Tokyo Olympics: Novak Djokovic thrashes Kei Nishikori to reach men's semi-finals
Novak Djokovic remains on course for a ‘Golden Slam’ after thrashing home hope Kei Nishikori to ease into the Olympic semi-finals.
Novak Djokovic remains on course for a ‘Golden Slam’ after thrashing home hope Kei Nishikori to ease into the Olympic semi-finals.
Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic moved one step closer to a first Olympic singles gold medal on Thursday as he defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-0 to reach the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics.
The World No. 1 is aiming to become the first man to win all four majors and a gold medal in a season, having already captured the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon titles this year. WTA legend Stefanie Graf completed this achievement in 1988.
View Order Of Play | View 2020 Olympics Results | View Draw
“Matches are not getting easier, but my level of tennis is getting better and better,” Djokovic told ITFtennis.com. “I know that I’m kind of a player that the further the tournament goes, the better I’m feeling on the court. That’s the case here. [It was] my best performance of the tournament tonight against a very good opponent.
“I know Kei’s game very well. Him playing in Japan, this court where he had lots of success. I knew that he was going to play very quick, and he was not going to give me a lot of time, so I had to be very alert. I feel I had an answer for everything he had.”
Djokovic, who drew level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 Grand Slams after his SW19 triumph, played consistently from the baseline and hit with great depth to overcome Nishikori in 72 minutes.
The top seed won 85 per cent (17/20) of his first-service points and was not broken in the match. Djokovic will continue his quest for Olympic glory against fourth seed Alexander Zverev after the German downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-1 in 67 minutes.
Zverev returned well in the match as he stepped inside the baseline to win 67 per cent (14/21) of points on Chardy’s second serve. The World No. 5 is making his Olympic debut this week and has yet to drop a set in Tokyo.
Pablo Carreno Busta also moved into the last four after the Spaniard upset second seed Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 7-6(5) in one hour and 43 minutes.
The sixth seed, who won his first ATP 500 trophy and sixth tour-level title earlier this month at the Hamburg European Open, was a break down in the second set. However, the 30-year-old rallied against the ROC’s Medvedev, hitting 11 winners to advance.
Carreno Busta will next face Karen Khachanov after the 12th seed battled past Frenchman Ugo Humbert 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and 34 minutes. The 25-year-old hit 10 aces to improve to 3-0 in third sets in Tokyo this week.
“I felt well physically, I felt well mentally,” the ROC’s Khachanov told ITFtennis.com. “I came here to fight for medals and I’m playing good tennis so far. I’m happy that I’m managing to find solutions to the problems as they appear – this is tennis. I’m enjoying [it] so far, and I want to keep going like that.”
Croatians Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig guaranteed themselves a medal on Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics as they defeated New Zealand duo Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus 6-2, 6-2 to reach the final.
Cilic and Dodig dominated throughout as they fired 27 winners and won 84 per cent (27/32) of their first-service points to advance to the gold medal match in 77 minutes.
View Order Of Play | View 2020 Olympics Results | View Men’s Doubles Draw
The Croatians are competing in their second tour-level event of the season as a pair, having enjoyed a run to the semi-finals at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart in June. Cilic and Dodig also teamed at the 2012 London Olympics where they advanced to the quarter-finals.
In what was a strong day for Croatian tennis, countrymen Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic also advanced to the final. The top seeds moved past Americans Austin Krajicek and Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes.
Mektic and Pavic, who did not face a break point against Krajicek and Sandgren, have won eight tour-level titles together this season in their maiden year together. They became the first doubles team to qualify for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals in July, having lifted trophies at three ATP Masters 1000s and Wimbledon.
Daniell and Venus, who are competing together for the first time since 2016 this week, will face Krajicek and Sandgren in the bronze medal match on Friday.
John Isner has won five titles in the past 10 editions of the Truist Atlanta Open, and he is looking to keep that dominance going this week at the ATP 250 event. The 36-year-old foodie is not shy about dropping his name at tournament cities – including Atlanta – to try to get into a nice restaurant, but when was the last time that it actually paid off?
The big-serving American is the latest player to feature in our popular Q&A series, and he revealed The Last Time…
I strung a tennis racquet?
Oh that’s a good one… I’ve been very spoiled there, it was in juniors. Maybe 16 years old. Even in college we would have someone who would string our racquets. We were very lucky there. And ever since I turned pro I haven’t had to. But I remember I had an Ektelon Stringing Machine, one of the best stringing machines out there for sure.
Actually, I used to be pretty good. I was quite meticulous about how I went about it. I was very particular. I mean, I dreaded doing it, but it was something my parents made me do simply as a cost-efficiency thing. When you think about how much the stringing fees are, I would say over the course of my whole junior career I definitely more than paid for that thing.
It was a good lesson to learn. My parents bought that machine for me, and they made me do my own racquets, which I guess gave me some discipline as well.
I shared a hotel room with another player?
Gosh, I guess I’m so spoiled. It had to have been right out of college. I think 2007, in Aptos, California. There was an ATP Challenger [Tour] event out there. That must have been the last one, and luckily I got my ranking up pretty quickly after that and I didn’t have to do that again.
I paid money to rent a tennis court?
I remember I paid money in Shanghai a couple of years ago. The drive from the hotel to the tennis courts can be pretty far. I had an off day, and I was able to find an indoor court nearby, super close by in the city. I was lucky enough to get a court, even though I had to pay for it. I forget what the conversion rate was, but I swiped my credit card for maybe $20 or $25 [USD] and practised. So it was well worth it to save the hour and a half drive in the car.
I was recognised or dropped my name, and it helped me?
I’ve played the ‘I’m a tennis player’ card trying to get restaurant reservations before in some of the cities we’ve been at. A lot of times it actually doesn’t work and they don’t know who the hell I am. But sometimes it does work… It does work in Atlanta, sometimes.
I remember being in Paris at the famous restaurant, L’Avenue. I like to eat. I don’t spend money on a lot of things, but I do spend money on eating well. So I went to L’Avenue and I dropped a ‘I’m playing at the French Open’ and I was able to get in. I felt… Well, I was pretty shameless, actually! [laughs]
I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?
It’s not a selfie, but I had [U.S.] President George W. Bush sign an autograph for me. I got to meet with him, and got a photo with my wife and daughter with President Bush. He kindly signed it for us, and I thought that was very, very cool.
Really, only living presidents are about the only people I would ask for an autograph. Whether it’s Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, whom I’ve met, or Donald Trump – I think that would be very cool. But honestly that could change as my kids get older. We’ll see who they look up to, whether they’re athletes or entertainers. I would have no shame in asking those people to give my kid an autograph.
I cooked for friends or family?
That was this morning. In Atlanta, we get these mini-apartments here with a little kitchen. My family is here with me, my wife and kids are here, and I love to cook them breakfast. I do that every day when we’re at home anyways. I’m kind of particular with what I feed my kids, so having a little kitchenette with a grocery store literally right next door has been great. We got eggs, oatmeal, and the cereal that they liked. I definitely love cooking for my kids.
I went to a music concert?
I think it was a Taylor Swift concert. That was probably about six months before the pandemic set in, so it would have been 2019, maybe right around after the US Open.
I made my debut at an ATP Tour event?
Last week in Los Cabos. But prior to that… oh man. Good question. Chengdu in 2019. I’m pretty sure that’s the correct answer…
I visited a city for the first time?
For the first time? It would be… off the top of my head, that would be last year in May. So a little more than a year ago. I went to a place called Alcoba in Wyoming to go trout fishing. It was great, and it was a lot of fun.
I missed a flight?
Off of my own doing, never. I mean, I’m not one of those people who has to get to the airport crazy early. But I guess I’ve just had good luck, because I’ve never really encountered horrible traffic or a wreck on the way there or anything like that that would hold me up. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of an instance.
Brandon Nakashima continued his stellar run of form on Wednesday night as he took down top seed Milos Raonic in a nail-biting 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(4) battle to reach the Truist Atlanta Open quarter-finals.
The 19-year-old turned heads last week at the Mifel Open in Los Cabos, where he defeated the likes of Sam Querrey and John Isner on his way to his first ATP Tour final (l. to Norrie). He added one more name to his win list after upsetting Raonic, currently No. 22 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, in Atlanta.
Nakashima, who sits in ninth position in the ATP Race To Milan for a spot into the Next Gen ATP Finals, won his second three-setter in as many days after rallying from a set down against Raonic. The big-serving Canadian was contesting his first tournament since the Miami Open presented by Itau in March, and he was dictating play early on.
But double faults and unforced errors would be Raonic’s undoing against the battle-tested Nakashima. The 19-year-old earned his first break of serve as a result of four double faults from Raonic – interrupted by two aces – in the same game at 4-3 in the opening set. The Canadian was able to recover to take the 50-minute first set, but quickly found himself on the back foot as Nakashima got going in the second set.
Nakashima improved his first-serve percentage from 42 per cent in the first set to 72 per cent in the second. The difference showed as Nakashima only lost five points behind his serve, and kept the pressure firmly on Raonic. He earned the decisive break at 3-2, and kept his nose in front to level the match.
[WATCH LIVE 2]The normally cool-headed American showed his first sign of nerves as he served for the match at 5-4. He worked his way to two match points at 40/15, but missed two routine backhands to give Raonic a chance to come back. Nakashima regrouped in the tie-break, winning three points in a row from 3/2 and converting his fifth match point to seal the victory.
Nakashima will next face Jordan Thompson in the quarter-final, after the Aussie edged past German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk 7-6(4), 6-4 earlier in the day. The 19-year-old is into his third career quarter-final, after reaching the last eight at Delray Beach in 2020 and the final in Los Cabos last week.
Taylor Fritz rallied from a set down to book a place in the Truist Atlanta Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, as he defeated Steve Johnson 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1 in a battle between Americans.
Fritz, who reached the semi-finals in Los Cabos last week, maintained the momentum after dropping a 51-minute opening set to Johnson, No. 80 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The 2019 finalist raised his level in the second set, and opened up a 5-0 lead in the third.
Although on-court temperatures reportedly crept into the triple digits (Fahrenheit) in Atlanta, Fritz stayed cool to seal the win after an hour and 57 minutes.
“I’m feeling really good, I like playing in the heat. And you know, we had a couple of tough [rallies] out there, but it was mostly serving. This is a fast court and there were a lot of short points, so it doesn’t take a big toll on my body,” Fritz said in an on-court interview. “I feel ready for doubles, and then I’m going to rest up.”
[WATCH LIVE 2]The fifth seed saved the only break point he faced in an impressive serving performance. He won 90 per cent (45/50) of points behind his powerful first delivery and he fired 17 aces en route to victory. Fritz will await the winner of fourth seed Reilly Opelka and American qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo, as he seeks his fourth semi-final berth of the season.
Fritz is also entered in the doubles competition with Cameron Norrie, and they will hit the court later today after suitable rest to face fourth seeds Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith.
Following a devastating quarter-final loss in men’s doubles alongside Joe Salisbury on Wednesday at the Tokyo Olympics, Great Britain’s Andy Murray took to Twitter to share an emotional message with his fans.
“I feel crushed after today’s loss. Sport can be brutal,” Murray wrote. “Thanks so much Joe Salisbury for the opportunity to play. You were brilliant. I wish it could have gone a little better, but [stuff] happens.
“And if this is the end of my Olympics journey, I want to say a huge thanks to Team Great Britain and all the tennis support team for everything they have done to help me perform at my best over the years. It’s been an absolute privilege to represent you and my country at four Olympics and it’s given me some of the best memories of my life.”
I feel crushed after todays loss ?? sport can be brutal.
Thanks so much @joesalisbury92 for the opportunity to play. You were brilliant. I wish it could have gone a little better but shit happens. And if this is the end of my @olympics journey i want to say a huge thanks to— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) July 28, 2021
Murray and Salisbury led Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig 6-4, 4-2 with a spot in the medal rounds on the line. But childhood friends Cilic and Dodig raised their level with aggressive, fearless tennis to turn around the match and advance 4-6, 7-6(2), 10-7.
Murray is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in singles (2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro) as well as a silver medalist in mixed doubles (2012 w/Laura Robson). The former World No. 1 withdrew from the singles draw in Tokyo just before his scheduled first-round match against Felix Auger-Aliassime due to a right quad injury.
As Washington, D.C. gets set for another edition of the Citi Open, all eyes will be on legendary lefty Rafael Nadal, who will make his tournament debut at the ATP 500 event.
Nadal, who is an 88-time tour-level champion, will try to add to his trophy count in the United States’ capital. The Spaniard will have to be at the top of his game with a loaded field.
Players to watch at the hard-court tournament include #NextGenATP stars Felix Auger-Aliassime, Sebastian Korda and Jannik Sinner, Australians Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur, 2021 breakthrough player Aslan Karatsev and former top five stalwarts Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic.
Here’s all you need to know about Washington: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won, how to buy tickets and more.
Established: 1969
Tournament Dates: 2-8 August 2021
Tournament Director: Carlos Silva
Draw Ceremony: Friday, 30 July at time TBC
Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday, 31 July – Sunday, 1 August
* Main draw: Play Monday-Friday begins at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m.
* Doubles final: Sunday, 8 August at 12 p.m.
* Singles final: Sunday, 8 August at 5 p.m.
How To Watch
TV Schedule
Venue: Rock Creek Park Tennis Center
Prize Money: $1,895,290
Tickets On Sale: Buy Now
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds
Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Andre Agassi (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan and Marty Riessen (4)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 36, in 1971
Youngest Champion: Andy Roddick, 18, in 2001
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1969): No. 117 David Nalbandian in 2010
Most Match Wins: Andre Agassi (44)
Last Home Champion: Andy Roddick in 2007
2019 Finals
Singles: Nick Kyrgios (AUS) d [3] Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) Read & Watch
Doubles: [3] Raven Klaasen/Michael Venus d Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau 3-6, 6-3, 10-2 Read More
Social
Facebook: @citiopen
Twitter: @citiopen
Instagram: @citiopen
Did You Know?
Superstars who have won the Citi Open include former World No. 1s Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt.
It took more than three hours, but Pedro Martinez was able to secure the biggest win of his career by FedEx ATP Ranking on Wednesday in Kitzbühel.
The 24-year-old Spaniard outlasted countryman Roberto Bautista Agut, the second seed, 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5 after three hours and six minutes to reach the quarter-finals of the Generali Open. It is his first trip to the last eight of an ATP Tour event this season.
“It was a really good battle from the start until the end. We both fought almost every point. I respect him so much,” Martinez said in his on-court interview. “What he’s done on the Tour in past years is amazing. We are from the same region in Spain. Today it’s unbelievable to play this match against him on this nice court.”
[WATCH LIVE 2]Martinez, who defeated World No. 17 Gael Monfils just weeks ago at Wimbledon, broke World No. 16 Bautista Agut’s serve five times and won 43 per cent of his return points. The two-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist will next play Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who eliminated Czech lefty Jiri Vesely 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 after one hour and 58 minutes.
Bautista Agut was not the only seeded Spaniard who lost, as Italian Gianluca Mager upset fourth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(3), 1-6, 7-5 after two hours and 22 minutes. Third seed Filip Krajinovic maintained his title hopes by clawing past Spanish lucky loser Carlos Taberner 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 after two hours and four minutes.
Serbians Novak Djokovic and Nina Stojanovic got their mixed doubles campaign underway on Wednesday in Tokyo with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Luisa Stefani.
This is the first time World No. 1 Djokovic, who continues his quest for a historic Golden Grand Slam in the singles this week, has played mixed doubles at the Olympics.
View Order Of Play | View 2020 Olympics Results | View Mixed Doubles Draw
The Serbian pair did not face a break point on their way to victory and will next face Kevin Krawietz and Laura Siegemund after the Germans beat American team Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Rajeev Ram 6-4, 5-7, 10-8.
Australians Ashleigh Barty and John Peers also produced a dominant display to defeat Argentine duo Nadia Podoroska and Horacio Zeballos 6-1, 7-6(3) and reach the quarter-finals.
Stefanos Tsitsipas got over his singles disappointment by teaming with Maria Sakkari to beat Canadian tandem Gabriela Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4. Tsitsipas and Sakkari play Barty and Peers in the last eight.
There was success for the ROC on Wednesday. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev moved through with a 5-7, 6-4, 11-9 victory against Croatian pair Darija Jurak and Ivan Dodig, while Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev raced past French duo Kristina Mladenovic and Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 6-2.