Tennis News

Qualifier Tabilo Stuns Schwartzman To Reach First ATP Tour Final In Cordoba

Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo battled past top seed Diego Schwartzman and a partisan crowd in Cordoba on Saturday to reach his first ATP Tour final with a 6-3, 7-6(6) upset. The Toronto-born World No. 144 has now won 12 consecutive sets at the Cordoba Open, including a pair of straight-set qualifying wins.

Tabilo troubled the World No. 14 throughout the nearly two-hour match, penetrating the red clay with a powerful lefty forehand and keeping his opponent off balance with several well-timed drop shots.

“I’ve been playing my best tennis for a few months now and I finished the year strong,” said Tabilo, who won his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Ecuador in November and beat Sebastian Baez in the Cordoba quarter-finals. “I think I just needed one of these weeks to kind of click and get going. Hopefully this is the start of something good, and hopefully I can keep this level.”

After racing out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, Tabilo used strong serving to save three break points in serving out the set at 5-3. Schwartzman won the first two games of set two, but then fell victim to another four-game Tabilo run as the Chilean reestablished control on center court behind his heavy ground game. 

With Tabilo on the cusp of the biggest win of his career, Schwartzman stepped up to stop his opponent from serving out the match at 5-4. The Argentine measured an on-the-run, cross-court backhand at 15-all and tracked down two drop shots to get back on serve, and the set quickly headed to a tie-break.

The tie-break went entirely on serve until a Schwartzman backhand found the net at 6-all. The match ended on another uncharacteristic Schwartzman error, as he hit long on a second-serve return.

After knocking out Baez and Schwartzman, Tabilo could face another home favourite in the title match, with Juan Ignacio Londero set to face sixth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain in the second semi-final. Including qualifying, Tabilo has beaten five Argentines this week.

He will eclipse his previous career-high of No. 132 (achieved in November) with his run to this ATP 250 final.

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Nadal wins 21st Slam after beating Medvedev in AO 2022 Final

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Tsitsipas Draws Davidovich Fokina In Rotterdam; Murray To Face Bublik

Following his run to the Australian Open semi-finals, World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas returns to action next week in Rotterdam (see draw). The top seed at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament, the Greek will face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the opening round.

It will be the pair’s second ATP Head2Head meeting, and their first on hard courts. In the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals, Tsitsipas won the opening set before his opponent retired.

In the draw’s bottom half—anchored by second seed Andrey Rublev—wild card and 2009 Rotterdam champion Andy Murray will take on Alexander Bublik in the opening round. (Bublik is through to Sunday’s final this week in Montpellier, where he’ll face Alexander Zverev.) Rublev will start against a qualifier, as will seeded Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. Murray could face Auger-Aliassime in the second round.

Other notable first-round matchups include fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz against wild card and 2017 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and sixth seed Cameron Norrie against France’s Ugo Humbert. David Goffin and Alex de Minaur, both unseeded, will also face off in the opening round, with the winner facing eighth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili or American Mackenzie McDonald.

In Buenos Aires (see draw), top seeds Casper Ruud, Diego Schwartzman, Lorenzo Sonego and Fabio Fognini all received byes into the second round. Wild card Juan Martin del Potro, who hinted at his potential retirement in a Saturday press conference, will face countryman and sixth seed Federico Delbonis at the Argentina Open.

Four Americans earned byes as the top seeds in Dallas (see draw), led by No. 1 American Taylor Fritz. Reilly Opelka, John Isner and Jenson Brooksby round out the Top 4. Maxime Cressy, now on the cusp of the Top 50 for the first time after his fourth-round Australian Open run, is seeded sixth at the Dallas Open and will start against a qualifier.

In a mini-section of big servers in the bottom half, Sam Querrey and Kevin Anderson will fight for the right to face Isner in the second round. Seeded eighth, #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima will open against Aussie John Millman.

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'This is farewell' – Juan Martin del Potro says he's likely to retire after Argentina Open

Tennis player Juan Martin del Potro has said he is likely to retire due to a knee injury.

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Emotional Del Potro Hints At Retirement

Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro hinted strongly during a tearful press conference that his appearances in Bueno Aires and Rio de Janeiro in the next two weeks may mark his final ATP Tour tournaments, although he stopped short of definitively announcing his retirement.

“I always overcame everything. I don’t want to close the door. I’m very excited because I love tennis,” del Potro said Saturday. “Today I have to be honest so as not to give the wrong message, although in two and a half years I gave messages that were not in line with my reality.

“If I’m honest I have to say that I’m not here for a miraculous comeback like on other occasions. I know the limitations I have physically, and we’ll see later.”

He later added: “With this injury I always said I wouldn’t give up. The farewell had to be on a court and not in a conference.”

The 33-year-old Argentine accepted wild cards into the Argentina Open and Rio Open presented by Claro for what will be his first competitive action since 2019, following four right knee surgeries.

Del Potro later explained how his health struggles extend beyond the court and into his daily personal life: “I’ve been sleeping with pain for two-and-a-half years. I used to drive three-and-a-half hours to Tandil and now I have to stop to stretch my leg. I don’t like it, but it’s what I have to do. My fight is about health and winning quality of life.”

Del Potro’s decorated career is highlighted by a US Open triumph in 2009 and 22 tour-level titles, most recently at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open. Known as the ‘Tower of Tandil,’ after his hometown, del Potro reached a career-high ATP Ranking of World No. 3 in 2018. He’s also a two-time Olympic medalist, winning singles bronze in 2012 (London) and silver in 2016 (Rio de Janeiro).

The Argentine turned professional in 2005 and played his first ATP Tour events in 2006. He won his first ATP Tour title in Stuttgart in 2008, the first of four that season.

Seeded sixth at the 2009 US Open, del Potro defeated Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and Roger Federer in the final to win his first and only Grand Slam title. By beating Federer in a five-set final, del Potro ended a five-year New York reign for the Swiss.

He later returned to the US Open final in 2018, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. In total, del Potro reached the semi-finals or better at six Grand Slams and the quarter-finals on 13 occasions, including at least twice at each major.

Injuries plagued the 6-foot-6 del Potro throughout his career. He missed extended time in 2010 and 2014-16 with a wrist injury, and more recently has struggled with knee problems that have kept him sidelined since mid-2019.

“Unfortunately I had to deal with many injuries, but I achieved most of the things I wanted to achieve,” del Potro reflected. “Maybe I won’t have a miraculous return to tennis like I always had. It’s very difficult for me to play, especially on a day-to-day basis, beyond sport.”

He added: “Today, if I’m honest, I have to give this message. I can’t say I’m going for a miracle because it’s not true. I know the ability I have with tennis, but I also know the limitations with my physique. We’ll see later.”

Del Potro will face countryman Federico Delbonis in the first round in Buenos Aires.

“I’m going to play and I can’t wait to get on the court on Tuesday. These is why I had surgery last time (…) I couldn’t ask for another rival other than Fede, together we share the happiest days.

“Beyond the anguish and sadness, I want Tuesday to be an unforgettable day. Having the tournament in Buenos Aires made me feel like it was now or never again.”

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Bopanna/Ramanathan Soar Into Final On Home Soil In Pune

Indian pair Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan kept their title hopes alive by the slimmest of margins Saturday at the Tata Open Maharashtra, saving three match points to reach the final in Pune.

The second seeds trailed 6/9 in the Match Tie-break, before they turned the tables to defeat Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 6-4, 4-6, 12-10.

With their 88-minute win, Bopanna and Ramanathan have maintained their perfect start to the season as a team, setting a championship match clash against top seeds Luke Saville and John-Patrick Smith at the ATP 250 event.

Bopanna and Ramanathan fired seven aces and won 80 per cent (32/40) of their first-serve points to book their spot in their second tour-level final of the season together. The pair triumphed at the Adelaide International 1 in January and are now 8-0 on the year.

Herbert/Mahut Reach Montpellier Final
At the Open Sud de France on Saturday, top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut moved to within one victory of their 21st tour-level trophy as a team.

The Frenchmen clawed past Jonathan Erlich and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 5-7, 7-5, 10-8 after two hours to advance on home soil in Montpellier. The pair, which has won five Grand Slam crowns and two Nitto ATP Finals titles together, are teaming for the first time this season this week and will play Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara in the final.

Glasspool and Heliovaara have tasted success in France together before, clinching the trophy in Marseille last season.

Gonzalez/Molteni Maintain Cordoba Title Bid
Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni secured their place in the championship match at the Cordoba Open, overcoming Guillermo Duran and Maximo Gonzalez 6-4, 6-4 in 76 minutes.

The top seeds are aiming to capture their third tour-level title as a team this week in Cordoba, having lifted trophies in Nur-Sultan and Stockholm last season. The Mexican-Argentine tandem will play Andrej Martin and Tristan-Samuel Weissborn in the final.

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Bublik Blasts Past Krajinovic, Storms Into Montpellier Final

Alexander Bublik will get another shot at winning his maiden tour-level title at the Open Sud de France after he downed Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the final in Montpellier.

The sixth seed upset World No. 19 Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarter-finals and backed up this win against Krajinvoic with a strong serving display to advance after 64 minutes. Bublik fired 13 aces and won 94 per cent (29/31) of his first-serve points in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Bublik, who was competing in his eighth ATP Tour semi-final, will face either top seed Alexander Zverev or Swede Mikael Ymer in his fifth tour-level championship match on Sunday. In a standout 2021 season, the 24-year-old earned a personal-best 35 wins, advancing to finals in Antalya and Singapore.

The World No. 35 is making his second appearance in Montpellier and will rise to a career-high on Monday following his run to the final at the ATP 250 event. Bublik is now 5-2 on the season.

Krajinovic was competing in his second semi-final in Montpellier, having advanced to the last four in 2020. The fifth-seeded Serbian was also seeking his first tour-level trophy this week.

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Ruusuvuori Reaches Maiden Tour-Level Final

Sixth seed Emil Ruusuvuori broke new ground Saturday at the Tata Open Maharashtra, soaring into his first tour-level final in Pune.

The Finn fired 10 aces and rallied back from a break down in the second set to overcome Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 7-6(0) in one hour and 47 minutes, improving his ATP Head2Head record to 2-0 against the Pole.

“I really like this place,” Ruusuvuori said in his on-court interview. “I still haven’t lost a set. The whole match was very good today and I am very happy to be in the final. Every point in the tie-break is very important. I started well and 7/0 is good.”

Ruusuvuori, who is making his debut at the ATP 250 event, was competing in his second semi-final of the season, having advanced to the last four at the Melbourne Summer Set in January, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. The World No. 87 is now 7-2 on the year.

Prior to his win against Majchrzak, the 22-year-old had lost all four of his previous semi-finals at this level. The World No. 87 held his nerve in Pune in the second-set tie-break to ensure he would not fall at the same stage again, setting up a championship match clash against either Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer or three-time tour-level titlist Joao Sousa.

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Schwartzman Wins Rollercoaster To Reach Cordoba SFs

Energised by passionate Argentine fans, top seed Diego Schwartzman survived a rollercoaster battle against Daniel Elahi Galan to advance to the semi-finals of the Cordoba Open Friday night.

After dropping the first set and bagelling his Colombian opponent in the second, Schwartzman dropped serve in the opening game of the third and again when he served for the match at 5-3, but fought back to break in the final game of the match to secure a 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 win in two hours and 19 minutes.

Chasing his second title on home soil [Buenos Aires, 2021], the 5′ 7″ World No. 14 will next play the winner of countryman Sebastian Baez and Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo.

After winning 89 per cent of first-serve points in his opening win over Juan Pablo Ficovich, the 29-year-old was again strong on serve, winning 70 per cent of first-serve points against Galan.

Argentine wild card Juan Ignacio Londero, the 2019 Cordoba champion, improved his tournament record to 10-2 with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Serbian lucky loser Nikola Milojevic. The 28-year-old World No. 139 is making his first appearance of the 2022 season. Last year he went 0-11 at tour level and he had not won a match at that level since reaching the second round of Roland Garros in September 2020.

“This is a very important tournament for me, having won the title here in 2019,” Londero said. “It’s an amazing atmosphere and I like to be playing in front of my family and friends.”

Spanish sixth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas set a semi-final showdown with Londero with a 7-6(5), 7-5 win over fourth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego. The World No. 44 lefty is making his second appearance of the year, having fallen to Baez in five sets in the first round of the Australian Open. The 34-year-old has won three ATP Tour titles (all on clay).

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