoyed a historic season, capturing ATP Masters 1000 crowns in Miami and Madrid before he lifted his first Grand Slam trophy at the US Open in a victory that propelled him to No. 1. He is the youngest player to rise to the top in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973).

However, he was unable to find his best level against Goffin as he struggled to time the ball, with the Belgian breaking five times to improve to 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Stefanos Tsitsipas started his quest for a third tour-level title of the season in style Tuesday, cruising past Kazakhstan wild card Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round at the Astana Open.

The third seed, who is making his debut at the ATP 500 event, overpowered Kukushkin as he quickly found his range on the hard courts in Astana. He stepped inside the baseline to strike his forehand through the court and looked comfortable at the net, closing out points efficiently to advance after 83 minutes.

Tsitsipas has now earned 50 tour-level wins this year, lifting titles in Monte Carlo and Mallorca. The Greek has also improved his ATP Head2Head series against the 34-year-old to 4-0 and will next meet Italian qualifier Luca Nardi after the #NextGenATP star defeated qualifier Alexander Shevchenko 7-6(4), 6-2.

In earlier action, Karen Khachanov made a winning return to Tour when he defeated American Maxime Cressy 6-4, 7-6(3).

The World No. 18 was competing for the first time since he reached the semi-finals at the US Open last month, but showed little sign of rustiness to triumph after one hour and 31 minutes. Khachanov will face Marin Cilic or Oscar Otte in the second round.

Lucky loser Pavel Kotov downed Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 6-4 to book his spot in the second round. The 23-year-old will next play Roberto Bautista Agut.

Did You Know?
Tsitsipas is seeking his first ATP 500 title this week in Astana. He has reached eight finals at this level, but has yet to prevail.