Tennis News

Mahut & Martin Cruise To Antwerp Doubles Title

Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin clinched their first ATP Tour doubles title as a team on Sunday in resounding fashion with a 6-0, 6-1 win against Dutchmen Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Rojer in the European Open final.

Mahut typically plays with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, and Martin competes alongside Jeremy Chardy. But they meshed well together in Belgium, earning the crown without losing a set.

“I was very happy that Nico offered me to play. He’s always been a model and someone to follow because his results are unbelievable. Since I’ve played doubles, he’s always been someone I’ve looked at,” Martin said. “Today to win with him is something really nice, because we got on really well on and off the court. I’m happy that I managed to play well as well next to him, so it was a very good week.”

The second seeds won 60 per cent of their return points and broke their opponents’ serves five times to lift the trophy in Antwerp after 54 minutes. Mahut was happy with the pair’s performance in their third tournament together.

“The week was amazing, like Fabrice said. We actually played the week before the US Open in Winston-Salem and I had a calf injury, so I had to pull out from the second round. But I said to Fabrice, ‘I’ll be ready for Antwerp’,” Mahut said. “We had an amazing week.”

Mahut has made 49 of 51 tour-level finals with Frenchmen, and this was his 34th title. Martin is now a seven-time ATP Tour titlist.

Koolhof and Rojer became full-time partners earlier this year, and the Dutchmen were trying to win their first title together. The third seeds had not lost a set en route to the final.

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Heliovaara/Middelkoop Save 3 MPs, Win Moscow Title

Harri Heliovaara and Matwe Middelkoop completed their dream debut week as a team on Sunday with a title, overcoming Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic 7-5, 4-6, 11-9 in the VTB Kremlin Cup final.

The unseeded pair won 81 per cent (29/36) of their first-serve points and saved three match points in the Match Tie-Break, rallying from 6/9, before securing their victory after one hour and 44 minutes.

“It is so painful for your opponents that you almost feel it for them, but at the same time you are over the moon with your own emotions,” Heliovaara said. “This is what you play for, for these emotions. The fans also love it when it comes to those moments. The Match Tie-Break brings so much excitement to the game.”

Middelkoop was the reigning champion in Moscow, having triumphed at the ATP 250 event with Marcelo Demoliner in 2019. The 38-year-old has now won 11 ATP Tour doubles crowns, while Heliovaara has clinched two titles at this level. The Finn lifted the trophy in Marseille with Lloyd Glasspool in March.

“I really enjoyed playing with Harri,” Middelkoop said. “Harri is a good personality and a great fighter and he is fresh and is young and wants to learn and we are very appreciative towards each other. I think our games complement each other and I think we did a hell of a job today.”

Fourth seeds Brkic and Cacic were playing in their fourth tour-level final of the season together and were aiming to clinch their second tour-level crown as a team after triumphing in Buenos Aires in March.

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Murray: ’It’s Been Amazing That I’ve Been Able To Get Back'

Despite some tight defeats over the past month, Andy Murray is feeling encouraged by his recent performances as he looks ahead to competing at the Erste Bank Open.

The Scot has fallen to Top 10 stars Hubert Hurkacz, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev since the US Open, before being edged by Diego Schwartzman in Antwerp. However, the former World No. 1 won a mammoth three-hour 45-minute classic against Frances Tiafoe in his opener at the European Open and believes he is moving in the right direction.

“It has been better. From the grass season to the US Open, I played well,” Murray said. “I played better tennis at the US Open. Since then, it has been consistently better each week. It has not been perfect, but most of the matches I have had chances and opportunities in, which certainly wasn’t the case in the grass season and some of the matches I played before the US Open. I have had some decent wins and some tight matches with some top players.”

Murray has been working his way back to top form since he underwent hip surgery in 2019. The former World No. 1 has won the title in Antwerp since then and has secured impressive victories against players such as World No. 4 Alexander Zverev.

“It has been amazing that I have been able to even get back and be playing,” Murray said. “Some of the results I have had, some will go ‘Oh he’s not winning enough against top players or he should be doing better’. But I shouldn’t be doing better than what I am with the situation with my body and what I have been through.

“I don’t think there are many players who would be able to compete with the top five players with a metal hip. I am proud of myself for putting myself in a position to compete with those guys. But ultimately if I want to get back to somewhere close to the level I was at before I need to be winning those matches.”

Murray has fond memories in Vienna, having won the title at the ATP 500 event in 2014 and 2016. The wild card will begin his campaign against Hurkacz, against whom he lost in Cincinnati and Metz this season.

“I need to be a bit more clinical and ruthless when my opportunities come,” Murray said. “That was one of the things when I was right at the top of the game was a strong part of my game and I need to get back to that. When my opportunities come, I am going to take them and be clinical. Finish those sets off when you get ahead and not think that more chances are going to come along because when you play the top players, you don’t get loads.”

The World No. 172 will be joined by countryman Cameron Norrie in Vienna. The 26-year-old won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells, cracking the Top 20 of the FedEx ATP Rankings with his victory.

Murray heaped praise on the British No. 1, who is 10th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin as he bids to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

“Cameron Norrie has had a fantastic season and has done really well,” Murray said. “I don’t think he had ever made it to the quarter-finals of a Masters series before, so to come through and win it is a brilliant result for him and great for British tennis. If I finish tomorrow, I would feel comfortable that British tennis would be in a good spot.”

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Musetti Earns Chance To Thrill Home Fans In Milan

Lorenzo Musetti is the sixth player to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, to be played from 9-13 November.

The Italian will make his debut at the 21-and-under-tournament after enjoying a standout year in which he rose from No. 128 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 57 in September.

Read the full story at NextGenATPFinals.com

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Tsitsipas-Dimitrov Blockbuster Headlines Vienna Draw

Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov will meet in a first-round blockbuster at the Erste Bank Open, it was revealed at the ATP 500’s draw ceremony on Saturday.

Tsitsipas fell to the Bulgarian in three sets in the second round in Vienna last year on his main draw debut at the event. The pair are level at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with the Greek winning their other meeting at Roland Garros in 2020.

The World No. 3 could face Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals, who faces a stiff test in his opening match against Fabio Fognini. Schwartzman has fond memories in Vienna, having reached the final in 2019.

View Vienna Draw

With the FedEx ATP Race To Turin heating up, ninth-placed (2,955 points) Hubert Hurkacz will look to continue his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, starting against former World No. 1 Andy Murray.

Hurkacz leads the Scot 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, recently defeating the wild card in Cincinnati and Metz. The winner could face #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the second round, with the Umag champion beginning against last year’s semi-finalist Daniel Evans.

Norway’s Casper Ruud is seventh in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin (3,015) and will face South African Lloyd Harris in the first round. Ruud, who is the fourth seed in Vienna, leads Harris 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, overcoming the World No. 32 in Indian Wells earlier this month.

The 22-year-old is seeded to face fellow Turin contender Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals. The Italian, who is 11th (2,745), opens against Toronto finalist Reilly Opelka in what will be their first meeting.

Second seed Alexander Zverev will begin his tournament against Filip Krajinovic and third-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini will play a qualifier. Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie starts against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, while sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime faces Ricardas Berankis.

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Koolhof/Rojer March Into Antwerp Final

Third seeds Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Rojer ended Xavier Malisse’s dream run on Saturday at the European Open, downing the Belgian and Lloyd Harris 6-4, 6-2 to reach the final in Antwerp.

Before this week, Malisse had not competed at a tour-level event since the US Open in 2013. The 41-year-old has been coaching Harris and the pair received a wild card into the doubles draw to compete, triumphing in their first two matches.

However, Koolhof and Rojer were too strong for the Belgian-South African tandem, not facing a break point to advance after 67 minutes. They will meet second seeds Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin in their first tour-level final as a team.

Heliovaara/Middelkoop Edge Through In Moscow
Harri Heliovaara and Matwe Middelkoop battled back on Saturday at the VTB Kremlin Cup, defeating Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar 6-7(4), 6-3, 10-8 to reach the championship match in Moscow.

The unseeded pair won 78 per cent (40/51) of their first-serve points and hit six aces to advance after 89 minutes. Heliovaara and Middelkoop are teaming for the first time this week and they will play fourth seeds Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic in the final.

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Rublev Earns Spot At Nitto ATP Finals

Andrey Rublev became the fifth singles player to qualify for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November, after the Erste Bank Open draw was published on Saturday.

The 23-year-old made his debut at the season finale last year when the event was held in London.

“I am so happy to be back competing with the best eight players in the world,” said Rublev. “It is such a unique and prestigious tournament and I can’t wait to play in Turin.”

Read the full story at NittoATPFinals.com

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Karatsev Continues Title Pursuit In Moscow

Russia’s Aslan Karatsev overcame countryman Karen Khachanov 7-6(7), 6-1 on Saturday at the VTB Kremlin Cup to reach his third tour-level final of the season and keep alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The 28-year-old saved four set points in the first set, before he raised his level in the second set, breaking twice to advance after one hour and 41 minutes. Karatsev, who had never been beyond the second round in four previous main draw appearances in Moscow, now trails Khachanov 1-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.

“I tried to not think about the score in the tie-break and just play point by point,” Karatsev said in his on-court interview. “At 5/6 I made a great return and he got nervous and that is how I managed to win it.”

Karatsev is currently 13th (2,180 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, 775 points behind ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz who occupies the final qualification spot with eighth-placed Rafael Nadal out for the rest of the season with a foot injury. Should Karatsev win the title, he would close to 675 points of the Pole.

The Russian has enjoyed a breakthrough 2021 season, advancing to his first major semi-final at the Australian Open, before he clinched his maiden tour-level trophy in Dubai. Karatsev also reached the championship match in Belgrade.

“It means the world to me [to reach the final]. I have been to this tournament many times, so this final I will play tomorrow will be special for me,” Karatsev added.

The home favourite will face Marin Cilic in the final after the sixth seed moved to within one win of capturing his third VTB Kremlin Cup title, downing Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-4.

“It was a tough match, Ricardas played well,” Cilic said in his on-court interview. “The first set was great from my side. I served amazing but then Ricardas began to find his rhythm and played much better in the second set. I managed to play a tough second set. Mentally it was difficult, but I managed to play my best tennis at the right time.”

Cilic has fond memories at the ATP 250 event, having triumphed against Roberto Bautista Agut in the 2014 and 2015 finals, before he advanced to the semi-finals in 2019.

In a strong serving performance against Berankis, Cilic fired 10 aces and won 83 per cent (33/40) behind his first delivery to advance after one hour and 31 minutes and extend his ATP Head2Head series lead to 2-0.

The Croatian, who has dropped just one set en route to the final, will aim to clinch his 20th tour-level title in Sunday’s championship match.

“It is amazing to get this support and whatever happens tomorrow, it will be a great day to enjoy another final in my career and another final here in Moscow,” Cilic added.

Earlier this season, the World No. 41 overcame Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime to win the title in Stuttgart. The 33-year-old also advanced to the last four in Singapore and Estoril.

Berankis was competing in his first tour-level semi-final since Pune in February 2020. The 31-year-old was bidding to win his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Moscow.

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Sinner Marches Into Antwerp Final

Top seed Jannik Sinner soared into his fifth tour-level final of the season on Saturday at the European Open as he continued his pursuit to qualify for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals.

The 20-year-old produced a dominant performance from the baseline to down South African Lloyd Harris 6-2, 6-2 in Antwerp in 87 minutes.

“I am very happy to be in the final,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “He is having an incredible season, so best of luck for him to finish in the best possible way. Thanks to the crowd for coming out today, it was a great atmosphere here. I just love playing here and love playing indoors, so hopefully I can play a great match again tomorrow.”

The Italian, who has yet to drop a set at the ATP 250 event, is 11th (2,745 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, 210 points behind ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz (2,955). The Pole occupies the final qualification spot with eighth-placed Spaniard Rafael Nadal missing the season finale due to a foot injury. Should Sinner win the title in Antwerp he would move to within 110 points of Hurkacz.

When asked on qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, Sinner said: “It is a long way. There is still this tournament and then three to go. I have to play well in Vienna and well in Paris and there are other incredible players trying to get there. Hopefully this year, but if not I can be happy about my season.”

The top seed is aiming to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November. Sinner now leads Harris 1-0 in their ATP Head2Head series and is bidding to win his fourth tour-level title of the season in Antwerp, having triumphed in Melbourne, Washington and Sofia.

Victory would see Sinner draw level with Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev for the second most tour-level trophies won this season. Fellow Turin contender Casper Ruud, who is seventh in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin (3,015 points), leads the way with five titles.

“The courts are very similar to Sofia, where I have won the tournament twice,” Sinner added. “I love playing here, I think I can move well here. I am happy about my level today.”

That was some performance ?@janniksin powers past Harris 6-2, 6-2 to reach the final in Antwerp ?#EuropeanOpen pic.twitter.com/v3pUQz3h57

— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) October 23, 2021

Harris was competing in his second tour-level semi-final of the season, having reached the final in Dubai. The 24-year-old enjoyed a run to his maiden major quarter-final at the US Open last month.

Sinner will face second seed Diego Schwartzman in the championship match after the Argentine cruised past #NextGenATP American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-0 in 86 minutes to continue his love affair with the European Open.

The 29-year-old reached back-to-back finals in Antwerp in 2016 and 2017, before enjoying a run to the last four in 2018. Schwartzman will be aiming to win his second tour-level title of the season, having triumphed on home soil in Buenos Aires.

In a strong performance, Schwartzman broke Brooksby five times and won nine games in a row to secure victory in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

“It is always tough when you play an opponent you have never played before,” Schwartzman said in his on-court interview. “In the first game, you try and figure out how he is going to play and how I am going to play and how you feel the ball.

“I was just trying to put every ball in and I think the first set helped me because in the second set he was unable to do what he did in the first set. I kept my rhythm in the second set, which I think was the difference. I feel very comfortable here.”

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Ashleigh Barty: World number one misses WTA Finals and ends 2021 season early

World number one Ashleigh Barty ends her season and will not defend her WTA Finals title next month because of the quarantine rules she would face on her return to Australia.

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