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Alcaraz: ‘I’m really happy with the level’

  • Posted: Sep 27, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz is feeling well after reaching the second round of the China Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his opening Beijing match Friday.

“I’m really happy with the level that I played today,” Alcaraz said. “It wasn’t an easy match. Difficult to get the rhythm from the baseline.”

Alcaraz secured breaks in the opening games of both sets and won the match without dropping sets. But the second seed was tested by the big-serving, big-hitting Frenchman. Mpetshi Perricard held three break points when Alcaraz tried to close out the first set. Even though he saved them and eventually got out of trouble, the Spaniard admitted it was a tough matchup for him.

“I think I did what I had to do: put some returns in, put some pressure on his service game, play good points when I had the chance from the baseline,” Alcaraz said.

“I was able to return a lot of serves, but just had one break point. Coming from love-40, I know that every return game for me is really tough. For me, saving three break points and being able to close the first set, it was really important for me.”

Playing in the capital city of China for a second consecutive year, Alcaraz was full of praise for the tournament after his win.

“This tournament, for me it’s really good. We have a lot of facilities. The gym is pretty good, the locker rooms, the areas, the player lounge. Everything is pretty good for the players,” he shared.

“The fans, the people here are so kind. They are always trying, finding the ways to help us, make feel us as comfortable as they can.”

The Spaniard will now play Tallon Griekspoor in the second round. He has won all three meetings in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head Series.

Before the tournament, Alcaraz became the third singles player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The season finale will be played at Inalpi Arena from 10-17 November.

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Defending singles champion Shelton pulls double duty in Tokyo

  • Posted: Sep 27, 2024

Ben Shelton can’t stop winning at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships. 

Shelton moved to 7-0 in singles on Friday in Tokyo where he overcame Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals, before advancing to the same stage in doubles alongside Jordan Thompson.

The eighth seed converted three of the five break points he earned against Navone as he continued his bid to be the first player to defend the Tokyo title since Pete Sampras in 1993-94.

“I thought Mariano [Navone] was playing really well today and made things difficult,” Shelton said in his post-match interview after clinching his 35th win of the season. “It was a great match, a different feel compared to my first round, I feel like I’m really coming into form here.

“I thought I did a great job adjusting today, the ball was bouncing much lower and although this is my seventh singles match in Tokyo, it was the first time I played with the roof closed. There’s always going to be new challenges and weather issues. We’re lucky we have a roof here and we’re not sitting around waiting for the weather to clear up.”

The 21-year-old Shelton saved three of four break points against him, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as he closed out the match in 86 minutes. The No. 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings next faces #NextGen ATP talent Arthur Fils.

The Frenchman progressed after Matteo Berrettini retired due to injury when leading the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash 7-6(5). The 20-year-old Fils upset top seed Taylor Fritz earlier in the week to extend his lead at the top of the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah.

Shelton later teamed with US Open doubles champion and fellow Top 30 singles star Thompson, to seal a second success Friday. The pair defeated Japanese wild card duo Yoshihito Nishioka and Kaito Uesugi 7-6(3), 6-2 to make the quarter-finals.

 

Shelton and Thompson converted four of their six break points to set up a quarter-final clash with British pair Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.

#NextGen ATP talent Alex Michelsen and Alejandro Tabilo also progressed in the doubles draw, battling past Luciano Darderi and Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-7. They will next face Rinky Hijikata and Alexei Popyrin or Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.

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Alcaraz blunts Mpetshi Perricard threat to reach Beijing R2

  • Posted: Sep 27, 2024

Faced with one of the biggest serves on the ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz had little time to settle into his latest campaign at the China Open in Beijing.

However, the top seed adjusted quickly to the firepower of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Friday at the ATP 500, where he delivered a rock-solid performance for a 6-4, 6-4 first-round triumph. Alcaraz broke the Frenchman’s serve in the opening game of each set to overcome his fellow 21-year-old in 81 minutes.

“The plan was just to put as many returns in as I can,” said Alcaraz. “Honestly it wasn’t easy. He was serving 230 or 240 [km/h] almost every serve. Second set, 210 or 215. So, it wasn’t easy to play against him. He’s a really powerful player. Big serve, big shots from the baseline. So I had to be really focused. That was the plan. Try to not make too many mistakes and play aggressive from the baseline.”

Alcaraz converted both break points he earned in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Lyon champion Mpetshi Perricard. Although the Frenchman finished the match having won 83 per cent (20/24) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, his victory bid was undermined by lapses at the beginning of each set.

“In the first game of the match I returned pretty well and played good points from the baseline,” reflected Alcaraz. “In the first game of the second set, he did three double faults, so it helped me a lot to break the serve. After that I had to be really focused for the next games, and I’m really happy I did it.”

After securing victory in just his third tour-level match against a younger opponent, Alcaraz improved to 44-9 for the season. The Spaniard, whose qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals was confirmed earlier this week, will take on Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.

Alcaraz is seeking a deep run in Beijing in order to keep up the pressure on Jannik Sinner in the battle to finish as ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. Alcaraz is currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but can rise above Alexander Zverev into second by reaching the semi-finals in the Chinese capital. He trails Sinner, who is also into the second round in Beijing, by 2,990 points in the Live Race.

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Draper upsets Hurkacz, advances to Tokyo QFs

  • Posted: Sep 27, 2024

Jack Draper continued to make his mark against the ATP Tour’s top stars in 2024 by downing second seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 on Friday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

Draper, at a career high of World No. 20 after reaching his maiden major semi-final at the US Open, clinched his third win in four matches against Top 10 opponents by defeating Hurkacz in Tokyo. The 22-year-old built on his momentum from New York by winning 76 per cent of his first-serve points to defeat the World No. 8 in one hour and 24 minutes.

“I was pleased with a lot of things today, I thought my attitude was really good and I got myself out of some tough situations,” Draper said in his post match interview. “I played some pretty big points on my terms and that’s something I’ve wanted to do.

“He’s probably the best server in the world right now so I’m really happy with my composure, the way I approached the game and hopefully I can carry this momentum forward.”

Draper also saved all three of break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as he improved his Lexus ATP Head2Head record to 2-4 against the Pole. The Briton will next face Ugo Humbert, who eased past Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-2.

Hurkacz’s ambitions to play in the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin suffered a setback with his loss. The 27-year-old currently sits 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, 665 points off eighth place as he chases a third appearance at the prestigious season finale.

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Medvedev eases past Monfils in confident Beijing start, Rublev survives scare

  • Posted: Sep 27, 2024

After last year coming within touching distance of the trophy at the China Open, will 2024 be the year when Daniil Medvedev gets over the line in Beijing?

The third seed made an encouraging start to his campaign on Friday at the ATP 500 event, where he downed Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round. Medvedev stayed rock solid throughout the match to notch a 92-minute triumph and bounce back quickly from defeats to Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton last week at the Laver Cup.

Monfils’ victory bid was undermined by his inability to match Medvedev’s consistency in the Chinese capital. The Frenchman offered 46 unforced errors to just 22 from Medvedev, who converted five of 10 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I think the gameplan didn’t change too much [throughout the match],” said Medvedev, who fell to Jannik Sinner in the 2023 final and will play Adrian Mannarino in this year’s second round. “In a way, we both only really like to attack. I guess me maybe a bit more than him, but I think for him it is tough to attack. He defends very well. You have to be a really good attacker, like one of the best, or you need to wait for the opportunity.

“So that’s what I tried to do. Wait for my opportunity. I think I had more chances, so I think I deserved to win.”

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By defeating Monfils, Medvedev hit 40 tour-level wins for the season. It is the sixth time that the 28-year-old has hit that tally in his career, and his latest victory also bolstered his Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances. Medvedev remains fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 580 points clear of fifth-placed Taylor Fritz.

“Honestly the wins are, in a way, not important, because it depends how many tournaments you play, but it’s still good to win a lot of matches,” said Medvedev. “So I’m happy that I’ve managed to continue winning matches. I still have some tournaments to go, so I have the chance to bring the tally even higher. I try to be consistent throughout the year. Sometimes I’m more consistent, sometimes less, but that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Two other Turin hopefuls, Andrey Rublev and Lorenzo Musetti, also advanced on Friday. What initially appeared could be a routine win for Rublev against Pablo Carreno Busta ultimately turned into a dogfight, but the fourth seed prevailed 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 to improve to 5-0 in first-round matches in Beijing. Currently seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, Rublev will rise to fifth if he can lift his third ATP Tour crown of the season at the China Open.

The sixth-seeded Italian Musetti held off Zizou Bergs for a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 triumph, one which consolidated his position in 15th in the Live Race. Musetti will rise above Frances Tiafoe into 14th if he can defeat Buyunchaokete in the second round. The Chinese wild card earlier downed Chengdu champion Shang Juncheng 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4.

Top seed Sinner’s next opponent in Beijing will be Roman Safiullin, after the World No. 69 defeated wild card Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4, while seventh seed Karen Khachanov and Francisco Cerundolo set a second-round meeting. Khachanov sunk Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-4 after Cerundolo overcame #NextGenATP Jakub Mensik 7-6(4), 6-1.

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This Is Tennis: What advice would Andrey Rublev give to his younger self?

  • Posted: Sep 27, 2024

Andrey Rublev does not shy away from expressing his raw emotions. That was also the case off the court, recently.

As part of the ATP’s This Is Tennis campaign, Rublev shared a special message for his 12-year-old self, reflecting on his journey and what he has learned.

“What I’ve learned is success isn’t going to make you happy, only you can do that for yourself,” he shared.

The No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings shared plenty of more advice with his younger self. What did Rublev say?

Watch the full video below to find out!

 

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