Tennis News

Title No. 20 For Marin! Cilic Wins In St. Petersburg

Marin Cilic put himself in elite company by winning the St. Petersburg Open on Sunday.

The Croatian, who defeated American Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 to lift the trophy, became just the sixth active player to claim 20 tour-level titles. The only other men who have achieved the feat are Roger Federer (103), Rafael Nadal (88), Novak Djokovic (85), Andy Murray 46) and Juan Martin del Potro (22).

The last time Cilic competed in St. Petersburg before this week was in 2011, when he also emerged victorious. This was his fourth title in Russia, having also earned the crown in Moscow twice (2014-15).

? 2011
? 2021

A decade later, Cilic is back in the St. Petersburg winners’ circle ?

?: @TennisTV | @cilic_marin | #spbopenpic.twitter.com/ttqmZRMRdd

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2021

Last week, the former World No. 3 fell one win short of triumphing in Moscow. And it appeared after letting slip a set-and-a-break advantage that he might lose another final in Russia.

But Cilic never stopped fighting, and he rallied from a break down in the deciding set to win after two hours and 23 minutes. The 33-year-old hit 12 aces and won 78 per cent of his first-serve points in his victory.

For much of the match, Cilic was the more aggressive player, and that allowed him to control rallies against Fritz. But on the two occasions he led by a break in the second set, the World No. 35 began misfiring with his forehand, allowing the American back into the match.

Fritz stormed ahead in the decider, using his power and depth to maintain the momentum. But he was unable to finish the job. After getting back on serve, Cilic took advantage of a Fritz double fault on break point at 4-4 to move ahead. And this time, the Croatian did not let slip his opportunity, putting away a forehand volley on championship point before leaping into the air with a big fist pump.

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Zverev Downs Tiafoe For Vienna Crown

Alexander Zverev maintained his dominant form since Wimbledon on Sunday at the Erste Bank Open, overcoming American Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 6-4 to clinch his fifth trophy of the year.

The second seed, who moved past #NextGenATP stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Carlos Alcaraz en route to the final, won 80 per cent (37/46) of his first-serve points and stepped inside the baseline to dictate on his forehand against Tiafoe, securing his victory in one hour and 36 minutes.

“He didn’t let me play the way I wanted to play, tactically he was very good,” Zverev said. “But I am happy with the win and I am happy with my fifth title of the year and I am happy with my first in Vienna, so it was a good day.”

The German now holds a 25-2 record since Wimbledon and has extended his ATP Head2Head series lead against Tiafoe to 6-1. The 24-year-old earned his 300th tour-level career win against Australian Alex de Minaur this week.

“I think the Olympics gave me a lot of confidence and I believe I can compete for any title that I play in,” Zverev added. “I am happy with the form I am in but I have got two more massive weeks ahead of me and I hope I can do well.”

Earlier this season, Zverev triumphed at ATP Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Cincinnati and also won the singles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Zverev has won all five finals that he has competed in this year. The only other time the World No. 4 won five tour-level crowns in a season was in 2017.

In a lively start, breaks the players exchanged breaks as they tried to find their rhythm from the baseline. Zverev looked to stay close to the baseline and overpower Tiafoe, while the American played with great variety and closed the net effectively to cause the 24-year-old problems.

After Zverev found the breakthrough in the 12th game of the first set to move ahead, he continued to play aggressively. The German hit eight aces in the second set to secure his victory in an entertaining match.

Tiafoe rallied from a set and 2-5 down against Italian Jannik Sinner to book his spot in the championship match but was unable to come back against Zverev. The World No. 49 has earned a career-best 29 tour-level victories this season and was aiming to win his first tour-level trophy since triumphing in Delray Beach in 2018.

“I knew I was capable of a week like this,” Tiafoe said. “It is not easy to beat good player after good player. These guys are so good. To have a week like this and know you can do it and not just beat one top player but three great guys is great.”

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Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares win St Petersburg Open doubles title

Top seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares win the men’s doubles title at the St Petersburg Open but Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram lose in Vienna.

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Murray/Soares Clinch St. Petersburg Title

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares ended their strong week on Sunday at the St. Petersburg Open by clinching their second tour-level trophy of the season.

The top seeds dropped just one set en route to the title, overcoming Andrey Golubev and Hugo Nys 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match.

With their victory, Murray and Soares have boosted their hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November. They are currently eighth in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings and in the final qualification spot for the season finale.

“The odds of getting to Turin are getting higher every match we win, so that is good,” Murray said. “I think we have an over 500-point lead on the team behind us. But in Paris if you win the tournament it is 1000 points, so while we are in a good position, we still need to go to Paris and have a good week there.”

Murray and Soares broke three times and closed the net effectively against Golubev and Nys to secure their victory after 81 minutes. It was the first meeting between the teams, with Golubev and Nys competing for just the fourth time together this week.

“I think the conditions here suit my return indoors,” Soares said. “The ball is not moving much and I like these conditions and also we have had a good week, so that also helps. I think we are a dangerous combination overall.”

The British-Brazilian pair has now won 12 tour-level titles as a team. Earlier this season, Murray and Soares triumphed at the Great Ocean Road Open in their first tournament together since Roland Garros in 2019.

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Cabal/Farah Capture Vienna Crown

Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah produced a dominant performance on Sunday, overcoming Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 6-4, 6-2 in the Erste Bank Open final to capture their third tour-level title of the season.

The Colombians fell to Ram and Salisbury in Eastbourne and Wimbledon this year, but gained revenge in Vienna, saving all seven break points they faced to secure their victory after 78 minutes and reduce their ATP Head2Head series deficit against the second seeds to 1-3.

“Thank you all of you for being here,” Farah said in the trophy ceremony. “For us it is amazing to play in this atmosphere in a full stadium and to have the crowd back and feel these amazing vibes.”

This week, Cabal and Farah won three consecutive Match Tie-breaks 10-8 as they battled through the field to reach the championship match. The third seeds have earned 19 tour-level titles as a team, also triumphing in Dubai and Barcelona this season.

“The crowd has been amazing, thank you for coming,” Cabal added. “It was our time. It has been a pleasure being here.”

Ram and Salisbury were aiming to clinch their third tour-level title of the season. The American-British tandem captured their maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Toronto, before lifting the US Open trophy. They have fond memories in Vienna, have won the title in 2019.

Both teams have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held this year at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November, with Cabal and Farah securing their place following their first-round victory in Vienna.

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Golubev/Nys Book Spot In St. Petersburg Final

Andrey Golubev and Hugo Nys had never won a match as a team before this week, but now they are finalists, moving past Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 2-6, 10-4 on Saturday at the St. Petersburg Open.

The fourth seeds broke three times and hit five aces to advance after 84 minutes. Golubev and Nys are teaming for the fourth time and will face top seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in the championship match.

Ram/Salisbury Battle Into Vienna Final
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury’s strong season continued on Saturday as they defeated John Peers and Filip Polasek 3-6, 7-6(2), 10-7 in one hour and 40 minutes to reach the Erste Bank Open final.

The second seeds captured their first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto, before triumphing at the US Open. The American-British tandem will face fourth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the championship match.

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Nakashima Stamps Ticket For Milan

Brandon Nakashima has become the seventh player to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Milan from 9-13 November.

The American will make his debut at the 21-and-under event, having enjoyed a breakthrough 2021 season by rising from No. 170 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a career-high of No. 70 this week.

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Tiafoe Battles Back From The Brink In Vienna

Qualifier Frances Tiafoe looked down and out on Saturday at the Erste Bank Open, but he showed his fighting qualities for the second time this week as he battled back, overcoming Jannik Sinner 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach his first tour-level final of the season in Vienna.

The American, who was 0-3 down to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third set in the second round, rallied from 2-5 down in the second set against Sinner, winning 11 of the final 13 games as he found his best tennis to advance after two hours and 18 minutes.

With his victory, Tiafoe, who is making his second appearance in Vienna, has now earned a career-best 29 tour-level wins this season, surpassing the 28 he captured in 2018. The 23-year-old is bidding to win his first tour-level title since he triumphed in Delray Beach in 2018.

The World No. 49 has reduced the deficit to 1-2 in his ATP Head2Head series with Sinner and will face second seed Alexander Zverev in the championship match after the German defeated #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-3 to advance to his fifth tour-level final of the season.

Sinner won the title in Antwerp last week and was seeking his eighth consecutive victory. The Italian moved into eighth place (3,015 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin on Friday when he downed fellow Turin contender Casper Ruud, who is seventh (3,105).

The 20-year-old is bidding to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour from 14-21 November.

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Zverev Downs Alcaraz In Vienna

Alexander Zverev soared into his fifth tour-level final of the season on Saturday at the Erste Bank Open, overcoming #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-3 to end the 18-year-old’s strong run in Vienna.

The second seed, who earned both his 50th tour-level victory of the season and 300th tour-level career win this week, hit with great depth and soaked up Alcaraz’s power to advance after 68 minutes.

The German now leads Alcaraz 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series and holds a 24-2 record since Wimbledon, capturing the Olympic singles gold medal and the Cincinnati title in this time.

Zverev will face seventh seed Jannik Sinner or qualifier Frances Tiafoe in the championship match as he bids to win his fifth tour-level crown of the season, having also triumphed in Acapulco and Madrid.

Alcaraz captured the second biggest win of his career by FedEx ATP Ranking when he upset World No. 7 Matteo Berrettini in the quarter-finals. But he could not match Zverev, with the German firing eight aces and saving the one break point he faced to secure victory.

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Cilic Sweeps Into St. Petersburg Final

Marin Cilic marched into his second tour-level final in as many weeks on Saturday at the St. Petersburg Open, cruising past qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3.

The Croatian enjoyed a run to the championship match in Moscow last week and has continued his impressive form in St. Petersburg as he aims to clinch his second tour-level title of the season after triumphing in Stuttgart.

“Russia is my second home,” Cilic said in his on-court interview. “I think this an invitation for me to come every single year. I always enjoy playing here and it would be amazing to win the title tomorrow but I am playing Taylor [Fritz], who is playing amazing tennis in the past several weeks. I am just going to enjoy, improve and have fun.”

In a strong serving display against van de Zandschulp, Cilic fired nine aces, won 87 per cent (27/31) of points behind his first delivery and did not face a break point to advance after 67 minutes in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Cilic, who overcame seeds Karen Khachanov and Roberto Bautista Agut earlier this week, has fond memories in St. Petersburg, having lifted the trophy in his previous appearance at the ATP 250 event in 2011.

The former World No. 3 will face Taylor Fritz in the final. The American is in the form of his life and he demonstrated such confidence against Jan-Lennard Struff, downing the German 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 to reach his first tour-level championship match of the season.

“It is amazing to have people cheering for me when I am so far away from home. I love all of the support,” Fritz said in his on-court interview.

The fifth seed defeated World No. 4 Alexander Zverev en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final earlier in October and has backed up that run in St. Petersburg, dropping just one set at the ATP 250 event.

Fritz won 81 per cent (44/54) of his first-serve points against Struff as he rallied from a set down to advance after one hour and 58 minutes and level their ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.

“I played pretty well for a lot of parts in the first set but a couple of things didn’t go my way. I went up a break but then didn’t have the best service game and got broken back,” Fritz said in his on-court interview. “I had another chance to break and then got broken from 40/15 up. I recovered and brought it together and played a really solid second and third set.”

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