Tennis News

Milan Groups Are Set

The groups for the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals were set Saturday in Milan.

The 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is making his debut at the 21-and-under event and will lead Group A alongside Brandon Nakashima, Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune.

Italian Lorenzo Musetti will carry home hopes in Milan at the fourth edition of the event and will compete in Group B. The 19-year-old is joined by Sebastian Korda, Sebastian Baez and Hugo Gaston.

Group A
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
Brandon Nakashima (United States)
Juan Manuel Cerundolo (Argentina)
Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune (Denmark)

Group B
Sebastian Korda (United States)
Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)
Sebastian Baez (Argentina)
Hugo Gaston (France)

Alcaraz has enjoyed a breakthrough 2021 season, capturing his maiden tour-level title in Umag, before he earned his first Top 10 win over No. 3-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the US Open quarter-finals. The Spaniard will look to follow in the footsteps of previous Next Gen ATP Finals champions Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner.

Nakashima trained in Milan on Saturday after earning his place following an impressive year. The 20-year-old reached back-to-back tour-level finals in Los Cabos and Atlanta and arrives in form, after winning an ATP Challenger Tour title in Brest last week.

Six different countries are represented in the eight-man singles field, with the event to be held at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, from 9-13 November.

Musetti features in Group B following a standout season in which he rose from No. 128 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 57 in September. Korda will rival the Italian in Group B after securing his spot. The American captured his maiden tour-level crown in Parma in May and enjoyed a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon in July.

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Djokovic Claims Rollercoaster Hurkacz Win To Reach Paris Final

Novak Djokovic rallied from a set down – and a shock final-set fadeout – to defeat Hubert Hurkacz Saturday to power into his seventh Rolex Paris Masters final, clinching the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking for a record seventh time in the process.

The 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(5) win guarantees that the Serb will finish the year No. 1, breaking a tie of six year-end No. 1 finishes he has shared with Pete Sampras (1993-1998).

“Just proud and extremely happy,” Djokovic said of clinching No. 1. “Obviously that was one of the biggest goals and it’s always one of the biggest goals, to try to be No. 1 and end the season as No. 1,” Djokovic said. “To do it for the record seventh time and surpass my childhood idol and role model, Pete, is incredible. Very grateful, very blessed to be in this position.”

Djokovic on Sunday will play for his sixth Paris title as he looks to break another significant record he shares: He is tied with Rafael Nadal for most ATP Masters 1000 titles won (36).

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Simply incredible, @DjokerNole ? @FedEx pic.twitter.com/DTmYrmQfUw

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 6, 2021

Djokovic responded from dropping the first set to bagel Hurkacz in the second set and continued on to win 10 of 11 games to break open the match with a 4-1 lead in the third set. The Pole struggled to hit winners against the elastic Serb, who was always expected to be steadiest from the baseline, seemingly leaving Hurkacz without a clear path to victory.

But in a dramatic plot twist, the Pole rediscovered his first serve and penetrating groundstrokes to pressure Djokovic, who had seized momentum largely by making fewer errors. Suddenly, “steady as she goes” no longer was good enough to get the job done given Hurkacz’s renewed confidence and “go big or go home” mindset.

Hurkacz broke back for 3-4 and then levelled at 4-all and saved a match point on his own serve at 4-5. Little separated the pair in the dramatic third-set tie-break, but Djokovic emerged victorious when Hurkacz narrowly pushed wide a backhand volley.

Despite a standout season that saw him come within one match of completing the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, the Belgrade native is looking for his first Masters 1000 title of the year. As he continues to round into form in his first tournament since the US Open, Djokovic successfully rallied from losing the first set for the 13th time this year.

“I was not concerned much,” Djokovic said of the lack of match practice coming into the tournament. “To be honest, I enjoyed my time off and spent plenty of time with my family and spent time at my tennis center in Serbia where I have a lot of work to do and some other things that occupy my time.

“I wasn’t bored without tennis, but I like competing so I was looking forward to coming to Paris and the biggest reason coming here was to clinch the year-end No. 1. Now that I managed to do it, it’s a huge relief, as well.”

In Sunday’s final he will play defending champion Daniil Medvedev, who will be looking to level his ATP Head2Head series against the Serb to 5-5. So while he is delighted to have clinched year-end No. 1, Djokovic is not resting.

”The job is not done,” he said. “Obviously reaching the finals of one of the biggest tournaments that we have in our sport on our tour is something that stands out regardless of the year-end achievement that is completed.

”So hopefully going to have another great match tomorrow, and then take it from there.”

Miami champion Hurkacz will now turn his focus to his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he may get the opportunity to improve his 0-3 ATP Head2Head record against Djokovic.

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Mektic/Pavic Claim Year-End No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have clinched the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking after a season full of historic achievements. Pavic has finished in top spot twice before, partnering Oliver Marach in 2018 and Bruno Soares last year. This is the first time Mektic has been part of the year-end No. 1 tandem.

The Croatians are the only men from their country to claim year-end No. 1 in singles or doubles. They began the year in top form and never looked back, tallying an impressive nine tour-level titles, including victories at Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and three ATP Masters 1000 events.

“I think it’s a really good achievement, especially after the year we had. I was really looking forward to this happening,” Mektic said. “That was definitely one of the goals when I saw how things were going. I think it’s a pretty good achievement to crown the whole year of really nice wins and great tournament titles with the No. 1 ranking.”

“I’m extremely happy. Obviously it’s been the third time for me in the past four years with three different partners. It is the first time I’ve done it with my fellow Croatian, so I think it’s definitely a big achievement for us personally, but also in general for Croatian tennis to have a year-end No. 1 team coming from Croatia,” Pavic said. “I think it’s a big achievement. Obviously we had a great year and we’re looking forward to playing in Turin this year at the Finals and trying to finish the year the same as we started.”

Mektic, 32, and Pavic, 28, began their partnership this year with titles at the Antalya Open (d. Dodig/Polasek) and the Murray River Open (d. Chardy/Martin) before advancing to the Australian Open semi-finals. Their season-opening 12-match winning streak was a sign of things to come.

The Croatians won 56 of their first 61 matches in 2021, including Masters 1000 triumphs at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Evans/N. Skupski both times) and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Ram/Salisbury). Mektic and Pavic made history at Wimbledon, where they became the first all-Croatian team to win a men’s doubles Grand Slam title (d. Granollers/Zeballos).

The countrymen did not suffer a let-down at the Tokyo Olympics, where they defeated fellow Croatians Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig for the gold medal. Mektic and Pavic have also lifted trophies at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (d. Krawietz/Tecau) and the Viking International Eastbourne (d. Ram/Salisbury) this year. 

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman said: “Congratulations to Nikola and Mate on an outstanding season and finishing the year as No.1. To start so strongly and have such success in their first season as a team is impressive and they should be truly proud of their achievements. We look forward to seeing them in action in Turin at the Nitto ATP Finals.”

Mektic and Pavic will be the top seeds at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November. Mektic emerged victorious alongside Dutchman Wesley Koolhof at the season finale last year, when it was held at The O2 in London.

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Preview: Djokovic's Date With No. 1 Destiny In Paris

Tennis fans who can’t wait for the start of the Nitto ATP Finals could do worse than to tune into the semi-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals Saturday, where four Turin qualifiers will continue their pursuit of the year’s final ATP Masters 1000 title.

And, for good measure, fans may also witness Novak Djokovic create history by clinching the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking for a record seventh time, a feat the Serb can lock up should he beat Hubert Hurkacz. For pure entertainment value, the second semi-final between US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev is also must-see TV.

Chasing a record-breaking 37th Masters 1000 title, five-time Paris champion Djokovic takes a 2-0 ATP Head2Head lead into his battle with Hurkacz, who on Friday sealed the eighth and final singles berth in Turin. The pair has not played since Wimbledon in 2019.

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?? Djokovic v. Hurkacz ??
?? Zverev v. Medvedev ??#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/PAvtxjjDqJ

— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) November 5, 2021

Djokovic is appearing in his 71st Masters 1000 semi-final; Hurkacz has only been here once before, but made the most of that opportunity when he pushed on to take the Miami title in March.

Counterbalancing his experience is Djokovic’s lack of match play; he is making his first tournament appearance since falling one match shy of completing the Grand Slam in the US Open final against Medvedev. But he has been steadily rounding back into form this week.

“I was absent from the Tour for two months, coming into this tournament, and the last competitive match I played was in the US Open final, compared to the other guys playing one or two events prior to Paris,” said Djokovic. “I knew that I needed to start well, with good intensity and put in a lot of hours on the practice court. But it’s different when you play points in a competitive match.”

Most Tour-Level Match Wins 2021

Despite the high stakes, Poland’s Hurkacz will be able to play freely this week for the first time after finally clinching his place in Turin with Friday’s quarter-final win over Australian James Duckworth.

“It feels incredible. Obviously going to Turin is a dream,” Hurkacz said. “Growing up as a kid, seeing all those top guys playing in the Finals, it’s inspiring. Now being among them, it’s very special because it’s just eight spots there, so it’s not that easy to get there.”

Zverev is arguably in the best form of his life, having won 28 of his past 30 matches since the start of the Tokyo Olympics. He seeks his third Masters 1000 title of the season and sixth of his career. By reaching the semi-finals he joins Stefanos Tsitsipas with a tour-leading 55 match wins on the season and he is now within reach of a personal-best sixth title of the season.

Medvedev is hardly in a career slump, either. After winning his first major at Flushing Meadows, the Russian also passed the 50-wins milestone in 2021 en route to the round of 16 in Indian Wells, where he fell to Grigor Dimitrov. He will also be full of confidence at this stage of the season, having won back-to-back titles in Paris and at the Nitto ATP finals last year.

Despite trailing the ATP Head2Head series 4-5, World No. 2 Medvedev has won his three meetings against the German in the past 12 months, including three-set victories in Bercy and at the season finale.

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Zverev Downs Ruud For SF Berth In Paris

Alexander Zverev’s quest for his third ATP Masters 1000 title of the season stepped up a notch on Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters as the German moved past Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.

The World No. 4, who has triumphed at this level in Madrid and Cincinnati this season, was strong on serve against the Norwegian, winning 86 per cent (37/43) of points behind his first delivery to advance after one hour and 36 minutes.

“I thought he served extremely well today which made it very difficult to break,” Zverev said. “I’m happy with the win and to be in the semi-finals.”

Zverev is currently playing some of the best tennis of his career, having won 28 of his past 30 matches, with this run starting at the Tokyo Olympics, where he won the Olympic singles gold medal. The 24-year-old also lifted the trophy in Vienna last week.

The fourth seed has fond memories in Paris, enjoying a run to the final in the French capital last year. But he will be hoping to go one step further this week and will next meet Daniil Medvedev after the Russian edged French qualifier Hugo Gaston 7-6(7), 6-4.

Ruud, like Zverev, has earned five tour-level titles in 2021. The 22-year-old will make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals after clinching his spot on Thursday in Paris.

In a strong performance, Zverev played aggressively and raised his level in the crucial moments, saving all three break points he faced to advance. The German now leads Ruud 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

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Murray/Soares Swoop Into Paris SFs

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares continued their strong week at the Rolex Paris Masters Friday, overcoming fifth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-1, 7-5 to reach the semi-finals in one hour and 33 minutes.

The British-Brazilian tandem advanced to the last four at the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season in 2019 and will have the chance to go one better this week when they face Tim Puetz and Michael Venus.

The German-New Zealand pair edged Frenchmen Fabrice Martin and Andreas Mies 7-5, 7-5 after one hour and 42 minutes and are yet to drop a set this week. They are aiming to win their second tour-level title of the season as a team, after triumphing in Hamburg.

Third seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut also booked their spot in the semi-finals with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Benjamin Bonzi and Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchmen won 82 per cent (27/33) of their first-serve points to advance in 89 minutes.

John Peers and Filip Polasek await in the last four after the sixth seeds advanced when Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen were forced to retire 5-7, 0-3 down.

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Medvedev Stops Gaston's Dream Run In Paris To Reach SFs

Hugo Gaston’s dream run at the Rolex Paris Masters came to an end Friday, but he did not go quietly.

In a lively match, World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev was forced to save three set points in the first set, before he raised his level in the second set, downing the French qualifier 7-6(7), 6-4 to reach the semi-finals in Paris.

The World No. 103 battled past Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Carlos Alcaraz in a fairytale journey as he reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final on home soil. But the 21-year-old was unable to write another chapter into the history books against a resilient Medvedev in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Gaston squandered three set points in the first set on serve at 5-4, 40/0 and then came within two points of the opener three times in the first-set tie-break as the Russian combated the Frenchman’s drop shots and variety, eventually securing victory after one hour and 47 minutes.

Medvedev is the reigning champion in Paris but has been made to work hard this week. The second seed was unable to convert three set points in the first set and a 5-1 lead in his opening match against Ilya Ivashka, before moving through in straight sets. He then rallied from a set down to overcome #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda.

The US Open titlist, who fired 13 aces against Gaston, is bidding to win his fifth tour-level trophy of the season, including a second Masters 1000 crown, after triumphing in Toronto in August.

With his victory, the 25-year-old maintained his slim chance of denying Novak Djokovic a record seventh year-end No. 1 finish in the FedEx ATP Rankings. However, the Serbian will earn World No. 1 honours if he defeats Hubert Hurkacz on Saturday before the Nitto ATP Finals.

The second seed, who also lifted trophies in Marseille and Mallorca this season, will next face Norway’s Casper Ruud or World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the last four. All three will compete at the season finale, to be held this year at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November.

In an entertaining first set, Gaston disrupted Medvedev’s rhythm as he mixed his low slice with his topspin forehand. However, from 5-4, 40/0, he was unable to close out the set on serve and then could not see off the Russian Russian in the tie-break, failing to convert a 5/4 lead as Medvedev zoned in to move ahead.

The Russian marched into a 4-0 lead in the second set and despite being pegged back to 4-3, he was able to see off the plucky lefty on serve to advance.

Gaston was the lowest-ranked quarter-finalist at the Masters 1000 tournament since then-World No. 121 Michael Llodra in 2012. The 21-year-old will compete at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, from 9-13 November.

Did You Know?
Medvedev now holds an 18-1 indoor record since the start of his run to the Paris title in 2020, with his only defeat coming against Dusan Lajovic in Rotterdam.

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Sinner Faces Tricky Path In Stockholm; Murray, Felix, Shapovalov Also Play

#NextGenATP star Jannik Sinner had been handed a tricky draw in his quest for a fifth ATP Tour title of the year at the Stockholm Open, which begins on Sunday. Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and defending champion Denis Shapovalov also feature at the final tournament of the regular ATP Tour season.

Sinner, who narrowly missed out on a place at the Nitto ATP Finals, will need to be at his best level if he meets practice partner Andy Murray, who plays a qualifier in his first match. In recent weeks, former World No. 1 Murray has highlighted his fighting qualities in three-set wins over Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe and Hubert Hurkacz, while Sinner has won seven of his past nine matches and broke into the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time this week.

View Stockholm Singles & Doubles Draws

Top seed Sinner or Murray may then meet in-form Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals. Fritz has won 11 of his past 13 matches, including a run to the St. Petersburg Open final. Fourth seed Daniel Evans or eighth seed Frances Tiafoe, who beat Sinner at last week’s Erste Bank Open, may be a potential semi-final opponent.

Canadians Auger-Aliassime and third seed Shapovalov, who won the 2019 title when the ATP 250 tournament was last held, feature in the bottom half of the draw. Auger-Aliassime will meet Roberto Carballes Baena or Filip Krajinovic in the second round, while Shapovalov plays a qualifier with sixth seed Alexander Bublik a potential quarter-final opponent.

Leo Borg, son of former World No. 1 and 1980 Stockholm champion Bjorn Borg, will make his ATP Tour main draw debut when he plays against American Tommy Paul in the top half of the draw. The winner faces Fritz in the second round.

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Cameron Norrie cannot qualify for ATP Finals after Hubert Hurkacz takes last spot

British number one Cameron Norrie can no longer qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin after Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz secured the last spot.

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Djokovic To Play Hurkacz In Paris Semi-finals

Novak Djokovic continued his quest for a record 37th ATP Masters 1000 crown on Friday by reaching the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals. The World No. 1 and five-time former champion overcame early resistance of American Taylor Fritz for a 6-4, 6-3 victory in 74 minutes.

If Russian Daniil Medvedev loses to Hugo Gaston, a French qualifier, later today then Djokovic will become year-end No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for a record seventh time. He would break a tie with Pete Sampras, who finished in the top spot in six straight seasons between 1993-1998.

Djokovic, who has won 46 of 52 matches in another standout season, will now prepare to meet seventh-seeded Pole Hubert Hurkacz, who clinched the last singles spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin later this month. The 34-year-old Djokovic is currently tied with Rafael Nadal on 36 Masters 1000 trophies.

Djokovic’s athleticism helped him land a blow at 3-4 in the first set, and while Fritz’s shot-making helped him break back immediately, greater depth of stroke from his Serbian opponent clinched the 38-minute opener.

The pair exchanged service breaks at the start of the second set, and once Djokovic recovered from 15/40 at 1-1, his forehand started to do the damage. From 2-2, he kept his foot down to win 12 of 14 points and finished his fifth straight win over Fritz with a backhand volley winner.

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