Tennis News

Lehecka splits with Berdych

Jiri Lehecka has parted with coach Tomas Berdych after 18 months. The 22-year-old Czech announced the news on social media on Monday.

Lehecka started with countryman Berdych at Monte-Carlo last year, with the former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings helping guide Lehecka to his maiden tour-level title in Adelaide in January.

As of today, by mutual agreement, I have ended my cooperation with Tomas Berdych, with whom I have been working since the Monte-Carlo 2023 tournament. Our paths are not diverging, though. We will continue to work with Tomáš within the Davis Cup team.

— Jiří Lehečka (@jirilehecka) September 16, 2024

“As of today, by mutual agreement, I have ended my cooperation with Tomas Berdych, with whom I have been working since the Monte-Carlo 2023 tournament,” Lehecka wrote in Czech on social media. “Our paths are not diverging, though. We will continue to work with Tomas within the Davis Cup team. I wish him much success and many victories in his new role as the Davis Cup team captain.

“My team otherwise remains the same, with coach Michal Navratil, fitness coach Radek Stepanek, and physiotherapist Carlos Manuel Baptista Carvalho. The general manager of the team is Roman Vik and the agent is Pierre Christen.”

Berdych was announced on Sunday as the new Davis Cup captain for Czechia.

Lehecka was sidelined from April until August this year due to a stress fracture in his vertebra but returned to reach the third round in Cincinnati and at the US Open.

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Scouting Report: Musetti, Rune compete in Chengdu, Hangzhou; Top 10 stars at Laver Cup

The Asian swing commences on the ATP Tour from Wednesday, with 250 hard-court events at the Chengdu Open and the Hangzhou Open. In Berlin, the seventh edition of the Laver Cup will take place from 20-22 September in Germany.

Italian Lorenzo Musetti is the top seed in Chengdu, where Nicolas Jarry and Alexander Bublik compete, while Holger Rune leads the field in Hangzhou. Chinese stars Zhizhen Zhang, Shang Juncheng, Wu Yibing and Bu Yunchaokete lead home hopes across the two events.

Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will lead Team Europe’s quest for glory at the Laver Cup against Team World.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at all three events.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN CHENGDU
Can Musetti boost slim Turin hopes? Lorenzo Musetti arrives at the hard-court event in Chengdu with an outside chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Italian is 15th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the highest-ranked player in action this week, but is 1080 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur, who occupies the final qualification spot. If Musetti is to make his move, he will need to start with a deep run in Chengdu, where he reached the semi-finals last year.

Home hope Shang & wild card Nishikori: #NextGenATP Chinese lefty Shang Juncheng has enjoyed a standout season, highlighted by semi-finals in Hong Kong and Atlanta. The 19-year-old hopes to perform well in front of his home fans and consolidate his third-place position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Shang, who is currently one spot off his career-high at No. 67, is aiming to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December.

Japanese star Kei Nishikori will also take to court in Chengdu after receiving a wild card. The 34-year-old enjoyed his best result of the season last month in Montreal, where he reached his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final since 2019. Nishikori will face Shang in a popcorn first-round clash.

Bublik aims to add to titles: Second seed Alexander Bublik returns to Chengdu for the third time, having reached the final on debut in 2019. The 27-year-old has captured three of his four titles on hard courts, including earlier this year in Montpellier.

Can Jarry snap losing run? Nicolas Jarry has endured a tough time in recent months, losing his past seven matches. Chasing his first win since advancing to the final in Rome in May, the Chilean will play Australian Adam Walton or Slovakian Lukas Klein in his first match.

Doumbia/Reboul lead doubles draw: Defending champions Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul return to Chengdu as the top seeds and are chasing their third title of the season together. Ivan Dodig and Rafael Matos team as the second seeds.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HANGZHOU
1) Rune top seed: Holger Rune returns to action for the first time since his disappointing first-round exit at the US Open, aiming to rediscover his best form to keep alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Dane, currently 16th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, is 15-8 on hard courts this year, highlighted by his semi-final showing in Cincinnati and final run in Brisbane.

2) Seeded threats Khachanov & Etcheverry: Second seed Karen Khachanov lifted the trophy at the ATP 250 event in Zhuhai, where the tournament was held last year before relocating to Hangzhou for 2024. The 28-year-old is seeking his second title of the season, having triumphed on hard courts in Doha. Third seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry arrives having helped Argentina advance to the Davis Cup Final 8. The 25-year-old is in the same half of the draw as Khachanov.

3) Can Nakashima maintain form? Former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Brandon Nakashima impressed during the North American hard-court swing, earning victories against Top 20 stars Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti across three events. The American, who advanced to the fourth round at the US Open, also won all three of his Davis Cup Group stage matches last week and will be eager to add to his one tour-level crown (San Diego 2022). He is at a career-high No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

4) Chinese hopes: Sixth seed Zhizhen Zhang and wild cards Wu Yibing and Bu Yunchaokete will all aim for deep runs to delight home support. Zhang, who starts against a qualifier, was forced to retire during his first-round loss to Jack Draper at the US Open but is fit and firing again. His best result this year on hard courts came in Marseille, where he advanced to the quarters.

Wu became China’s first ATP Tour titlist when he won the Dallas Open in 2023 but has struggled with injuries since. The Hangzhou native returned from injury last month in China, where he won an ATP Challenger Tour event. Bu, 22, has won two Challenger Tour titles in 2024 and qualified for the US Open last month (l. to Casper Ruud).

5) Cilic returns: Marin Cilic is set to play his first tour-level event since Buenos Aires in February. The 35-year-old Croatian, who has won 15 of his 20 tour-level crowns on hard, faces American Zachary Svajda in the first round.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH AT LAVER CUP
1) Top 10 talent: Team Europe will be spearheaded by Top 10 stars Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Grigor Dimitrov, while World No. 7 Taylor Fritz is the lone Top 10 representative in Team World.

2) Two-time defending champion Team World: Team World lifted the trophy for the second consecutive year in 2023 after winning for the first time in 2022. The two-time defending champ will aim to add to its haul in Berlin.

3) Laver Cup debutants: Alcaraz, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alejandro Tabilo are the three men set to make their debuts at the event in Berlin. Kokkinakis was in the Team World squad in 2017 but did not play.

4) Borg & McEnroe lead teams for final time: Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will lead the teams for the seventh and final time. Team Europe captain Borg has overseen four victories in the past, while McEnroe was at the helm for Team World in 2022 and 2023. It was announced in May this year that Yannick Noah would lead Team Europe and Andre Agassi Team World from 2025.

5) Unique Format: The Laver Cup will be played over three days, from 20-22 September, across five sessions. Each match win is worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on a high-stakes Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points (out of a possible 24) wins the Laver Cup.

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Boulter & Raducanu in GB team for Billie Jean King Cup

Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu are named in the British team for November’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

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Sinner adds Panichi & Badio to team

Jannik Sinner has added fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio to his team ahead of the Asian swing. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who won his second major title at the US Open earlier this month, broke the news on social media on Monday.

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A post shared by Jannik Sinner (@janniksin)

Panichi and Badio had their first session with Sinner on Monday in Monte-Carlo, where the Italian is practising. They will then travel with Sinner to the ATP 500 event in Beijing (which begins 26 September) and the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai next month. The 23-year-old will continue to work with osteopath Andrea Cipolla during the upcoming Asian swing.

Sinner holds a 55-5 record on the year according to Infosys Win/Loss Index, having won a Tour-leading six titles. The 23-year-old Italian, who climbed to World No. 1 in June, became the first player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals earlier this year.

Panichi and Badio both join the Sinner camp having worked with 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the past.

Panichi worked with Djokovic from 2017 until May this year, when the Serbian ended his partnership with the Italian. Badio left the Djokovic camp at the end of 2022 after more than five years together.

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Britain 'looking to bright future' in post-Murray era

With British tennis now in the post-Andy Murray era, BBC Sport analyses the mood as the next generation look to take over.

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Who will make their move in Asia, where the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin heats up?

With less than two months to go until the Nitto ATP Finals, all eyes will be on Asia during the next four weeks when the battle for Turin qualification will take further shape.

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev have already booked their spots at the prestigious year-end event, to be played from 10-17 November, while Carlos Alcaraz (6,010 points) is close to joining them.

Behind that trio, five spaces are left to be filled, with many stars aiming to gain points in Asia to boost their hopes. Taylor Fritz (3,890) is fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin after he reached his maiden major final at the US Open and is now in strong contention to qualify for the second time after reaching the semi-finals in 2022.

Fourth-placed Medvedev (4,420), sixth-placed Casper Ruud (3,795) and seventh-placed Andrey Rublev (3,480) have all competed in Turin on more than one occasion, with Medvedev lifting the trophy in 2020. Medvedev and Rublev will take to court at the ATP 500 in Beijing, starting in nine days time, with none of the Top 14 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin in action this week at ATP 250 events in Chengdu and Hangzhou.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Alex de Minaur (3,305) reached major quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in recent months but struggled with injuries during the latter stages of both Slams. The Australian occupies the final qualification spot in eighth and is the only player in the Top 10 in the Live Race To Turin who has not competed at the Nitto ATP Finals before.

De Minaur plays at the ATP 500 in Tokyo next week alongside Ruud and Fritz. Novak Djokovic (3,260) is just 45 points behind De Minaur in ninth place but is not returning to action until October, when he will aim to win his 100th tour-level title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai.

Former champion Grigor Dimitrov (2,835), Tommy Paul (2,735), 2019 winner Stefanos Tsitsipas (2,735), Hubert Hurkacz (2,590) and Frances Tiafoe (2,460) all remain within sight of De Minaur but will need deep runs at several events during the Asian swing to put themselves in the driving seat when the Tour returns to Europe in mid-October.

Behind them, Lorenzo Musetti (2,225) and Holger Rune (2,185) are the only two players in the Top 16 in the Live Race To Turin to play this week and both will seek to clinch titles at ATP 250s in Chengdu and Hangzhou, respectively.

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, scheduled to take place from 10-17 November.

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Watson makes winning start at Korea Open

Former British number one Heather Watson beats Jia-Jing Lu in the opening round of the Korea Open.

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GB's Kartal claims maiden WTA title in Tunisia

Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal claims her maiden WTA title with victory over Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova in the final of the Jasmin Open.

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Shapovalov sends Canada to Davis Cup Final 8

With the pressure on, Denis Shapovalov delivered for Canada on Sunday to fire the former champion to the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga. Needing one point from its winner-takes-all tie against Great Britain, Shapovalov moved past Daniel Evans 6-0, 7-5 to give Canada a 1-0 lead in its Group D tie.

Argentina advanced from Group D in Manchester on Saturday, with its 3-0 victory against Finland leaving Great Britain needing to defeat Canada by the same scoreline to join Guillermo Coria’s side.

However, Evans struggled to impose himself on Shapovalov, who fired 25 winners and saved both break points he faced to earn the crucial point for his nation.

Felix Auger-Aliassime then put the icing on the already-qualified cake when he overcame US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper 7-6(8), 7-5 in two hours and seven minutes. Auger-Aliassime, who avenged his Cincinnati defeat to British lefty Draper, has impressed on the hard courts in Manchester this week, not dropping a set in all three matches.

Canada joins Italy, Australia, Spain, United States, Germany and Argentina in the Final 8. The last spot will be filled by Brazil or Netherlands and will be decided on Sunday.

In Group C, United States and Germany had already sealed the top two spots and qualification for the Final 8 in Malaga when Chile faced Slovakia on Sunday in Zhuhai.

Nicolas Jarry’s return helped Chile claim a 2-1 victory over Slovakia in the concluding match, partnering Tomas Barrios Vera to take a marathon doubles win over Norbert Gombos and Lukas Klein 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(5).

The Chileans squandered three match points in the second set before saving one in reply en-route to the third-set tie-break, in which they won.

The result, twinned with Cristian Garin’s opening victory over Gombos, means that Chile sealed third place in the group ahead of Slovakia, improving their chances of claiming a seeded spot in the 2025 Qualifiers draw.

In Group B, Australia faced Spain in Valencia, where both countries had already qualified for the Final 8. Pablo Carreno Busta overcame Jordan Thompson 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) in the opening match to give Spain a 1-0 lead before Montreal champion Alexei Popyrin defeated Pedro Martinez 6-4, 6-4 to level for Australia.

In the deciding doubles rubber Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez beat Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Purcell recently won the US Open title with countryman Thompson.

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Can Tiafoe inspire Washington Commanders to first win of season?

When you are searching for your first win of the season, a visit from Frances Tiafoe could be just what you need.

NFL team Washington Commanders lost it’s opening match of the new campaign last week but were given a boost ahead of their second match against New York Giants when Tiafoe surprised the team on Saturday during their pre-match meeting.

Amazing energy in the room after bringing Frances (@FTiafoe) as a surprise to the @Commanders team meeting today! pic.twitter.com/vtjiIhr4fy

— Mark Ein (@Markein) September 14, 2024

The team were watching a motivating video of Tiafoe enjoying success at the US Open when the two-time Flushing Meadows semi-finalist made an appearance. The 26-year-old received a raucous reception from the players before he spoke to the team.

Tiafoe, who is from Hyattsville, Maryland, is an avid supporter of the Commanders and regularly supports the team from afar when travelling on the ATP Tour. He will be hoping his words of encouragement will help guide the Commanders to their first win of the season on Sunday night.

On court, the No. 14 player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin is aiming to finish the year well in an aim to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

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