Britain's Stojsavljevic, 15, denied first WTA win
Mika Stojsavljevic, 15, is denied her first ever WTA victory after a narrow defeat by Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.
Mika Stojsavljevic, 15, is denied her first ever WTA victory after a narrow defeat by Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.
Alex de Minaur had to hang tough to overcome Jan-Lennard Struff and book his second-round spot at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
The second-seeded Australian shook off a slow start to earn a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 triumph on Tuesday afternoon at the indoor hard-court ATP 500. De Minaur converted four of six break points he earned across the second and third sets, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to seal a one-hour, 42-minute win and advance to face Flavio Cobolli.
De Minaur returned to competitive action for the first time since the US Open last week in Antwerp, where he reached the quarter-finals. His winning start in Vienna is a boost to the 25-year-old’s hopes of securing a Nitto ATP Finals debut this year: De Minaur is currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 265 points shy of Andrey Rublev in eighth.
Demon pulls through 😈@alexdeminaur completes the comeback against Struff 2-6 6-2 6-2 in Vienna!#ErsteBankOpen | @ErsteBankOpen | 📷 e|motion/Bildagentur Zolles KG/Christian Hofer pic.twitter.com/rz1cAeQzfm
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 22, 2024
Having begun the year with a 2-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Struff, De Minaur has since notched a hat-trick of wins against the big-hitting German, at the Miami Open presented by Itau, Roland Garros and the Erste Bank Open, respectively. The way he battled to victory in Tuesday’s encounter was another example of the extra level that De Minaur has found across the season.
“At the end of the day, there’s no better measurements than results to see your improvement,” De Minaur, who reached his career-high No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings in July, told ATPTour.com. “I’m very happy with the way my level has improved this year and the types of wins I’m getting. Today was another tough one, so I’m very happy.”
Frances Tiafoe also advanced on Tuesday in the Austrian capital. The fifth seed saw off Cameron Norrie 6-4, 7-6(4) to set a second-round showdown with Matteo Berrettini.
A finalist in 2021 in Vienna, Tiafoe let slip a 3-1 lead in the second set against Norrie but went on to hold his nerve in the subsequent tie-break. The American still holds an outside chance of reaching the Nitto ATP Finals, but would likely need deep runs this week in Vienna and at next week’s Rolex Paris Masters in order to claim one of the eight qualification spots.
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Daniil Medvedev has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the sixth consecutive season, joining Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the season finale.
The 28-year-old won the title at the year-end championships in 2020 and reached the final in 2021. He will try to add to his Nitto ATP Finals resume from 10-17 November in Turin.
[ATP APP]
The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings made his sixth major final at the Australian Open, defeating back-to-back Top 10 opponents Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev in five-setters to make his third championship match at Melbourne Park. It is the fourth consecutive season in which he has advanced to the final at a Grand Slam tournament.
That was not the only major success for Medvedev this year. He made the semi-finals at Wimbledon, upsetting top seed Sinner in the quarter-finals before falling short against eventual champion Alcaraz.
The 20-time tour-level titlist also reached the final at the BNP Paribas Open, the ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells. Medvedev has tallied a 45-18 record, including six semi-finals, and he is still pursuing his first title of the season.
Medvedev owns an 11-9 record at the Nitto ATP Finals. Last year, he reached the knockout stages, but lost a three-set semi-final to home favourite Sinner.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan, 45, will make his professional tennis debut at a doubles event next month.
Few could compete with Dominic Thiem at his imperious best: Just ask those who tried.
The 31-year-old Austrian, who this week will compete in the final event of his pro career at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, combined heavy groundstrokes with sublime movement and a rock-solid net game. Those abilities carried him to a career-high No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and helped him earn 17 tour-level trophies, including a major title at the 2020 US Open.
“He was so complete,” Matteo Berrettini told ATPTour.com this week in Vienna, where Thiem will take on Luciano Darderi in the first round on Tuesday evening. “He had everything. Backhand, forehand, serve, moving well, fighting like hell. He had great hands as well, so he was really tricky to play.
“We played on a lot of different surfaces, but the first time I played him was at Roland Garros in 2018. On clay, I could feel it after three sets. The intensity was really high, and he was fresh [at the end], so I was like, ‘I’ve got to work hard in order to beat this guy’. That was his strength… He was really someone that I always looked up to, because the energy he brought to the court was special.”
For many of Thiem’s fans and his rival players alike, one aspect of the Austrian’s game particularly stood out: his backhand. He arrived on Tour in an era where the one-hander was becoming increasingly rare, particularly among the game’s elite. Yet similarly to his fellow Grand Slam champions Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, one less hand on the racquet had no impact on Thiem’s ability to pack a punch.
“Just the physicality [stood out]. How heavy his ball was from both sides,” said Alex de Minaur, against whom Thiem holds a 4-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead. “Normally people with a one-handed backhand struggle to get that much heaviness and weight on the ball, but he never had that problem. He worked so hard for it. The intensity was always there, and he’s always been an incredible human being and athlete. I’ve always had a lot of respect for him.”
The only player with a one-handed backhand currently in the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings is Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian, who is two years older than Thiem, has been an on-court rival and off-court friend throughout the Austrian’s career.
“Domi for me was a very special player,” Dimitrov told ATP Media. “There was a time, with his results and the way he was playing and because he had a one-handed backhand as well, when he was a good challenge for me to improve certain aspects of my game. Especially on clay, for example, or to push myself to play well. There were bits or pieces throughout the years.
“We also played quite a few times against each other. I wish him all the best. He’s an amazing guy. So humble and sweet, actually, and we had some good memories together.”
<img alt=”Dominic Thiem/Grigor Dimitrov” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/10/21/21/31/thiem-dimitrov-australian-open-2021-handshake.jpg” />
Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov at the 2021 Australian Open. Photo Credit: David Gray/AFP via Getty Images
As well as inspiring the one-handed backhand brigade, Thiem also led the way in disrupting the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He is one of only two players, alongside Andy Murray, to have notched at least five Lexus ATP Head2Head wins against each member of the ‘Big Three’.
“I feel like he was one of the first guys to start to challenge the big names,” said Taylor Fritz, five years Thiem’s junior. “He was playing in an era where Novak and Rafa and Fed were so unbeatable, and then Andy as well. He was one of the first guys to break through and start to beat those guys.
“The guy hit the ball so incredibly big. It was always unbelievable on clay, but towards the end there [before his injury] it started to be unbelievable on every surface. It was just so exciting to see what he was doing as a younger player, kind of showing us that yes, these guys were beatable, and leading the way for the next generation.”
[ATP APP]Thiem’s heyday sadly came too early for him to strike up rivalries with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. By the time those two young stars had established themselves on the ATP Tour, the Austrian’s career had been disrupted by the wrist injury that ultimately prevented him from ever rediscovering his best level. He never faced Sinner or Alcaraz in a competitive match, but he still made a big impression on the current Top 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
“I never played against Dominic in an official match, but as a human and a person, he has been amazing,” said World No. 1 Sinner. “It doesn’t matter what ranking I was or how young I was, he always said hi, and we had conversations… I still hope to see him around at some tournaments. He always brings a super positive energy in the locker room and the dining areas. I think all players will miss him.”
Alcaraz said: “I had the chance to watch him play a lot. I shared a few tournaments with him. When I played my first ATP Tour tournament in Rio de Janeiro in 2020, I had the chance to practise with him. I was super excited about it. I watched him beating the big players, winning the big tournaments. He had a really great career.
“My little brother used to play tennis, and he was a huge fan of Dominic Thiem. He played with Thiem’s racquet, not mine! So he was always watching Dominic’s matches, and I heard often from my brother: ‘I want to play like Dominic Thiem. I want to play like him, with the same racquet and the same style.’ In my family, we have a really high estimation of Dominic.”
Fans around the world will hope for one final burst of ‘Thiem tennis’ this week in Vienna, where he lifted one of his 17 tour-level titles in 2019. While it will be the last time he competes as a pro, the legacy of Thiem’s storied career will remain etched in those that played against him.
“I always enjoyed watching his tennis, especially his backhand and his mental toughness,” said Japan’s Kei Nishikori, whose most recent Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Thiem came at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals. “He is very powerful with his groundstrokes.
“Nowadays it’s rare to see. He has a beautiful backhand and not too many people have that, so it’s sad to lose him, but I hope he can enjoy playing at home in Vienna [one last time].”
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Off-court coaching will be allowed in tennis from January 2025, governing body the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announces.
Martin Landaluce added his name to an elite company Sunday when he triumphed at the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event in Olbia, Italy.
The 18-year-old, who defeated Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-4 in the final, is the youngest Spanish Challenger champion since an 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in Oeiras in 2021.
Landaluce is the fifth Spaniard since 2000 to win a Challenger title at age 18 or younger. The first four players all ascended to the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings: Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Tommy Robredo and Nicolas Almagro.
Following his title run, the #NextGenATP star is up to eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, putting him in qualifying position for the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals, which runs from 18-22 December.
Due to rain at the Olbia Challenger, Landaluce was forced to play both his semi-final and final match on Sunday. The 2022 US Open boys’ singles champion showed no signs of nerves as he captured the milestone victory.
“I have had several Challenger semi-finals. I think there have been different things in all of them, I tried to do them in the best way possible and today I have made it to the semi-final and final on a day that I think is a bit difficult physically,” Landaluce said in Spanish. “I was able to enjoy it a lot with a high level. On match point, I didn’t think much either. I thought about trying to do what I know. I played a very good point and I finished it in the best way, which is very, very nice.”
Sportship at its finest 🇪🇸🤝 Spanish stars backing the next generation#OnTheRise | @RafaelNadal | @carlosalcaraz | @MartinLandaluce pic.twitter.com/1rBp4aQbek
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 21, 2024
St. Brieuc, France
In other Challenger action, Benjamin Bonzi claimed back-to-back titles on home soil by lifting the trophy at the Open Saint-Brieuc Armor Agglomération. Last week’s champion in Roanne, Bonzi is on a 10-match winning streak for the loss of just one set. The 28-year-old downed top seed and countryman Lucas Pouille 6-1, 6-3 in the final.
Calgary, Canada
American Murphy Cassone won’t soon forget his maiden Challenger title run at the Calgary National Bank Challenger. Down five match points in the opening round against Ryan Seggerman, the 22-year-old stayed alive by winning the deciding-set tie-break 15/13. Cassone again won a deciding-set tie-break in the quarter-finals against Alexis Galarneau.
Cassone, a senior at Arizona State University, began the week as a qualifier and left with his biggest career title. He defeated Govind Nanda 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final and is now up to a career-high No. 363 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Campinas, Brazil
It was a marathon week for American Tristan Boyer, who needed a deciding set in four of his five matches to win the Campeonato Internacional de Tenis, Presented by Santander in Brazil. The 23-year-old overcame Argentine Juan Pablo Ficovich 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the championship match. Up to a career-high No. 159 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Boyer this season has won two Challenger titles, which both came on clay.
“It feels great. I think it’s a reflection of the work I’m doing,” Boyer said. “Titles are extremely difficult. You have to win five tough matches in a row. I’ve only had one in my career before today.”
<img alt=”Tristan Boyer in action at the Campinas Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/10/21/03/59/boyer-campinasch-2024.jpg” />
Tristan Boyer in action at the Campinas Challenger. Credit: João Pires
Shenzhen, China
Former World No. 37 Mackenzie McDonald claimed his fourth Challenger title and first since 2021 by triumphing at the Shenzhen Longhua Open, where he defeated top-seeded Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 6-4, 7-6(4) in the final. The American was broken just once all week.
<img alt=”Mackenzie McDonald wins the Shenzhen Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/10/21/03/56/mcdonald-shenzhench-2024.jpg” />
Mackenzie McDonald wins the Shenzhen Challenger. Credit: Shenzhen Longhua Open
Alexander Zverev wasted little time kick-starting his Erste Bank Open campaign on Monday night in Vienna.
The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings eased past home #NextGenATP wild card Joel Schwaerzler 6-2, 6-2 at the indoor hard-court ATP 500. With his 67-minute victory, Zverev equalled his personal best of 60 tour-level wins in a season from 2018.
Top seed Zverev did not face a break point in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the 18-year-old Schwaerzler. He won 96 per cent (23/24) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and generally proved too powerful for his relatively inexperienced opponent. After match point, Zverev took a moment at the net to speak with Schwaerzler, who was playing just his second ATP Tour match.
Ruthless Sascha 💪
Win No. 6⃣0⃣ in 2024 for the top seed this week in Vienna as he defeats Schwaerzler 6-2 6-2 #ErsteBankOpen | @ErsteBankOpen | 📷 e|motion/Bildagentur Zolles KG/Christian Hofer pic.twitter.com/AQJK8j13Jy
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 21, 2024
“When you come to your home tournament and probably the biggest crowd you have played in front of, as an 18-year-old and you’re playing the World No. 3, it’s not the easiest thing in the world,” said Zverev. “I’ve been there. I did that as a 17-year-old in Hamburg, where I got to the semi-finals and all of a sudden had a sold out stadium and was playing against a certain David Ferrer.
“I was hoping to have a good match, but the match was over half an hour later and I won one game. I know exactly how [Schwaerzler] feels. It’s not an easy situation to be in, but he’s a wonderful player and he’s going to have a wonderful career. Nobody should judge him by this match.”
Zverev is chasing his second tour-level title of 2024 this week in Austria. After hitting the 60-win mark for the year, the Rome champion reasserted his desire to finish the season strongly. The German is third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and has already qualified for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.
“Obviously it’s been a good year, but there have been a lot of ups and downs,” said Zverev. “I had an incredible first six months of the year until Wimbledon. Then I got a little knee injury, and afterwards didn’t feel great at the Olympics. I had some lung issues, kind of like I lost my form a little bit. I wasn’t playing great in the US hard-court swing, and I’m trying to find it back. I’m trying to find my rhythm again and hopefully I can finish this season strong.”
Awaiting Zverev in the second round in Vienna will be #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen or Marcos Giron. He has never lost before the quarter-finals in three previous appearances in the Austrian capital, where he lifted the trophy in 2021.
[ATP APP]The in-form #NextGenATP Czech Jakub Mensik joined Zverev in the second round with a comfortable first-round victory of his own at the Wiener Stadthalle. The 19-year-old, who reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final earlier this month in Shanghai before falling in three sets to Novak Djokovic, prevailed 7-6(3), 6-2 against the sixth-seeded Popyrin.
Mensik will take on Mariano Navone or Miomir Kecmanovic next in what his first indoor ATP Tour event. The Czech is currently fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah as he chases a debut appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.
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Jannik Sinner: The Tour’s fearless frontrunner in 2024
#NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils extended his winning streak to 11 matches at ATP 500 events on Monday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he defeated German Daniel Altmaier 7-6(5), 6-3.
Fils has been in red-hot form at ATP 500 tournaments recently, triumphing on clay in Hamburg before lifting the trophy on hard in Tokyo.
Aiming for another deep run this week, the 20-year-old saved two set points in the first set against Altmaier before he rallied from a break down in the second set to reach the second round in one hour and 40 minutes.
Fils, currently first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and set to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, will next play Jiri Lehecka or Pedro Martinez.
MAGNIFIQUE FILS 💫#SwissIndoorsBasel | @ArthurFils1 pic.twitter.com/ROdQDXN6JP
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 21, 2024
Top seed Andrey Rublev breezed through his Basel debut, dismissing Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-2 as he strengthened his place inside the Top 8 of the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin.
Seeking a fifth consecutive appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, the 27-year-old became the fourth player to reach 30 hard-court wins on the year (30-13) as he picked up his 41st win overall on the season. He next will play the winner of Croatian Marin Cilic and Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.
Rublev won 25 of 26 first-serve points and saved the lone break point he faced. The 16-time ATP Tour champion is currently eighth in the Live Race and moved 315 points clear of ninth-placed Australian Alex de Minaur with today’s win. De Minaur is yet to play his opening-round match in Vienna.
“I practised for less than two days, which sometimes is not enough, especially for the first time here,” Rublev said. “I was a bit nervous and didn’t know what to expect. But now I have a day off to rest and enjoy some time.”
Earlier, lucky loser David Goffin continued his impressive recent form by moving past Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2.
The Belgian defeated Lorenzo Musetti and Alexander Zverev en route to the quarter-finals at the Rolex Shanghai Masters earlier this month and set the wheels in motion for another run this week by overcoming Arnaldi in two hours and 31 minutes.
The No. 54 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will play fifth seed Ugo Humbert in the second round.
The Frenchman Humbert clawed past Swiss qualifier Jerome Kym 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5 in two hours and 33 minutes. Humbert fired 13 aces and saved the one break point he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats to clinch a personal-best 34th win of the season. Humbert has enjoyed an impressive year, winning titles in Marseille and Dubai.
Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard also advanced, beating James Duckworth 7-6(4), 6-3. The 21-year-old will next meet Felix Auger-Aliassime or Sebastian Baez.
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