Harris secures British win on Davis Cup debut
Debutant Billy Harris and Dan Evans ensure Great Britain’s quest to reach the Davis Cup knockout stage starts strongly – even in the absence of Jack Draper.
Debutant Billy Harris and Dan Evans ensure Great Britain’s quest to reach the Davis Cup knockout stage starts strongly – even in the absence of Jack Draper.
The United States swept Chile 3-0 in Wednesday’s Davis Cup Finals Group Stage clash, but the victory was less straightforward than the scoreline suggested. The Americans needed a deciding-set tie-break in all three matches in Zhuhai.
Reilly Opelka and Brandon Nakashima led the singles charge before Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram secured the clean sweep for Team USA.
“It was truly an epic day of tennis for both teams,” said United States team captain Bob Bryan. “Everyone showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts. Hats off to the Chileans. Hats off to our guys who were really digging deep, especially in the big moments.
“I don’t think it’s ever happened in Davis Cup that all matches went to the third-set breaker… historic day. Just feeling very, very proud of the players.”
[ATP APP]Opelka began the day by hammering 27 aces to edge past Cristian Garin 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) and improve to 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“My serve is the shot that had been taking me the longest to get back since my injury,” said Opelka, who is playing just his seventh event of the season.“I didn’t serve well at the US Open, but every week it’s been getting better. I’ve been starting to get the accuracy back.
“I think it’s going to continue to progress and get a little bit better and back to where it was, because you know I think it was one of the best.”
Nakashima, fresh off a career-best fourth-round run at his home Slam, made his Davis Cup debut in style. The 23-year-old overcame World No. 22 Alejandro Tabilo 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-6(3) after two hours, 44 minutes in humid conditions.
Tie: SEALED 🇺🇸@b_nakashima pulls through a brutal encounter against Tabilo 7-6(5) 2-6 7-6(3)!@DavisCup | #DavisCup pic.twitter.com/P60tUPyWXd
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 11, 2024
“It feels amazing,” said Nakashima. “It was my first ever Davis Cup win and to do it like that was super special. To get the win for the team was super important. I was really happy with the way I was playing.”
Krajicek and Ram, who partnered to win the Paris Olympics silver medal, closed the day by rallying past Tomas Barrios Vera and Matias Soto 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3). The Americans won 85 per cent of their first-serve points and saved four of the five break points they faced.
The United States will next clash against Slovakia on Friday. Chile faces Germany on Thursday.
Contribution from daviscup.com in the report.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Watch the best shots as Great Britain’s Dan Evans beats Finland’s Eero Vasa 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 in their opening Davis Cup tie.
The sound is thunderous, yet crisp and precise. Ballstriking that features a skillful blend of finesse and ferocity — each shot impeccably clean, but carrying a lethal force that overwhelms opponents.
Regardless of wing, Jannik Sinner is dominating the ATP Tour this season from the back of the court. The longer the rallies, the harder he pummels the ball, without dropping in consistency.
The Italian’s groundstrokes, intimidating as they are technically flawless, have placed him in a rare position of holding first place in both forehand shot quality (8.8) and backhand shot quality (8.48), according to Tennis Data Innovations, in partnership with TennisViz. It makes sense why Sinner is the runaway leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, tallying 9,000 ranking points, 2,885 more than second-placed Alexander Zverev.
The Champ @usopen 🎾👑@janniksin is dominating the Race to Turin leaderboard with an impressive 9⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣points🔥
Take a look at his standout #Insights numbers for the 2024 season so far👇#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/S0R5xGHhIB
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) September 9, 2024
The World No. 1, who also leads in return quality (8.04), is crushing his forehand at an average speed of 78 mph this season, five mph faster than the Tour average. It is a similar story with his two-handed backhand, which the 23-year-old hits on average at 73 mph, compared to the Tour-average 66 mph.
Sinner makes it even trickier by piercing both groundstrokes with a flatter trajectory. Compared to the rest of the field, Sinner’s forehand registers two centimetres lower over the net and his backhand five centimetres lower.
Given his baseline dominance, it’s little wonder that Sinner tops the leaderboard in another key category: Conversion. When in an attacking position in the point, the two-time major champion wins a tour-leading 73 per cent of points.
But Sinner, who also leads the Return shot quality index, is also one of the best performers when caught playing defence. When the US Open champion is pushed deep beyond the baseline, perhaps forced to hit an open-stance backhand, Sinner is still very much in the point. In fact, he may be favoured to claw his way back in the forecourt and strike a winner. Sinner is 10th in the Steal metric, winning 37.5 per cent of points during which he found himself playing defence at some stage in the point.
Sinner’s coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi have seen their charge’s transition game improve firsthand, and Insights from Tennis Data Innovations are evidence of the team’s hard work.
“I think that Simone has done an amazing job over the past couple of years, working on errors of [Jannik’s] game, both transition from defence… and to get some power on those in the corners,” Cahill told ESPN after Sinner won in Flushing Meadows.
“But also getting back and taking the point over and transitioning into offence as well. Simone has been an amazing coach. He’s done a great job the past two and a half, three years. And it’s been an absolute honour to work with him and see how he’s been able to evolve Jannik’s game.”
Jannik Sinner in 2024:
Forehand Speed = 78 mph (Tour Avg. = 73 mph)
Backhand Speed = 73 mph (Tour Avg. = 66 mph)
Forehand Spin = 3,049 rpm (Tour Avg. = 2,708 rpm)
Backhand Spin = 2,235 rpm (Tour Avg. = 1,977 rpm)
Canada made a winning start to its Group D Davis Cup Finals Group Stage on Tuesday in Manchester, where Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov earned victories to move the former champion into a 2-0 lead against Argentina with the remaining doubles to play.
In the opening match of the day, Shapovalov moved past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-3 to earn victory against the No. 31 player in the PIF ATP Rankings after one hour and 37 minutes.
Shapovalov converted all four break points he conjured up and capitalised on an erratic performance from Cerundolo, who committed 51 unforced errors.
World No. 21 Auger-Aliassime then walked onto court and brushed past Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-3. Auger-Aliassie suffered a disappointing first-round exit at the US Open last month but looked in control throughout on the indoor hard courts in Manchester to give Canada a 2-0 lead.
The Group Stage takes place in four cities, from Tuesday to Sunday, in Bologna, Manchester, Valencia and Zhuhai. Each group consists of four countries, with the top two countries in each group advancing to the Final 8, which will take place in Malaga on 19-24 November.
[ATP APP]In Group C, Germany shrugged off the sapping heat and humidity in Zhuhai to complete a 3-0 opening-day triumph over Slovakia and make a flying start to its campaign.
Michael Kohlmann’s side, playing without their top four singles players in the absence of Alexander Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff, Dominik Koepfer and Daniel Altmaier in Zhuhai this week, were still able to produce a result befitting the nation’s stature in the game, dropping a solitary set across three matches on Tuesday.
Maximilian Marterer toppled Lukas Klein 6-4 7-5 in the day’s opening singles before Yannick Hanfmann shook off the early rust for a battling 3-6 6-3 7-6(3) win over Jozef Kovalik to put the tie beyond doubt.
Ever-reliable duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz completed a 3-0 clean sweep with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Klein and Igor Zelenay in the doubles.
“I’ve very happy. We performed well today,” reflected German captain Michael Kohlmann. “In all matches we kept trying to find ways to win somehow. Yannick maybe wasn’t playing his best tennis but he kept fighting and found a way to win the match, and Maxi gave us a great start.
“He came out very good, very focussed, very concentrated. It was very important for the whole team to start with a win.”
Contribution from daviscup.com in the report.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Several #NextGenATP stars impressed on the biggest stages of the ATP Tour in recent months, claiming Top 20 victories and challenging for titles.
Alex Michelsen advanced to two ATP Tour finals in both Newport and Winston-Salem, Shang Juncheng notched up a Top 20 win over top seed Ben Shelton in Atlanta and Jakub Mensik had a run to the third round of the US Open.
Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca both broke new ground with debut ATP Challenger Tour crowns, while Arthur Fils continued his strong ascent with his biggest ATP title so far in Hamburg.
ATPTour.com looks at the current standings in the current PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah ahead of the NextGen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held from 18-22 December.
View PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah
Michelsen has strong swing on home turf
American Michelsen had a strong North American swing prior to the US Open, using the home support to make the final in both Newport and Winston-Salem. Michelsen swept past countrymen Reilly Opelka and Maxime Cressy en route to the final at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, narrowly losing to Marcos Giron in three sets.
The 20-year old also was also a runner-up at the Winston-Salem Open, defeating Christopher Eubanks and Pablo Carreno Busta before falling to Lorenzo Sonego. Michelsen also reached the doubles final at the Cincinnati Open alongside Mackenzie McDonald, with the Americans losing 6-2, 6-4 to fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.
<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/06/18/05/michelsen-nextgen-q3-review.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Alex Michelsen” />
Michelsen reached his third career final at Winston-Salem. (Photo credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
At the US Open, Michelsen advanced past countryman Eliot Spizzirri before falling to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Jannik Sinner.
After so much time spent travelling, Michelsen reflected on the fun memories he had when returning home.
“I’m going to say [the most fun was] when I got back from Wimby, because I hadn’t seen my friends in like, three, four months, and everyone was home for summer,” Michelsen said. “I played a lot of pickleball, went to the beach. It was a blast. I would say that in the last year for sure that’s the most fun I’ve had.”
Shang delights at Flushing Meadows
Shang reached the semi-finals as a qualifier in Atlanta, upsetting top seed and home favourite Shelton 7-6(6), 6-4. The 19-year-old also reached the third round at Winston-Salem, defeating seventh seed Mariano Navone.
Shang Juncheng defeated Ben Shelton en route to the semi-finals in Atlanta. (Photo credit: Adam Hagy/Getty Images)
Shang advanced to the third round at the US Open, his joint career-best result at a Grand Slam. He battled past Alexander Bublik and Roberto Carballes Baena before narrowly losing out to eighth seed Casper Ruud in five sets.
Shang explained to ATPTour.com how staying in the moment and acting level-headed has helped to keep him grounded.
“I take days off. Sometimes I don’t want to practise, just like a normal guy,” Shang said at the US Open. “I try not to think about too much of the other things that happened before, just focusing on the present and what’s going to happen in the future as well.”
Fils reaches new heights in Hamburg
Fils won his maiden ATP 500 title in Hamburg in July, taking down the top three seeds en route to victory. The Frenchman overcame Holger Rune and Sebastian Baez before facing home favourite and top seed Alexander Zverev. Fils saved an impressive 21 of 22 break points against the German according to Infosys ATP Stats to clinch the biggest title of his career.
At the US Open, the 20-year-old battled past fellow #NextGenATP star Tien in four sets in the opening round. Fils then suffered a tight four-set loss to Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the second round.
On court Fils has impressed and off court he has taken time to enjoy the experiences that the tour offers.
“I’m still young, so of course, I enjoy [travelling]. Maybe [it’s not] for the guys who are 35 or 40 they do because they play tennis,” Fils told ATPTour.com. “But me, I’m still young so I love to travel, sometimes with my friends, sometimes with my family, and every time with my coach.”
[ATP APP]Mensik and Fonseca remain in contention
Mensik advanced to the semi-finals in Umag, defeating fifth seed Luciano Darderi and Montreal champion Alexei Popyrin before losing to eventual winner Lorenzo Musetti. The 19-year-old also impressed at the US Open, equalling his performance at Flushing Meadows last year. The Czech upset 19th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the opening round and saved two match points against Tristan Schoolkate before overcoming the Australian in five sets. Mensik felt short in the third-round against Nuno Borges, but held three match points in the fourth set.
Off the court, Mensik turned his focus to his education, outlining his academic ambitions, “I was also doing final exams in school, so that was also a big part of my life, because before a Grand Slam [Roland Garros] I had final exams, and I had the elbow [injury],” Mensik said. “I was much more happier to play on the court, pain free. And obviously, with straight A’s in school.”
<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/06/18/03/mensik-nextgen-q3-review.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Jakub Mensik” />
Jakub Mensik saved match points to defeat Tristan Schoolkate at the US Open. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The 18-year-old Fonseca picked up his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Lexington. The Brazilian, who did not drop a set, defeated Gabriel Diallo and Hugo Grenier en route to victory.
Fonseca’s athletic ability was apparent to his parents from an early age.
“When he was two, we were like, ‘This boy is different,’” Fonseca’s father, Christiano said. “I remember that my yoga teacher came here and he started playing with the ball with Joao and he said to me, ‘This boy is different. He has much more reflexes and coordination than the average.’ Very young, we knew he was different.”
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Tien breaks new ground
American Tien captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title in July at Bloomfield Hills, rallying from a set down to defeat compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. He followed this up with a semi-final appearance at another Challenger event in Chicago, taking out second seed Benjamin Bonzi en route.
The 18-year-old also made an impressive run to the quarter-finals at the Winston-Salem Open as a qualifier, overcoming Fabian Marozsan and Thiago Seyboth Wild. At the US Open, Tien faced fellow #NextGenATP star Fils, losing in four sets in his third main-draw appearance at Flushing Meadows.
Tien played a semester of college tennis at the University of Southern California before turning pro last year. He wrote about the influence the experience had on him and the gratitude he felt.
“To my brothers, thank you for taking me in as the naive kid I was and opening my eyes to see that there was a part of tennis so much bigger than just myself,” Tien wrote on social media last year. “Above all else, thank you for the lifelong memories and friendships. You guys will always have my support, and I look forward to seeing you all crush it next year.”
Van Assche, Gaubas in the mix
Luca Van Assche, Vilius Gaubas, Henrique Rocha and Coleman Wong all remained in the mix for spots at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.
Van Assche and Gaubas both reached the third round of qualifying at the US Open while Rocha made the last 16 at a Challenger event in Porto. Wong advanced to the final of the Challenger event in Lincoln, losing to Jacob Fearnley.
Gaubas, Rocha and Wong are all looking to make their first appearance in Jeddah this year.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Captain Leon Smith says he is yet to make a decision whether US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper will play in Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Finland.
Dan Evans speaks to BBC Breakfast’s John Watson before playing for Great Britain in the Davis Cup Finals group stage in Manchester.
BBC Sport look at the growth of the racquet game, loved by celebrities and footballers alike.
For players with aspirations of competing on the biggest stages on the ATP Tour and in Grand Slam tournaments, it all begins on the ATP Challenger Tour. Such was the case for Jannik Sinner, who claimed his second major title Sunday at the US Open.
Roughly five years before his second Slam trophy, the Italian was lifting the trophy at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Lexington, Kentucky as a 17-year-old.
Is this a good omen for Joao Fonseca, the Brazilian who last month claimed the Lexington Challenger title just one day younger than Sinner? The #NextGenATP star’s triumph in Kentucky headlines key moments on the ATP Challenger Tour from Q3:
Fast-Rising Fonseca:
Less than a year removed from winning the 2023 US Open boys’ singles event, Fonseca did not drop a set en route to claiming his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Lexington. The Rio de Janeiro native, who turned 18 two-and-a-half weeks after his triumph, is the youngest Brazilian to win an ATP Challenger Tour title.
“In the ceremony, they gave me the trophy and announced, ‘Lexington is the first Challenger to have three 17-year-old champions. He said, ‘Shang Juncheng [2022], Jannik Sinner [2019],’” recalled Fonseca, sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. “That’s really nice.”
Fonseca entered the week having lost four of his past five matches across levels. But the teen quickly rebounded, becoming the second-youngest South American player to win a hard-court Challenger tournament, only behind Juan Martin del Potro.
Read ATPTour.com’s feature on Fonseca with insights from the teenager and his parents.
[ATP APP]
Fellow #NextGenATP Champions:
Fonseca was not the only teenage titlist to make history this past quarter. Gabriel Debru, 18, became the third-youngest Frenchman to win multiple Challenger trophies (since 1978), joining former Top 10 stars Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils. Debru won the Troyes Challenger (July) and in Como in September.
Vilius Gaubas survived a marathon, three-hour, two-minute final in Cordenons to lift his maiden Challenger title. The 19-year-old, seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, is the youngest of three Lithuanian champions in Challenger history.
Youngest ATP Challenger Tour champions in 2024
| Player | Age | Title |
| Joao Fonseca | 17 years, 11 months | Lexington |
| Joel Schwaerzler | 18 years, three months | Skopje |
| Gabriel Debru | 18 years, six months | Troyes |
Damir Dzumhur’s Dominant Title Run:
It has been a resurgent year for former World No. 23 Damir Dzumhur, who boasts a season-leading five Challenger titles. No other player has won more than three this season. The 32-year-old returned to the Top 100 in August for the first time in four-and-a-half years. The Bosnian has triumphed in Barletta, Ostrava, Zagreb, Santo Domingo and Istanbul, with the latter two coming in the past month.
“I’m not done yet. This is not where I want to stop. I just want to go step by step,” Dzumhur said last month. “I’m definitely more motivated [knowing] that I got back to the Top 100. It’s definitely nice to see your name among the Top 100 players.”
Richard Gasquet Gains Another Place In Record Books:
The Frenchman claimed his first Challenger title since 2017 in Cassis to become the third-oldest champion at that level, only behind Ivo Karlovic and Fernando Verdasco. Gasquet has made Challenger history throughout his two-decade-plus career, having become the second-youngest to win a title as a 16-year-old in 2002.
Wu Yibing Wins Comeback Tournament:
The Chinese star capped a dream comeback week by triumphing on home soil in Jinan. Playing in just his second tournament since last year’s US Open and first since April’s ATP 250 in Houston, Wu went all the way to capture his fifth Challenger title as World No. 582.
“That was my goal before coming here,” the wild card Wu said of winning the trophy. “I have high expectations of myself and also my team, we all work hard for it. It’s been more than [four] months since my last tournament. I feel happy. It’s the first step of coming back. And hopefully more to come.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]