Tennis News

Tiafoe Fends Off Early Murray Scare In Winston-Salem

Frances Tiafoe is eyeing a return to the Top 50 for the first time in more than 18 months after a fighting opening-round win over Andy Murray at the Winston-Salem Open Tuesday night.

Coming into the ATP 250 tournament in North Carolina at No. 51 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Tiafoe saved three sets points on serve at 4-5 in the first set before taking command of the second set and running away to a 7-6(4), 6-3 win.

Tiafoe dropped out of the Top 50 in February 2019 after losing his quarter-final points from the 2019 Australian Open and has not been back. But a deep run at Winston-Salem should see him climb back into the elite group ahead of next week’s US Open.

Tiafoe will play the winner of Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro and American lucky loser Eduardo Nava.

Former World No. 1 Murray now heads to the US Open, where he won the first of his three Grand Slam titles in 2012.

“The positive thing is that I moved well and served well but my level is up and down with no real consistency,” Murray said. “There are moments in matches where I play well and then I make mistakes or miss returns. I wish I wasn’t doing that.

“My level is around 50 or 60 in the world. It’s frustrating because if wasn’t moving great and not feeling good physically then I would be a bit easier on myself. But when I’m winning a low percentage of second-serve points, that’s got nothing to do with the physical side of things.”

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Wolf Claims US Open Qualifying Win

American J.J. Wolf enjoyed a dream run to the third round at the US Open last year and may have set the wheels in motion for another shot at the main draw as he moved past Denis Istomin 7-5, 6-2 Tuesday to reach the second round of qualifying in New York.

Wolf took full advantage of a wild card last year at Flushing Meadows, where it took Daniil Medvedev to stop him. But the World No. 157 has not won another main-draw match since leaving New York and is hoping to recapture that winning feeling at the year’s final Grand Slam.

The 22-year-old will next face Kamil Majchrzak after the Pole defeated Frederico Ferreira Silva 6-1, 6-4. Fellow American Maxime Cressy, who reached the second round at the US Open last September, also advanced with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 victory over Guido Andreozzi in two hours and 28 minutes.

Former World No. 33 Robin Haase downed Croatian Borna Gojo 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-1 to book his spot in the second round of qualifying, while Germany’s Oscar Otte, who took Andy Murray to five sets at Wimbledon, edged Renzo Olivo 6-7(3), 6-0, 7-6(4).

Buenos Aires finalist and qualifying second seed Francisco Cerundolo overcame Thai-Son Kwiatkowski 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-4. Seven-time tour-level titlist Fernando Verdasco defeated Facundo Mena 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 and Gstaad finalist Hugo Gaston overcame Czech Vit Kopriva 6-4, 6-2.

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Emma Raducanu: 'I learnt so much from Wimbledon' – British teenager ready for US Open qualifying

British prospect Emma Raducanu says she “learnt so much” from her rollercoaster Wimbledon debut as she prepares to begin US Open qualifying on Wednesday.

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Carreno Busta Begins Winston-Salem Campaign

Top seed Pablo Carreno Busta began his Winston-Salem Open campaign with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Soonwoo Kwon Tuesday as he aims to capture his third tour-level title of the season this week.

The Spaniard, who upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in July to capture the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. was made to battle against Kwon. Carreno Busta recovered from a dip in the second set, raising his level in the decider to advance in one hour and 56 minutes. Carreno Busta won 69 per cent (31/45) of his first-serve points and broke four times to improve to 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head Series.

“It was a very close match, he played really well in the second and third sets,” Carreno Busta said in his on-court interview. “It is really nice to be here again. I am happy as it is important for me to start my first match with a victory.

“I feel really comfortable here; it is a nice way to go to New York before the US Open. It is very important for me to play as many matches as possible.”

The World No. 12, who has also lifted trophies on clay in Mallorca and Hamburg this year, has fond memories in North Carolina, having lifted his maiden tour-level crown there in 2016. The 30-year-old will next face 16th seed Dominik Koepfer in the third round after the German battled past Marco Cecchinato 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

In other action, Frenchman Benoit Paire cruised past countryman Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-3 in 72 minutes. The 12th seed fired five aces and broke four times to set up a meeting with either fifth seed Alexander Bublik or Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.

”It is not easy to play against Simon,” Paire said. “I am so happy to beat him today, I played a good match and built on the confidence of last week. I am really happy to be back. I reached the final in 2019, so I will try to do the same. The conditions are very tough, it is very humid. I have been in America for one month though, so I am used to it.”

On a strong day for France, lucky loser Pierre-Hugues Herbert also booked his spot in the third round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Federico Coria in their first ATP Head2Head meeting. The 30-year-old will next meet either American Marcos Giron or 10th seed Federico Delbonis.

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Andy Murray: Tennis Scotland open to owning more courts after 'shambles' comment

Tennis Scotland says it would like to own and operate more of the country’s courts after Andy Murray highlighted the issue of unused facilities.

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Chicago Women's Open: Venus Williams crashes out in first round

Seven-time singles Grand Slam champion Venus Williams crashes out of the Chicago Women’s Open in the first round after being handed a wildcard.

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Chicago Women's Open: Venus Williams crashes out in first round

Seven-time singles Grand Slam champion Venus Williams crashes out of the Chicago Women’s Open in the first round after being handed a wildcard.

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Mahut/Martin Advance In Winston-Salem Doubles

Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin are pairing this week for just the second time, but it did not take long for them to get up to speed.

The second seeds defeated Tomislav Brkic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nikola Cacic of Serbia 6-4, 6-1 in 51 minutes on Monday to reach the second round of the Winston-Salem Open.

Brkic and Cacic lifted the Buenos Aires trophy earlier this year, but they found little to trouble the Frenchmen. Mahut and Martin, who first competed together in Hamburg last year, earned four service breaks to advance in North Carolina.

They will next play Austrians Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald, who ousted Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 7-6(4), 5-7, 10-4. In other action, British brothers Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski battled past Uruguay’s Ariel Behar and Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-5.

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From Brink Of Qualifying Exit, Pouille Powers Into R2 In Winston-Salem

Lucas Pouille faced match point in his second-round qualifying match at the Winston-Salem Open on Sunday against Noah Rubin. But after rallying past the American, the Frenchman found his form and on Monday dismissed Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4 to reach the second round of the  main draw.

The former World No. 10 saved all four break points he faced and won 83 per cent of his first-serve points to earn his first tour-level win since April at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he reached the third round. Pouille now has won five consecutive matches against Lopez and leads their ATP Head2Head series 5-1.

Next up for the 27-year-old qualifier will be third seed Daniel Evans, a wild card who received a bye in the first round. The Briton won the pair’s only previous clash in four sets at the 2019 US Open.

Argentine Federico Coria clawed past #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 after two hours and 44 minutes in the North Carolina heat, and he will play French lucky loser Pierre-Hugues Herbert for a place in the third round.

In other action, Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori beat American qualifier Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-4 and Australian Jordan Thompson eliminated Argentine lefty Guido Pella 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.

Did You Know?
Pouille won three of his five ATP Tour titles after saving match point: 2017 Budapest (2 MPs vs. Vesely in R2), 2017 Stuttgart (1 MP vs. Struff in R2) and 2018 Montpellier (2 MPs vs. Tsonga in SF).

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Djokovic Targets Grand Slam At The US Open; All You Need To Know

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will arrive at the US Open aiming to create even more history as he bids to become just the second male player in the Open Era alongside Rod Laver in 1969 to capture a Grand Slam in New York.

The Serbian, who last lifted the title at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2018, has claimed the first three major championships of the year, drawing level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 majors after his Wimbledon triumph in July.

A fourth US Open crown would also move the 34-year-old ahead of his rivals onto 21 major championships, but despite Federer and Nadal’s absence, the 85-time tour-level titlist will face stern competition in New York.

Last year’s finalist Alexander Zverev ended Djokovic’s hopes of clinching his first Olympic singles gold medal when the 24-year-old downed the top seed in the semi-finals in Tokyo, before going on to defeat Karen Khachanov in the final. Zverev is currently on an 11-match winning streak as he backed up his triumph in Asia by capturing the Western & Southern Open title in Cincinnati.

Daniil Medvedev will be the second seed and will return to Flushing Meadows with fond memories, having enjoyed a run to his first major final there in 2019. The 25-year-old, who lifted the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers trophy earlier this month, will be targeting a maiden major alongside Zverev at the US Open.

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas has collected a tour-leading 48 wins this year and will also pose a threat, but he has never advanced past the third round in his three previous main draw appearances in New York.

Here’s all you need to know about the US Open: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more.

Established: 1881

Tournament Dates: 30 August-12 September 2021

Tournament Director: Stacey Allaster

Draw Ceremony: Thursday 26 August at 12:00 p.m.

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View Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Tuesday, 24 August – Friday, 27 August at 11:00 a.m.
* Main Draw: Monday, 22 August – Sunday, 12 September, Monday – (second) Monday 11:00 a.m and 7:00 p.m., (second) Tuesday-Friday, 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Saturday 12:00 p.m., Sunday 4:00 p.m.
* Doubles Final: TBC.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 12 September at 4:00 p.m.

How To Watch
TV Schedule

Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Surface: Hard

Prize Money: Total Financial Commitment: $57,500,000

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Daniel Nestor (5)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 35, in 1970
Youngest Champion: Pete Sampras, 19, in 1990
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Jimmy Conners in 1974, 1976, 1978, John McEnroe in 1981, 1984, Ivan Lendl in 1986-87, Pete Sampras in 1996, Roger Federer in 2004-07, Rafael Nadal in 2010, 2017, Novak Djokovic in 2011, 2015
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 20 Andre Agassi in 1994
Last Home Champion: Andy Roddick in 2003
Most Match Wins: Jimmy Connors (98)

2020 Finals
Singles: [2] Dominic Thiem (AUT) d [5] Alexander Zverev (GER) 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6) Read More
Doubles: Mate Pavic (CRO) / Bruno Soares (BRA) d Wesley Koolhof (USA) / Nikola Mektic (CRO) 7-5, 6-3 Read More

Social
Hashtag: #USOpen
Facebook: @usopentennis
Twitter: @usopen
Instagram: @usopen

Did You Know?
The US Open bears little resemblance to the tournament that started in 1881. It has evolved from an exclusive men’s singles and doubles tournament in Newport, R.I., to a two-week sports and entertainment extravaganza held in Flushing, N.Y. It is home to the Arthur Ashe stadium, which with a capacity of 23,771, is the largest tennis-specific stadium in the world.

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