Tennis News

My Masters 1000: Diego Schwartzman

Diego Schwartzman is set for his fourth appearance at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, Canada’s ATP Masters 1000 event. The 28-year-old is the eighth seed, and will begin his run against Washington finalist Mackenzie McDonald or Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Schwartzman recently spoke to ATPTour.com about his favourite Masters 1000 matches, memories and venues.

Which ATP Masters 1000 host city is your favourite and why?
I am going to choose Rome because I did so well [there in the] past two years and I love the city. It is like the chicken and the egg. Maybe because I enjoy the city, I have a good tournament or maybe I enjoy the city because I am winning matches.

Which Masters 1000 would you most like to win?
Monte Carlo. A lot of history there, Argentine history as well. We love that tournament, so maybe one year [I can win].

Do you remember your Masters 1000 debut? 
In Indian Wells [in 2015], I knew before the match that Roger Federer was [waiting] in the second round. It was a special match against [Jerzy] Janowicz. He was doing very well at that time… It was a very tough match, but I won 7-6 in the third set and I was really nervous at the end. I won the last point and I was jumping and doing something with my legs. I don’t remember exactly what, but it was really fun.

What do you consider to be your best Masters 1000 win?
Rafa last year in Rome. I was not playing my best tennis from the start of the [Tour resumption] and I arrived to the match against Rafa trying to be able to play good tennis and feel good on court again. I was able to play my best tennis ever. That match was special… I was able to take every chance he gave me in the match. It was a perfect match and obviously, against Rafa on clay, it was special.

What is your favourite off-court memory or activity at a Masters 1000?
I think in Shanghai, the first time I went there. China has a totally different culture, people and language. When I went there, I found many different things that I really loved to watch. The food, how the people sit [with their meals] is very difficult. I cannot do it… Everything was totally different for me at that time.

What is your dream match at a Masters 1000 (who would you play & at which tournament)?
Indian Wells, beating Roger in the final.

Toughest match you’ve played at a Masters 1000?
A lot of matches. In Rome last year against Shapovalov, it was a crazy match. He served for the match and I won 7-6 in the third. We were fighting to be Top 10… After that, I was able to be in the Top 10 for the first time [for] Roland Garros… We were both playing such good tennis. When you are feeling good, with good timing and good conditions, and you are able to play good tennis, sometimes you forget everything.

Greatest match you’ve ever seen at a Masters 1000 event?
I think the one I really remember was Juan Martin del Potro coming back against Roger [in the 2018 Indian Wells final]. He was able to come back from [three] match points down… against Roger in Indian Wells, [which Roger] won many times. It was a crazy match and I was watching it on TV. [It was] Delpo’s first time winning there and he was coming back from the injuries. It was special for him and Argentine tennis.

What is your favourite court at any of the Masters 1000 events?

Monte Carlo. It is a special place. Also being a Latin-American guy, on clay it is a different feeling. Rome and Madrid also are special places, but centre court in Monte Carlo… it is different.

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Sinner Soars To Career-High After Washington Title, Mover Of Week

No. 15 Jannik Sinner, +9 (Career-High)
The #NextGenATP Italian has jumped nine spots to a career-high No. 15 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after he captured the Citi Open title in Washington. The 19-year-old is the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009, with no other teen lifting a trophy at this level. The three-time tour-level titlist dropped just one set all week en route to victory. Read Washington Final Report & Watch Highlights

View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings

No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, +1 (Career-High)
Despite not playing last week, the 22-year-old has moved one place to a career-high No. 3. The Greek has won two tour-level titles this year at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon, while also advancing to his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in June. The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion is the third seed in Toronto this week.

No. 55 Kei Nishikori, +12
The 31-year-old has moved 12 places after he reached the semi-finals in Washington. It is the first time the Japanese star has reached the last four at a tour-level event since Barcelona in 2019. The former World No. 4, who lifted the Citi Open trophy in 2015, last won a tour-level title at the 2019 Brisbane International.

No. 64 Mackenzie McDonald, +43
After advancing to his first ATP Tour final at the Citi Open, the American has risen 43 spots to No. 64 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The 26-year-old defeated Australian Nick Kyrgios and Nishikori in Washington.

No. 97 Jenson Brooksby, +33
The #NextGenATP American has broken into the Top 100 for the first time, climbing 33 spots to No. 97 after reaching the semi-finals in Washington on his ATP 500 debut. The 20-year-old record a career-best win at the Citi Open, overcoming World No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round. 

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 32 Reilly Opelka, +4
No. 36 Marton Fucsovics, +2
No. 40 Taylor Fritz, +2
No. 90 Denis Kudla, +13

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Citi Open: Jannik Sinner beats Mackenzie McDonald for biggest ATP title yet

Italian teenager Jannik Sinner wins the Citi Open in Washington on Sunday to claim the biggest ATP title of his career.

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Sinner Surges Into Nitto ATP Finals Contention

What a difference a week can make. Jannik Sinner arrived in Washington on a four-match losing streak, having just fallen to World No. 132 Christopher O’Connell in Atlanta.

Five victories and a Citi Open title later, the Italian was crowned the first teenage champion at an ATP 500 event. A 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 triumph over Mackenzie McDonald capped a welcome resurgence of form and importantly catapulted Sinner into 10^th place in the FedEx ATP Race to Turin, moving him into contention for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 14-21 November.

FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings (as of 9 August 2021)

Sinner could join countryman Matteo Berrettini as one of two Italians to qualify for the season finale, which will be staged in Italy this year for the first time. The 19-year-old stands to add crucial points in coming weeks as the North American hard-court swing turns to ATP Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam at the US Open.

Sinner has not yet won a main-draw match in Cincinnati or Flushing Meadows and makes his debut this week at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto against Australian qualifier James Duckworth or American Taylor Fritz in the second round.

Novak Djokovic is the only player who has sealed his place at the Nitto ATP Finals, for which eight players will qualify. The Serbian (7,170) leads the Race ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas (4,660), Matteo Berrettini (3,505) and Andrey Rublev (3,250).

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Daniil Medvedev (3,020) is well-positioned to make another appearance at the prestigious year-end event. Currently sixth in the Race, he enters the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers as the top seed.

Casper Ruud (2,270) has made huge inroads in the past month to put himself in eighth in the Race. The Norwegian star completed a clay-court hat-trick with victories in consecutive weeks in Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbühel, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat in a decade. The 22-year-old trails seventh-placed Rafael Nadal (2,985) by 715 points in the Race.

Only 250 points separate Ruud and Sinner (2,020), with Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz (2,190) sitting between them in ninth place. Sinner jumped past Aslan Karatsev, Denis Shapovalov and Cameron Norrie with his Citi Open title run this week.

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Red-Hot #NextGenATP Star Brooksby Makes Top 100 Breakthrough

Less than four months ago, Jenson Brooksby was outside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. But after a red-hot stretch, including runs to the Newport final and the Washington semi-finals, the #NextGenATP American on Monday cracked the Top 100 for the first time at World No. 97.

“I’m excited. It seems like a cliche answer, but I know I have the game to do it and I’m glad obviously I’ve done it in a short period of time,” Brooksby told ATPTour.com. “Let’s see how high I can push it.”

Brooksby has picked up high marks from some of the sport’s greatest minds. Former World No. 1 Andy Murray on Friday tweeted his praise for the 20-year-old.

“Jenson Brooksby is the sort of player I love to watch…lots of variety.. high tennis IQ…. great in defence,” Murray wrote. “His slice and backhand volley are almost identical to Florian Mayer.”

Jenson Brooksby is the sort of player I love to watch…lots of variety..high tennis IQ….great in defence..?
His slice and backhand volley are almost identical to Florián Mayer.#tennis @atptour

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) August 6, 2021

Brooksby was excited to hear about Murray’s tweet. “I think that’s very accurate. Obviously that’s great to hear from Andy,” he said in a press conference in Washington. “He’s been one of the best in the sport and a great guy to look up to. That means a lot. Those are great words coming from him.”

The Californian is an unorthodox disrupter on the court. The American rarely misses and finds ways to put the ball in uncomfortable positions for his opponent, much like Murray and Daniil Medvedev do. He also has a two-handed backhand slice and is unafraid of mixing in drop shots or net rushes if necessary.

Frances Tiafoe described his countryman’s game style well after losing to Brooksby in Washington.

“[He] is super unorthodox. Obviously everything he does is pretty strange,” Tiafoe said. “[He] puts you in awkward positions, makes you play an extra ball, has great anticipation of the ball. [He] is really solid, makes you play a lot.”

Brooksby, who is an intense competitor, enjoys putting his opponents in those difficult positions and frustrating them.

“I really do. I’m sure a lot of people may think of it as, ‘Oh, someone had a bad day or something,’” Brooksby said. “But in my mind, that’s the result of my game doing the right things, exposing their weaknesses.”

Brooksby, who received a wild card into his first ATP Masters 1000 event at this week’s National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, has turned his unique game and competitive spirit into a lot of winning in 2021. In addition to his recent ATP Tour success, the American has claimed his first three ATP Challenger Tour titles this season.

“I really believe this is my level, and it’s not too surprising for me,” Brooksby said. “Obviously I’m happy that I have been able to do it consistently most weeks, and that’s [moreso] that my mental toughness has improved more than anything.”

^{Photo Credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour}
Although Brooksby is happy to crack the Top 100, he has no intention of stopping here. The #NextGenATP star is keen to continue pushing forward.

“Hopefully I’ll have a lot more firsts out there. I believe I will,” Brooksby said. “I’m just excited to keep playing and keep learning.”

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Brothers In Arms: Cerundolos Join Elite Company With Fran's Title In Cordenons

It has been an Argentine assault on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2021. The South American nation celebrated its 10th title on the circuit this year, as Francisco Cerundolo lifted the trophy on the clay of Cordenons, Italy.

Cerundolo dominated the final on Sunday, routing in-form countryman Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1, 6-2 in one hour and 33 minutes. The 22-year-old, who was coming off his Olympic debut in Tokyo, played inspired tennis in his return to the ATP Challenger Tour. It was the Argentine’s fourth Challenger crown in total and first of the year.

Cerundolo’s convincing victory was even more impressive considering Etcheverry’s stunning run of form in recent weeks, having claimed a pair of titles on Italian soil while amassing a 17-2 record. Cerundolo saved all six break points faced to oust his close friend and longtime rival, edging ahead 3-2 in their head-to-head series.

“It was a special match,” said Cerundolo. “Playing against a friend and winning always gives me great emotions. Etcheverry just won the title in Trieste and is having an incredible run in the Italian Challengers, so it was never going to be easy. We are very good friends for many years. It’s special to play a final against each other and hopefully we can have more matches like these in the future.”

With the victory, the Buenos Aires native and his brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo joined an exclusive list of siblings to triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour in the same season. One of the breakthrough #NextGenATP stars of 2021, Juan Manuel had captured his maiden title earlier in the year in Rome.

Brothers With Challenger Titles In Same Season

The Cerundolos are the sixth set of brothers to lift Challenger trophies in the same season, joining the Griekspoors, Melzers, Rochuses, Lapenttis and Simpsons in achieving the special feat. In fact, it has happened three times in the last five years, with Tallon Griekspoor and Scott Griekspoor both capturing crowns in 2018, just one year after Jurgen Melzer and Gerald Melzer celebrated titles.

Francisco is now on the brink of cracking the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, rising to a career-high No. 111 on Monday. He will be one of the more feared competitors in New York, when US Open qualifying gets underway in two weeks.

In other action… Alex Molcan was a ruthless force in claiming his maiden ATP Challenger Tour on Sunday in Liberec, Czech Republic. The Slovak dropped a combined 17 games throughout the week at the Svijany Open, culminating in a 6-1, 6-0 semi-final win over Malek Jaziri and a 6-0, 6-1 domination of Tomas Machac for the championship.

Molcan was hungry to lift his first trophy, following a pair of Challenger final defeats in Sevilla in 2018 and in Prostejov earlier this year. He also played for the title at the ATP 250 stop in Belgrade in May, falling to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“I’m really happy that I finally managed to break my bad luck in finals and win the tournament,” said Molcan. “I played really well in all the matches in Liberec. The positive thing for me is that I was able to keep the level of my game high throughout the week.”

The 23-year-old is Slovakia’s first Challenger champion since 2019. He rises 17 spots to a career-high No. 136 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

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Day 1 Preview: Kyrgios Aims To Fell Opelka In Toronto

Wild card Nick Kyrgios headlines Day 1 of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto when he squares off against another big server in American Reilly Opelka. The Australian owns a 5-6 record in Canada’s ATP Masters 1000 event, but has fallen at the first hurdle in his previous two outings there.

The World No. 77 has contested only five tour-level events in 2021 and has gone 1-2 in North America since Wimbledon, including an opening-round defeat to eventual finalist Mackenzie McDonald at the Citi Open last week.

His best wins this season both came over Frenchman Ugo Humbert in five sets at a major – in the second round at the Australian Open and first round at Wimbledon. It marks the first time since the North American hard-court swing in 2019 that Kyrgios has played three tournaments back-to-back.

Click Here For Full Day 1 Schedule

“I don’t take any match for granted any more. Every time I’m at an event, at a special one… I don’t take any day for granted,” Kyrgios said in Washington, D.C last week. “I love being around it. I try and soak in as much as I can. Just the practice, being around the courts, being at the highest level, I don’t take that for granted.”

Opelka is 2-2 since the switch to hard court on home soil and comes off a second-round defeat to John Millman in Washington, D.C last week. In May, the No. 36 in the FedEx ATP Rankings reached his maiden ATP Tour Masters 1000 semi-final in Rome before he fell to Rafael Nadal. He has never faced Kyrgios and the winner will take on No. 14 seed Grigor Dimitrov in the second round.

? Kyrgios in the building.@NickKyrgios | #NBO21 pic.twitter.com/B9tIGmr0pJ

— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) August 8, 2021

World No. 37 Marin Cilic contests his first event since claiming a silver medal in doubles with Ivan Dodig at the Tokyo Olympics last month. The 32-year-old, who went down to eventual bronze medallist Pablo Carreno Busta in the second round of the singles, faces Spain’s Albert Ramos Vinolas in the first round on Monday. Cilic leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head ledger 4-3, however the Spaniard claimed their most recent encounter in straight sets in Shanghai two years ago.

The Croatian has a 12-10 record at this event and has performed better when it has been held in Toronto. His two quarter-finals appearances in Canada came on debut in 2008 and a decade later, both times in Toronto. He lost to Dominic Thiem in the round of 16 two years ago and would meet sixth seed Casper Ruud next should he prevail.

British World No. 27 Daniel Evans carries a 1-1 ATP Head2Head record into his first round in Toronto against dangerous 24-year-old Alexander Bublik. Evans prevailed on hard court in Adelaide last year, while Bublik claimed the rubber for Kazakhstan on an indoor hard court in the 2019 Davis Cup Finals in Spain. The winner will meet top seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in the round of 16.

Italian Fabio Fognini and German Jan-Lennard Struff have also split their two ATP Head2Head meetings ahead of their first-round clash in Toronto. World No. 32 Fognini comes off a three-set round of 16 defeat to Medvedev in Tokyo, while world No. 46 Struff fell to top seed Novak Djokovic there in the second round. Fourth seed Andrey Rublev awaits in the second round.

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Sinner Shines In Washington, Beats McDonald For First ATP 500 Title

Jannik Sinner is only 19, but he certainly does not play like it.

The Italian overcame his nerves and American Mackenzie McDonald 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 on Sunday to win the Citi Open and became the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009. No other teen has lifted a trophy at the level.

Given the pressure of the moment and McDonald’s grittiness — the home favourite saved 10 set points in the first set and 16 break points in the match — many teens would have struggled to battle through. But Sinner showed little frustration and defied his nerves to remain focused and become the third-youngest champion in tournament history behind Andy Roddick (2001) and Juan Martin del Potro (2008).

“I think there is still much work to do, to be honest. A lot of experience to put in, working hard as we are doing now, and trying to play important matches and important moments of a match,” Sinner said. “Today I think I had a lot of them. I can learn many things [from] today.”

Sinner claimed the biggest title of his career with the loss of just one set in five matches. The fifth seed lost an opportunity to serve for the championship at 5-3 in the third set. But after two hours and 53 minutes, he completed his impressive run at a tournament that has been won by the likes of all-time greats Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors. 

“When you see somebody is the youngest or whatever, I don’t put much weight on that. There are a lot of players who have done much, much better than me,” Sinner said. “It’s not about who is the youngest or whatever.
I just want to improve, work hard.”

It was anything but easy against McDonald. Sinner showed that not only does he have plenty of weaponry in his physical game, but incredible mental fortitude to fend off disappointment and find a way to win.

In the first set, it seemed Sinner’s firepower would be too much for his opponent to handle. The threat of the Italian’s raw power forced McDonald to make atypical baseline mistakes, and that proved the difference early on. It felt like the American was clawing to avoid letting the match slip away.

But even though he won the opening set, Sinner lost his serve twice in the frame, which was surprising given he had only dropped three service games in his first four matches. McDonald attacked the teen’s kick second serve to try to get on top of rallies, and that paid dividends in the second set.

The American cut down on his errors by dropping further behind the baseline and saved the two break points he faced in the second set. Using the home crowd, McDonald broke and held onto his serve to force a decider in his first ATP Tour final.

That is where the class of Sinner, the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion, showed. This year’s Sofia titlist, who rarely displays emotions on court, let out a massive roar after forcing a volley error from the World No. 107 to break in his first return game of the third set. He sprinted to a 3-0 lead and held two championship points on McDonald’s serve at 5-2.

But like the rest of the match, it was not simple to finish the job. McDonald played aggressive tennis to save those two championship points and broke Sinner when the teen served for the match. It was that same fight that helped McDonald get through long hours of physical therapy and rehabilitation following right hamstring surgery in June 2019.

Sinner did not panic, though. He earned his fifth service break when the American missed a backhand into the net, and the Italian held his arms in the air as a show of both relief and celebration.

“I think it’s tough mentally, because I had a lot of chances. I couldn’t use [them], because first he was playing better in the crucial moments,” Sinner said. “But I tried to work for one more chance and tried to break him like this.”

McDonald was trying to become the first American champion at the Citi Open since Roddick in 2007, and the third-lowest-ranked champion in tournament history.

Did You Know?
This was the 146th ATP 500 event since the category was created. Before Sinner triumphed on Sunday, the youngest titlist at this level was 20-year-old Alexander Zverev, who lifted the Citi Open trophy in 2017.

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Tsitsipas Set To Climb To World No. 3: 'I've Put In So Much Work To Make It'

Stefanos Tsitsipas is excited to be back in Toronto for the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. But the Greek is also thrilled for recognition he will earn before striking a ball at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event.

The 22-year-old is projected to climb to a career-high No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on Monday, passing Rafael Nadal.

“Being at the ranking that I will be tomorrow, it is a huge motivation and a very good indication that I’ve done great so far,” Tsitsipas said. “[I am] just generally blessed that I’ve put in so much work to make it to the top three, which [I would consider] quite a special milestone.”

Tsitsipas first cracked the Top 10 more than two years ago after a run to the Dubai final. But the Greek sees this accomplishment on another level.

“That [Top 10 breakthrough] was a great dream of mine being fulfilled. The top three is on its own, something completely different,” Tsitsipas said. “My purpose of doing this is self-improvement and trying to become a better person through tennis, so it matters.”

The Greek will not stop pushing to improve, though. That is Tsitsipas’ daily focus.

“I wake up every single day with a goal: to get better. To get better with my tennis, to get better in the sport that I chose to follow in my life,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m very happy I get to play that sport. I’m very happy that I get to inspire people doing what I do.”

Tsitsipas has fond memories of Toronto, where he made his first Masters 1000 final in 2018. During that run, the Greek became the youngest player to beat four Top 10 opponents at a single tournament since the ATP Tour was established in 1990.

Seeded third at this edition, Tsitsipas will hope to go even further at the Aviva Centre. He will play French lefty Ugo Humbert or Italian Lorenzo Sonego in his opening match and could face 2021 breakthrough star Aslan Karatsev in the third round.

“I’m feeling good with my game, really happy to be back to Toronto, one of my favourite places to compete and play tennis,” Tsitsipas said. “The location is exactly as I remember it. I’m just generally happy to be competing here again.”

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Klaasen/McLachlan Capture Washington Title

Fourth seeds Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan overcame Neal Skupski and Michael Venus 7-6(4), 6-4 on Sunday at the Citi Open in Washington to win their first ATP Tour title of the season.

The South African-Japanese tandem did not drop a set this week en route to the trophy in the United States’ capital. Klaasen and McLachlan battled back from 3-5 in the first set, winning 86 per cent (32/37) of their first-service points to record victory in one hour and 46 minutes.

“It is a fantastic feeling,” Klaasen said. “To finally get over that hump, as we have lost a couple of semi-finals, it is nice to have finished it off. Especially here in Washington, where I won the title in 2019, it was nice to come out here and do it again. In the second set we were hanging on for dear life and we were probably the worse team. But being together for a year now, the experience probably helps.

“With this scoring system, you know things can change in a heartbeat. We have been on the receiving end of a few losses like this. We made a couple of key returns at 3-5 in the first set to stay alive and fortunately today it worked out for us. You have to hang in until the end of the set.”

Klaasen and McLachlan enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July, and reached the semi-finals at ATP 250 events in Santiago, Estoril and Geneva this year.

It is the second ATP Tour crown the pair has won together, having captured the bett1HULKS Championship in Cologne last October on their team debut. Individually, It is the 18th tour-level title Klassen has won, while it is the seventh time McLachlan has triumphed.

In a tight first set, Klaasen and McLachlan responded from losing serve in the eighth game to quickly level at 5-5. They then raised their level in the tie-break to move ahead before breaking at 5-4 in the second set to seal their victory.

Second seeds Skupski and Venus were making their team debut this week and beat #NextGenATP stars Sebastian Korda and Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.

Earlier in the season, Skupski reached back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 finals with Daniel Evans in Miami and Monte-Carlo (l. to Mektic/Pavic both times) and won the title in Acapulco with brother Ken Skupski. Venus has captured two titles with two partners this year: Hamburg with Tim Puetz and Geneva with John Peers.

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