For the third straight match, Maxime Cressy has extinguished the hopes of a British home favourite at the Rothesay International.

In Friday’s Eastbourne semi-finals, the American outlasted #NextGenATP Jack Draper 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-3 to reach the second ATP Tour final of his career. The two-hour and 41-minute victory follows straight-sets wins against top seed Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals and Daniel Evans in the second round.

“Three matches in a row, it’s getting tough,” he said in an on-court interview, before addressing the British crowd. “Hopefully you guys are [cheering] for me tomorrow. Sorry guys, I apologise for this week. I know I made all the Brits lose, but thank you for a fantastic atmosphere… I’m very grateful for you guys.”

Cressy earned the first break of the match on his 10th chance to lead 4-2 in the third. But after facing just one previous break point, he had to save five in his last two service games as Draper dialled in on the return. The American dug deep to escape holes of 15/40 and 0/40 in those two games, rediscovering his serving touch at the crucial moments, and ultimately closed out the match by winning the five points in a row.

“It’s a roller coaster,” Cressy said of the nervy finish. “At 0/40… it’s hard to describe the feeling, but I feel a lot of relief from that game. I’m incredibly happy and thrilled to be in the final here.”

Cressy pressured Draper throughout the opening two sets, creating six break points, but found himself level with the 20-year-old after the Briton played an inspired second tie-break, buoyed by his home crowd. A dramatic final set included nine of the match’s 16 break points, with Cressy’s lone break proving the difference.

True to form, the 25-year-old charged the net at every opportunity and won 66 per cent (39/59) of such points. He frequently followed up big serves with volley winners, leading to an 81 per cent (57/70) win rate on first serve, including 21 aces.

The American received a medical timeout late in the second set for a lower-body issue, but responded well after dropping the tie-break to earn a chance to play for his first tour-level title. He reached his first final in January, when he put forth a strong effort in a 7-6(6), 6-3 defeat to Rafael Nadal.

Cressy’s run to the Eastbourne final lifts him to No. 46 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. His career-high Pepperstone ATP Rankings is No. 59, achieved in January. Draper, who was playing in his first tour-level semi-final, is up to No. 94 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings after reaching the semi-finals. He is currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan. 

Cressy awaits the winner of Friday’s second semi-final between third seed Taylor Fritz and sixth seed Alex de Minaur. He has not dropped a set on the week and improves to 6-3 on grass courts with the victory.

More to come…

Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic completed a British trophy double on Friday, following up last week’s triumph at the Queen’s Club with a successful title defence at the Rothesay International.

The Croatians defeated Matwe Middelkoop and Luke Saville 6-4, 6-2 in the Eastbourne final to win their fourth title of the 2022 ATP Tour season, all coming in the past two months.They did not drop a set this week and will now look to defend their 2021 Wimbledon title.

“We played good in Queen’s we played even better here,” Mektic said post-match, “so we’re very comfortable now going into Wimbledon.” The 33-year-old also explained how the pair’s challenging Queen’s Club run — in which they came from a set down to win a Match Tie-break in their last three matches — gave them confidence to dominate this week.

In the final, Metkic/Pavic won the opening set behind an early break, then saved two break points to hold for 2-2 in the second and spark a run of five straight games to close out the contest.

After winning nine tour-level titles in their first season as a team in 2021, the pair won its first trophy of this season at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Since claiming that ATP Masters 1000 title, they went on to win in Geneva ahead of a third-round run at Roland Garros.

“We needed to get back the confidence, added Pavic. “When we did finally in Rome, it opened up a little bit. We won the title and then obviously from Rome we lost just one match in the French and were on a good run. We have confidence, we’re playing well. We’re going to be an interesting team at Wimbledon.”

Matos/Vega Hernandez Reach Mallorca Final

Brazil’s Rafael Matos and Spain’s David Vega Hernandez upset top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer Friday to advance to the Mallorca Championships final. After taking out the Roland Garros champions 6-4, 3-6, 10-7, the pair will face Gonzalo Escobar and Ariel Behar in Saturday’s final.

Escobar and Behar won their semi-final on Thursday, 6-4, 6-2 against Matthew Ebden and Philipp Oswald.

Fifty-two years ago, Zeljko Franulovic earned one of the biggest titles of his illustrious career at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. In 2005, the Croatian came full circle when he became tournament director at the ATP Masters 1000 event. After a successful 17-year run at the helm of the tournament, Franulovic will step away from that role on 30 June.

“What I’m really proud of from my time leading an ATP Masters 1000 tournament is exceptional player participation and their great support of the event, as well as significant improvements in terms of fans and media facilities,” Franulovic told ATPTour.com. “These achievements have enhanced the image of Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and ensured continued growth and overall success of the event.”

The 75-year-old has contributed to tennis for almost his entire life, from his time as a player to his various roles in the sport and now serving as tennis director in the Principality.

Today, Croatians follow in the footsteps of Goran Ivanisevic, Ivan Ljubicic, Marin Cilic and others. But Franulovic was among those who paved the way. Franulovic reached a career-high No. 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but his efforts before the Rankings were first created in 1973 put him in rare company in the sport.

The Split native remains one of the best clay-court players in history. Although a right shoulder injury cut short the length of his prime, he earned 301 tour-level victories on the surface, which ranks 14th in the Open Era. In 1970, Franulovic triumphed in Monte Carlo before advancing to his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros.

Following his playing career, Franulovic began his career in tennis management, and he has made a positive impact on the sport ever since. The Croatian, who also earned a law degree, held various roles at the ATP, including Executive Vice President, Europe and tournament director of the Nitto ATP Finals.

It did not take long for Franulovic to make a difference at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters after becoming tournament director in 2005. A famous story he tells about his early days in the role relives the start of the 2006 tournament. Franulovic and his team decided that for the first time they would promote the tournament in the heart of Monte Carlo, right in front of the Casino de Monaco, one of the most iconic settings in Europe. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were meant to drive in a vintage convertible to the square themselves to hit some tennis balls.

The problem was that neither legend knew how to operate the car, which was tricky to drive. A local representative of the car company eventually drove the pair, but when they arrived, another problem arose: Nadal did not have his racquet. The Spaniard’s current PR manager “must have broken the Formula 1 record” riding a scooter to the hotel to get the racquet, according to Franulovic, but he made it back.

That taught Franulovic and his team that it is difficult to plan to the last detail. He has worked tirelessly to promote, improve and consistently elevate the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“Roger and Rafa playing in front of the famous Casino de Monaco was just one of the episodes that had contributed to increased fame and popularity of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters,” Franulovic said. “I guess it was more impactful because it was done for the first time in Monaco but, since then there is not an iconic spot in Monaco where we did not stage this type of exhibition — from in front of the Palace to the roof of the iconic Monaco Yacht Club.

“I’m proud for this because it was my idea at the very beginning of my involvement in the Monte Carlo tournament and we kept organising it successfully in the following years.”

As he departs his role as tournament director, Franulovic says there is “nothing particularly emotional”. The work he has done for the tournament, however, will last for years to come.

“The truth is that I will be leaving a tournament that I’ve been strongly attached to for 17 years,” Franulovic said. “But I’m not leaving tennis in general where I will continue to stay active in one way or another.”

– Reporting contributed by James Buddell

Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his first tour-level final on grass Friday when he overcame Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 6-4, 6-4 at the Mallorca Championships.

The Greek demonstrated great footwork to dictate on his aggressive forehand, while he held his nerve in the crucial moments, saving all three break points he faced to advance after one hour and 32 minutes.

The second seed, who is making his debut at the ATP 250 event, also defeated Bonzi on the grass in Halle last week before he lost to Australian Nick Kyrgios.

With his victory, Tsitsipas has now earned a Tour-leading 39 wins this season and will face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut or Swiss qualifier Antoine Bellier in what will be his fourth final of the season. The 23-year-old retained his title in Monte Carlo in April, either side of final defeats in Rotterdam and Rome.

In a tight first set in Spain, it was Tsitsipas who made the decisive move, breaking Bonzi in the ninth game before he held to lead. Fuelled by confidence, the Greek continued to find his rhythm from the baseline in the second set. He took his forehand early to take time away from the Frenchman, forcing Bonzi into errors as he closed out the match.

Bonzi had not dropped a set en route to the semi-finals, having earned the second biggest win of his career when he upset World No. 16 Denis Shapovalov in the second round. It was the second time the World No. 56 had advanced to a tour-level semi-final, after he enjoyed a run to the championship match in Marseille in February.

The Wimbledon men’s singles draw has conjured up a series of potential blockbuster quarter-final clashes, with six-time champion Novak Djokovic projected to meet Carlos Alcaraz and two-time victor Rafael Nadal seeded to face Felix Auger-Aliassime.

However, there are also plenty of popcorn matches in the early rounds as heavyweights are set to meet rising stars and top players clash with unseeded threats.

ATPTour.com takes a look at five of the best matchups that are already locked in at the grass-court Grand Slam.

[10] Jannik Sinner vs. Stan Wawrinka
One of the brightest talents on Tour will meet an experienced champion in the first round at Wimbledon when Jannik Sinner takes on Stan Wawrinka.

The 10th seed Sinner is a five-time tour-level champion and has reached at least the fourth round at all three of the other Grand Slams. However, the Italian has yet to win a tour-level match on grass and will have his work cut out when he meets former World No. 3 Wawrinka.

The 37-year-old is a three-time Grand Slam champion and is gearing up for his 16th appearance at SW19, with his best result a run to the quarter-finals in 2014 and 2015. Wawrinka will enter the clash with a 2-0 lead in their ATP Head2Head series, but both of his victories came in 2019 when Sinner was outside the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

This standout clash should certainly provide entertainment as Sinner looks to earn a breakthrough win on grass.

[7] Hubert Hurkacz vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Hubert Hurkacz enjoyed a standout run to the semi-finals on the lawns at Wimbledon last season, defeating eight-time titlist Roger Federer on the way. However, the seventh seed will need to be at his very best if he is to avoid an early exit this year.

Opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won the Wimbledon boys’ singles title in 2017 and has since reached a career-high No. 27 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Spaniard is making his second main-draw appearance at Wimbledon and holds strong recent form on the grass, having advanced to the quarter-finals at The Queen’s Club earlier this month. He has also proven a tough competitor on the biggest stages, reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Hurkacz also arrives in good form, though, after capturing his first grass-court title in Halle last week. With the pair locked at 2-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, anything could happen.

[11] Taylor Fritz vs. Lorenzo Musetti
Expect Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti to put on a show when they meet for the first time in the opening round at Wimbledon.

The 11th seed Fritz enters the clash with plenty of grass-court experience, having clinched the title in Eastbourne in 2019. Three years on, the American is looking as strong as ever. The 24-year-old captured his maiden Masters 1000 trophy in Indian Wells earlier this season, while he has advanced to the semi-finals in Eastbourne this week.

In contrast, while #NextGenATP Italian Musetti does not have the same grass-court pedigree, having never won a tour-level match on the surface, will be a dangerous opponent. The 20-year-old will look to cause Fritz problems with his stunning shotmaking as he aims to earn his third Top 20 win of his season.

[6] Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Maxime Cressy
When you watch Maxime Cressy play, it is as if you have gone back in time. The American plays an attacking brand of serve-and-volley tennis, which still is hugely effective on grass, signified by his run to the semi-finals in Eastbourne this week.

Felix Auger-Aliassime will therefore have to be ready for the challenge if he is to reach the second round once again. Last year, the Canadian soared to the quarter-finals at The Championships, defeating Nick Kyrgios and Germany’s Alexander Zverev en route.

Earlier this month, Auger-Aliassime advanced to the semi-finals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the quarter-finals in Halle, holding a 30-15 record on the season. The 21-year-old will need to return well if he is to earn his 31st win of the season on the lawns in London.

Paul Jubb vs. Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios will look to continue his good play this grass-court season when he takes on British wild card Paul Jubb in the first round. The Australian, who advanced to the quarter-finals on debut at Wimbledon in 2014, reached consecutive semi-finals in Stuttgart and Halle this month, earning a victory against Top 10 star Stefanos Tsitsipas along the way.

Jubb, currently No. 219 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will have to bring his top tennis if he is to earn his first victory at Wimbledon. In a match that will be played in front of a vocal British crowd, Kyrgios will look to rise to the occasion to book his spot in the second round for the seventh time.