Despite some spectacular performances in 2022, Jannik Sinner had been yet to reach a semi-final on the ATP Tour this year. On Friday, at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, the #NextGenATP Italian set that record straight.

The second seed overcame a stiff test from Roberto Carballes Baena to prevail 6-4, 7-6(5) and reach the last four at the clay-court ATP 250 event. Sinner held his nerve in the second-set tie-break after failing to serve out for victory at 6-5 against the admirably persistent World No. 86 Carballes Baena.

“I’m very happy, obviously,” said Sinner after his quarter-final win, which improved his match record for the year to 33-9. “I’ve won many matches, but I think I’ve had some unfortunate moments this year. But here I am, the first semi-final of the year, and hopefully I can show some good tennis also in the next round.”

Friday’s matchup with Carballes Baena was Sinner’s seventh quarter-final of the year. His two-hour, 18-minute win moved the Italian within two wins of his sixth ATP Tour title, and his first since Antwerp last October.

Although he has not yet lifted a trophy in 2022, the 20-year-old Sinner has been a consistent performer this season. He reached the last eight at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, as well as at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome.

Sinner will take on countryman Franco Agamenone in the semi-finals in Umag, after the unseeded 29-year-old earlier raced past 2018 champion Marco Cecchinato 6-2, 6-1.

When it comes to the ability to produce his best consistently over a long career on the ATP Tour, there aren’t many who have matched Fernando Verdasco.

The former World No. 7 and seven-time ATP Tour titlist has recorded 558 tour-level match wins across 19 seasons, but such success did not come easy for the Spaniard. Verdasco’s relentlessness on the training court was crucial to honing his game early in his career, and he went on to develop one of the most feared weapons in modern tennis ⁠— his high-powered lefty forehand.

Now having joined TopCourt, Verdasco channels all his experience to show fans how they can develop their game with dedication and commitment to some key drills, some of which the Spaniard has been practising since he was just a kid in Madrid with a dream of becoming a pro. He also discusses how he handled one of the most disappointing losses of his career ⁠— his five-hour, 10-minute five-set defeat to Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the 2009 Australian Open ⁠— to ensure it shaped his career for the better.

Technique: Stand-out serving has underpinned Verdasco’s success. The lefty reveals the key technical requirements for his booming serve out wide, explaining how to iron out common technical issues to ensure your delivery is accurate, precise, and consistent.

Drills: In his drills “Cross Line Drops” and “Rhythm Drops”, Verdasco demonstrates how to build up rhythm on your groundstrokes. The drills are not only designed to boost the power of your shots, but also aim to develop variety by stressing the importance of mixing up the speed, spin, and height of each ball.

Follow Verdasco’s Tutorials at TopCourt.com.

Despite a late twist, Roberto Bautista Agut marched on at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel with a 6-3, 7-6(3) semi-final victory against fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Friday afternoon.

The third seed appeared to be cruising to his third ATP Tour final of the season when leading Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 5-2 with a double break advantage in the second set. Despite letting slip three match points at 5-4 as Ramos-Vinolas roared back into the match with some aggressive baseline striking, Bautista Agut regained his composure to convert his first match point of the second-set tie-break for a two-hour, four-minute win

“It was a really tough end,” said Bautista Agut after the match. “I served two times for the match but unfortunately, I could not win. At 5-4 I had three match points and he played very well, so I’m very happy about this tough win on this surface.”

With the win, Bautista Agut reached his first ATP Tour final on clay since he fell to Matteo Berrettini in the 2018 championship match in Gstaad. The Spaniard is chasing his second title of the season after he clinched his 10th tour-level crown in Doha in February.

Bautista Agut’s championship match opponent will be Yannick Hanfmann or home wild card Filip Misolic. Their semi-final later on Friday will be #NextGenATP Misolic’s second match of the day, after the 20-year-old saw off Dusan Lajovic 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in a quarter-final clash delayed from Thursday due to rain.

Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara continued their productive summer on the European clay as the British-Finnish pairing cruised to the semi-finals at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Thursday.

The third seeds broke the serve of wild card pairing Mili Poljicak and Nino Serdarusic twice in each set to clinch a 6-3, 6-3 victory that extended their winning streak to six after they clinched a maiden ATP Tour title in Hamburg last week. Glasspool and Heliovaara will bid to keep that run going at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Croatia in a semi-final showdown against second seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez.

Top seeds Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini also advanced on Thursday but were made to work hard before they prevailed 7-6, 6-7(6), 10-7 against Antonio Sancic and Franko Skugor. Bolelli and Fognini’s semi-final opponents will be Gstaad champions Tomislav Brkic and Francisco Cabral, who saw off Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, 6-4, 7-5.

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Kubler/Peers Win All-Aussie Clash
At the Atlanta Open, Jason Kubler and John Peers upset Wimbledon champions Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 4-6, 7-6(0), 10-6 to book a semi-final spot at the ATP 250 hard-court event.

Fourth seeds Ebden and Purcell saved all five break points they faced in the quarter-final encounter, but Kubler and Peers held their nerve in the second-set tie-break and then the Match Tie-break to secure a one-hour, 40-minute victory.

Haase/Oswald Ease Through In Kitzbühel
Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald’s good form on the Alpine clay continued at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, where the Dutch-Austrian pairing triumphed 6-4, 6-3 against Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul on Thursday to book a spot in the semi-finals.

Haase and Oswald reached the final in Gstaad last week, and the unseeded duo will now face Pedro Martinez and Lorenzo Sonego as they chase back-to-back Tour finals. Martinez and Sonego defeated home favourites Neil Oberleitner and Jurij Rodionov, 6-4, 3-6, 11-9.

Jenson Brooksby won a battle of Northern Californians on Thursday at the Atlanta Open, downing Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the his second quarter-final of the season.

The 21-year-old from Sacramento is back at home on the American hard courts as he looks to repeat his February run to the Dallas final.

“I’ve trained on [hard courts] my whole life, so just the reps on it makes [confidence] a guarantee for now,” Brooksby said of his comfort level on the surface. “I’m really excited to have the hard-court season right now coming up and see what I can do.”

“We’re good friends… I knew it would definitely be a good match out there, a good battle, and it was,” he said post-match. “I thought my focus again today was pretty good, so I’m just looking forward to keeping it up.”

Brooksby improved to 6-3 against Americans at tour-level after winning his first ATP Head2Head meeting with McDonald. Up one place to No. 42 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, the Atlanta sixth seed could move as high as No. 32 by winning his first tour-level title this week — a mark which would be a new career-high.

He awaits the winner of second seed John Isner’s evening matchup against University of Florida star Ben Shelton.

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Alex de Minaur opened the Atlanta evening session with a 6-4, 6-4 win against James Duckworth. The third seed was victorious in the all-Aussie matchup behind three breaks of serve as he began his campaign at the ATP 250 event.

Competing for the first time since his heartbreaking fifth-set tie-break loss to Cristian Garin in the Wimbledon fourth round, De Minaur will next face Adrian Mannarino.

The Frenchman earned a 7-5, 6-3 win against American wild card and Georgia Tech standout Andres Martin in the first match of the day on the stadium court. A lucky loser, Mannarino has not dropped a set in the main draw.

The pressure of playing as defending champion appears to suit Carlos Alcaraz.

A year ago, the #NextGenATP Spaniard lifted his maiden ATP Tour title at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. On Thursday, Alcaraz raced past Norbert Gombos 6-2, 6-3 on his return to the clay-court ATP 250 event in Croatia.

Despite the straightforward scoreline, however, Alcaraz was tested on his own serve by the World No. 117 Gombos. The Spaniard was forced to fend off seven break points in his win and converted four of his own 12 opportunities to reach his eighth quarter-final of the year.

“It was a really tough match,” said Alcaraz afterwards. “It wasn’t as easy as the result seems. Norbert played a really good game and the first round of every tournament is never easy, so I had to get used to the conditons. It was tough for me, but at the end I found a way to play better and get the win.”

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Since defeating Richard Gasquet for the title in Umag last year, Alcaraz has added four further tour-level titles to his tally, including ATP Masters 1000 crowns at the Miami Open presented by Itau and the Mutua Madrid Open, and risen to a career-high No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Despite tasting defeat in an ATP Tour final for the first time on Sunday, when he fell to Lorenzo Musetti in a thrilling three-set championship match at the Hamburg European Open, Alcaraz bounced back in style against Gombos. The top seed showcased his typical variety to move his opponent around the court, striking cleanly from deep and using his drop shot to good effect en route to a clinical one-hour, 38-minute victory.

The win improved Alcaraz’s record on clay in 2022 to 25-3. His quarter-final challenger in Umag will be Facundo Bagnis, who earlier eased to a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win against Corentin Moutet.

“I played against him [Bagnis] in Challengers, I remember we played tough matches,” said Alcaraz. “I know him so well, and he’s a great player on clay, so it’s going to be a really tough match, but I’m going to try to show my best.”

There was no such joy for Hamburg champion Musetti on Thursday. Marco Cecchinato upset the 20-year-old 6-4, 6-3 in an all-Italian battle to improve his record in Umag to 8-4.

The former World No. 16 Cecchinato lifted the trophy in Croatia in 2018 and he has settled nicely on the clay in Croatia again this year after coming through qualifying. Cecchinato converted all four of his break points in a clinical display to snap Musetti’s six-match winning streak.

That win booked Cecchinato a quarter-final clash with another Italian qualifier, Franco Agamenone. The 29-year-old backed up his maiden Tour win against Laslo Djere in the first round in Umag with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 triumph against fourth seed Sebastian Baez.

Despite a stern test on Thursday, Roberto Bautista Agut’s momentum is building at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel.

The Spaniard was under pressure early from #NextGenATP Czech Jiri Lehecka in the pair’s quarter-final clash at the ATP 250 event in Austria, but the third seed dug deep to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in an absorbing two-hour, 56-minute encounter and reach the semi-finals for the first time.

Both players enjoyed success in their return games, with Bautista Agut converting six from 13 break points and Lehecka five from nine. Bautista Agut took his chance in the 12th game of the deciding set, however, converting his third match point of the game on the Lehecka serve to complete a hard-earned win.

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Bautista Agut will next face fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Kitzbühel, after the Spaniard earlier defeated countryman Pedro Martinez 6-4, 6-2.

Ramos-Vinolas broke Martinez’s serve four times in a comfortable one-hour, 49-minute win to make it back-to-back ATP Tour semi-finals following his run in Gstaad last week. The 34-year-old is chasing his second title of 2022 in Kitzbühel, where he reached the final in 2019.

Not even rain was able to stop Yannick Hanfmann from securing one of the biggest wins of his career on Thursday.

The German stunned former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. It is the 30-year-old’s fourth ATP Tour semi-final and his second at the Austrian ATP 250.

Rain suspended play at 5-4 in the third set with Thiem ready to serve to stay in the match. When the players returned, Hanfmann took advantage of some loose errors from the 17-time tour-level titlist to triumph after two hours and 28 minutes.

Kitzbühel has proven the most successful tournament of Hanfmann’s career. In 2020 he reached the final at the tournament as a qualifier before losing to Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

Second seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez used a pair of late-set charges to secure a quarter-final victory on Wednesday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. The Brazilian-Spanish pairing earned a 6-4, 7-5 result against Nicolas Barrientos and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela behind breaks of serve in the penultimate game of each set.

The pair was broken just once in the match, at 4-3 in the opening set, but an instant response restored the break advantage. They did not face a break point in the second set.

Matos and Vega Hernandez saved a match point in their opening-round victory against Albano Olivetti and Fernando Romboli but avoided any such drama in the quarter-finals. The lone team through to the semi-finals in Umag, they await the winner of the matchup pitting third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara against Mili Poljicak and Nino Serdarusic.

In second-round action, Tomislav Brkic and Francisco Cabral upset fourth seeds Andrey Golubev and Maximo Gonzalez 6-4, 7-6(3), while the Croatian team of Antonio Sancic and Franko Skugor downed Slovakians Alex Molcan and Igor Zelenay 4-6, 7-6(4), 10-3.

Krawietz/Mies March On In Kitzbühel
Two-time Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies earned a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski to reach the semi-finals at the Generali Open. Champions in Barcelona and Munich this season, the Germans are seeking a third title of 2022.

The third seeds will take on top seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus for a place in the final.

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Kyrgios/Kokkinakis Advance To Atlanta Semi-finals
Reigning Australian Open champions Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios closed out the Wednesday evening session at the Atlanta Open with a 6-4, 7-6(3) quarter-final victory against Gonzalo Escobar and Hunter Reese. The second seeds saved the only break point they faced in the contest while winning 87 per cent of their first-serve points on the stadium court.

Top seeds Austin Krajicek and Ivan Dodig fell victim to a first-round upset, as Andres Molteni and Santiago Gonzalez scored a 6-3, 7-6(1) win at the ATP 250 event.